A 23-year-old Chinese man kissing on the lips a four-year-old girl who pretends to be his daughter was one of the scenes of a popular “father and daughter” reality show in China that child protection activists are protesting. The activists warn that close physical intimacy between a male adult and a young girl who acts as his daughter seen on national TV could encourage pedophilia among Chinese families.
The contestants in Mango TV reality show “Dad, Where Are We Going?” are Dong Li, a Rio Olympian fencer, and Arale, or Cui Yahan in real life, who plays his daughter. The series, which premiered on Oct. 7, was scored for its parent internship portion when the celebrity pairs spend two days with kids of other people.
Their pairing in season 4 was too intimate because the two contestants – despite the 19-year age gap – acted like a real-life couple, Globaltimes reported. For instance, they slept on the same bed with Arale garbed only in a top and underpants. During the show, Arale said that when she becomes older, she wants to marry Dong who, in turn, joked that the four-year-old is an ideal girlfriend whom he would wait to mature.
Other instances when the pair’s behavior was deemed improper include Arale wearing the clothes of Dong and telling him “I feel better staying with you than my mom.”
Viewer response to the shoe was mixed. While some child-protection agencies warned that “Dad, Where Are We Going?” sets a bad example to both parents and children, it could lead to adult manipulation of children for ulterior motives.
NGO Girls Protection, an organization based in the capital city, called on Friday on producers of the reality show to stop airing the series because of the bad example it sets.
Mango TV defended the two on Saturday that their interaction was a result of “beauty and purity.” Dong said a female director was actually taking care of Arale. Mango TV further angered netizens when it posted an online video of Dong and Arale singing a song titled “Let’s Fall in Love,” Shanghaidaily reported.