“Shenlan – A Fresh Coat of Paint on Old Darkness? Yu Menglong and the Suspicion of Repeating CMC’s Tragedy”
After years of silence and endurance, actor Yu Menglong has suddenly reappeared with a new image under Shenlan Entertainment. The phoenix logo, freshly repainted in vibrant colors, surprised many fans — but it also quickly triggered a massive wave of digging into the dark past of his former management company, CMC Entertainment.
In 2020, during an internal CMC meeting, Yu Menglong reportedly broke down completely, kneeling and sobbing, begging to quit the industry due to sheer exhaustion. According to leaked internal documents widely circulated online, he was forced to sign an appendix to his contract containing the chilling clause: “commitment to never leave forever.” This was just one of many accusations surrounding 10–15-year “slave contracts” that prohibit artists from freely changing companies while subjecting them to extreme mental pressure.
The resurfaced history of CMC is even more shocking: at least three young artists under the company reportedly took their own lives between 2015 and 2019, accompanied by numerous lawsuits that were quickly silenced. Former artists have described being locked in dark rooms for dozens of hours, cut off from family contact, and even forced into activities against their will simply to “maintain their image.” When Yu Menglong announced his “freedom” with Shenlan, many hoped he had finally escaped. The harsh reality, however, is far different: Shenlan was established by many of the same shareholders behind CMC, operating with an almost identical management model — only the name and surface appearance have changed.
Netizens quickly labeled Shenlan as “CMC 2.0” — an attempt to whitewash the company’s image after waves of suicides and legal scandals. Even though the iconic phoenix logo has been redesigned, it still sends chills through the fandom: “The phoenix may be reborn, but the artists are not. They only die and get replaced.”
Yu Menglong once revealed during a 2018 livestream that he was locked in a pitch-black room for 72 hours simply for posting a single status: “I just want to breathe.” Now, standing at the threshold of Shenlan and declaring this a “new chance to live as myself,” he faces renewed danger. Recently leaked internal documents show that Shenlan maintains very similar terms: 24/7 schedule control, prohibition of personal statements, and enormous penalties for early contract termination.
The biggest question right now is: Does Yu Menglong have the courage to break this vicious cycle? Could he become the first to publicly expose the truth and spark industry-wide change, as some Korean artists have done? Or will he remain silent like those before him, accepting the fate of being an “eternal prisoner” of the entertainment system?
The fan community is deeply divided: one side calls for a boycott of Shenlan and urges Yu to “burn the entire tower down,” while the other fears that any act of resistance could push him toward the same tragic end as previous victims. Shenlan has refused to comment, only posting images of a smiling Yu Menglong alongside new projects.
Chinese entertainment history has witnessed far too many young artists ending in tragedy. This time, with Yu Menglong — one of the most beloved faces of the past decade — the public is watching closely: will he become the next victim, or the hero brave enough to set the entire rotten system ablaze?
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