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Advertisement Arouse Controversy in China
A TV advertisement for calcium enhancement medicine presented by some China's famous movie stars including Gong Li has recently become the focus of people's concerns for its reportedly falsehood.
In the advertisement, Gong Li reads a letter from a girl of a Hope Project school, who took the medicine given for free by Gong Li and thanked for her kindness in the letter.
The liquid medicine, produced by the Harbin No. 6 Pharmaceutical Factory, is said to be especially helpful to children's health by providing more absorbable calcium. The advertisement also showed on China Central Television (CCTV) with national coverage.
Soon after the advertisement was broadcast, China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF), the only administrative organization of the Hope Project in China, announced that according to their investigation none of Hope Project schools has received Gong's donation of the tonic liquid, which probably means that Gong has provided an untrue information to the public.
Even though few are skeptical of the medicine, many rebuke Gong's behavior in the advertisement.
However, some believe that Gong is innocent.
Many people criticize that they often see a well known actor saying in TV advertisement that he always buy the medicine for his son, but in fact he only has daughter. In another advertisement, an actress says she buy the product for her baby, but in fact she has no child at all.
Observers said public figures had better be aware of their influence on the public and avoid releasing untrue information in advertisement.
Analysts also believe that it is necessary to regulate public figures' behavior in commercials, especially when a commercial concerns with social service and charities.
Gong Li, a well-known Chinese female movie star with international reputation, is named "Artist of Peace" by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) this May. She was also elected as the chair of nine-member International Jury for the 50th Berlin Film Festival this year.
The Hope Project is widely recognized as a national charity that helps young dropouts in poor areas return to school by setting up schools of Hope Project on the social contribution.
Since initiated in 1990 by the CYDF under the Communist Youth League of China, it has received over 1.78 billion yuan (about 214 million US dollars) in donations and sent 2.29 million children back to school over the past decade.
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