Gruesome Rumors Swirl in Chinese Entertainment: Claims Điền Hải Dung “Plasticized” Ex-Husband Từ Minh’s Corpse to Conceal Evidence and Seize Fortune
BEIJING / HONG KONG – 10 March 2026
A shocking and entirely unverified rumor has exploded across overseas Chinese-language social-media channels in the past 72 hours, alleging that actress Điền Hải Dung secretly had her former husband, actor Từ Minh, chemically preserved (“plasticized”) after his sudden death in 2024 so she could display the body as a lifelike statue, thereby destroying forensic evidence and gaining unchallenged control of his estate.
The claim—first posted in encrypted Telegram groups and rapidly mirrored on X, YouTube comment sections and Vietnamese-language forums—asserts that Từ Minh’s remains were never cremated as officially reported. Instead, the rumor insists, Điền Hải Dung allegedly paid an underground preservation specialist to inject the corpse with high-concentration formaldehyde derivatives and silicone fillers, creating a permanent, museum-quality effigy now supposedly kept in a private villa outside Beijing.
No photographs, medical records, witness statements or official documents supporting the accusation have surfaced publicly. The story appears to have originated from an anonymous account that also linked the alleged act to the ongoing controversy surrounding Yu Menglong’s death in September 2025, claiming both cases share the same “shadow management company” that specializes in “body handling and narrative control” for elite entertainment figures.
Neither Điền Hải Dung nor her representatives have responded to requests for comment. Từ Minh’s family has not issued any public statement since his death was announced in late 2024 as resulting from “sudden cardiac failure.” Official records list the cause as natural and state that cremation occurred shortly afterward.
The rumor has drawn parallels to the plastination technique popularized by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, though experts say full-body preservation of a fresh corpse at that level of lifelike detail would require immediate professional intervention, specialized equipment and large quantities of expensive chemicals—making it logistically and financially implausible without leaving a significant paper trail.
Digital-forensics analysts who reviewed the originating posts for several international outlets found no signs of coordinated bot activity, but noted the story spread almost exclusively through overseas Chinese and Vietnamese diaspora communities, where domestic censorship does not apply.
The timing coincides with escalating online demands for a re-opening of Yu Menglong’s death investigation. Leaked airport photos showing injuries, audio of screams, a purported final notarised declaration, and financial records of large transfers through shell companies have already cast doubt on the official “accidental fall” ruling. Netizens now speculate that the same unnamed “management company” allegedly involved in Yu’s case also handled Từ Minh’s body to prevent exhumation or independent autopsy.
No Chinese authority has acknowledged either the plasticization rumor or any connection between the two deaths. Domestic platforms have removed all related content within minutes of posting. Overseas the narrative continues to gain traction, with #YuMengLong and #TừMinhPlastic trending on X and TikTok in several Southeast Asian countries.
Human Rights Watch declined to comment on the specific rumor but reiterated its earlier call for “independent forensic examination of high-profile deaths in the entertainment industry when credible allegations of foul play or evidence tampering exist.”
Whether the plasticization claim is a deliberate fabrication, grief-driven myth-making or contains any kernel of truth may never be determined under current conditions. What is certain is that two separate celebrity deaths—once treated as isolated tragedies—are now being woven into a single, far darker story that refuses to be contained.
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