Chinese Actor Zhang Xincheng Fractures Arm While Arm Wrestling On Reality Show

With the number of celebs sustaining injuries on set, there's no doubt that showbiz is a risky line of work.

And Chinese actor Zhang Xincheng recently learned that the hard way.

The 27-year-old is a cast member on Zhejiang TV’s reality show Our Inn (我们的客栈). On Jan 14, he was tasked to compete in an arm wrestling match with fellow castmate singer Zhang Jie, 40.

And guys being guys, the match got so intense that Xincheng actually fractured his arm. 

He was reportedly in so much pain and had to be sent to the hospital immediately. 

Xincheng has since updated his social media with a message regarding his injury.

“While filming, I injured my arm in an accident, and was immediately sent to the hospital to receive treatment. I am now doing fine, please don’t worry about me,” he wrote. 

The production crew for Our Inn also issued an apology, in which they said Xincheng was recuperating in a hotel after receiving treatment for his injury.

They also stressed that they would support him throughout his treatment and recovery process.

However, that was not enough to placate furious netizens, who felt that arm wrestling can be a “very dangerous sport”. They also accused the producers of “ignoring the safety of their artistes”.

Others also pointed out that the director of the show, Wu Tong, is a “repeat offender”, as accidents often happen on shows that he helms.

For example, in reality show Trump Card (王牌对王牌), Zhang Jie reportedly suffered a head injury after experiencing a dizzy spell during a midnight shoot.

Netizens also expressed their worry that a tragedy, like what happened to late Taiwanese-Canadian star Godfrey Gao, might repeat itself if producers don't safeguard the wellbeing of their cast. 

Godfrey died in 2019 after suffering a cardiac arrest while filming Zhejiang TV variety programme Chase Me in China. He collapsed while participating in a running challenge on the show, which puts celebs through physically demanding tasks.

The broadcaster was criticised for lacking adequate medical care and safety protocols.

Photos: 8world, Zhang Xincheng/ Weibo