Is Eleanor Lee's China Drama Cursed? Reports Claim Production Team Indirectly Caused Death Of China’s Most Handsome Monk

Is Eleanor Lee's upcoming Chinese drama cursed?

By now, many would have heard of the controversy surrounding China-based Singapore actress Eleanor Lee, 25.

TL;DR, an alleged voice clip of Eleanor insulting Mainland Chinese was leaked, resulting in a tidal wave of online hate directed at her and the uncertainty of her appearance in new drama Fu Shan Hai aka Go to the Mountains and Sea.

It certainly did not help when Eleanor's estranged godfather, former celeb hairdresser Addy Lee, decided to add oil to the fire, going on live stream to spill tea about his fallout with Eleanor and her mum, Mediacorp host Quan Yifeng. 

Yesterday, more reports about Go to the Mountains and Sea have surfaced, and it seems the entire production might have been doomed from the start. 

According to Chinese media, Eleanor was not the first pick for the role of Tang Fang, one of the drama's main female characters. Chinese actress Huang Riying was said to be the original choice. 

Riying reportedly underwent training for her action scenes but unfortunately suffered an injury to her face and needed seven stitches.

Reports claim that the production team not only did not compensate Riying for her medical fees, they axed her from the drama and replaced her with Eleanor.

Riying later accepted a role in another drama, and the production team of that drama agreed to film scenes involving other actors first so she could recover. 

That's not all. 

Last August, a man known as China's "Most Handsome Monk", 21-year-old Qiu Feng, died in a car crash while en route to Wenzhou, Zhejiang. 

Turns out, he was involved in Go to the Mountains and Sea too.

Recent reports have revealed that he was rushed by the production team to go on location in Hengdian immediately after touching down in China following a volunteer work trip overseas.

The private hire car he was in reportedly travelled at a high speed, contributing to the tragic accident that killed Qiu Feng and the driver. 

One inside source claimed online that the Go to the Mountains and Sea production team paid off websites to report that Qiu Feng was heading to a charity event in Zhejiang instead when the accident happened.

The truth came to light when an individual revealed that two hours before the accident, Qiu Feng shared on a live stream that he was about to begin filming. Qiu Feng's sister later confirmed he had returned to China in order to start work on Go to the Mountains and Sea. 

Many now believe the production team is indirectly responsible for Qiu Feng's death, and that they have tried to hide the truth.

Adding to the drama's controversies, a supporting actor was said to have been a target of online attacks started by fans of other cast members. They were allegedly unhappy he was underperforming in his role. 

All this, and the drama hasn't even gone on air yet. 

Photos: 赴山海官微/ Weibo, 8world, Baidu, huangriying._fanspage/ Instagram