Wheelchair-Bound Taiwanese Singer Caught Lying About Not Getting Assistance At Airport

Taiwanese singer Zheng Zhihua is facing backlash after he was found to have falsely accused Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport last week (Oct 26) of being “the most inhumane towards people with disabilities”.

In a Weibo post, the 63-year-old claimed airport staff who operated the lift ignored his safety and “coldly watched him crawl onto the plane” without offering any help.

The airport quickly responded with an apology to Zhihua, but it seems they might have skipped checking the facts.

A leaked video showed the opposite, with Zhihua being lifted to the plane gate with the help of a boarding cart, even chatting with the staff who assisted him onto the plane.

Zhihua was left paralyzed waist-down after contracting polio when he was two.

Since the video was made public, netizens have been accusing the ‘Sailor’ singer for exaggerating and misleading the public.

“How privileged do you think you are to spread rumours?” one commented, while another wrote, “You might be physically disabled, but that doesn’t mean you can be a bully.”

Still, Zhihua doubled down, claiming that he has long faced rude and difficult treatment from airport security across China.

“I respect that airport security must be strict, but people with disabilities are also human beings. We are passengers, not criminals! Their demanding and difficult behaviours are mind-blowing,” he argued, before complaining that elevators at Shenzhen Bao’an Airport were difficult to board, and that human empathy has disappeared.

However, Zhihua has since backtracked and has followed up with an apology on Weibo.

"The words 'rolling and crawling' were used in a fit of anger because the boarding process wasn't going smoothly. I must apologise for my choice of words. The guys who helped push my wheelchair was very helpful, even helping me get through the door with my legs. I would like to thank all the service staff and hope this doesn't cause any negative impact on them,” he wrote.

Photos: Sinchew