A popular Chinese singer and actor, Zhang Yiyang has been executed for the murder of his underage girlfriend.
Zhang Yiyang became the first ever Chinese celebrity to be executed by firing squad.
The Intermediate People’s Court of Xianyang in North Shaanxi Province made his
execution public this July 2025.
The court said the actor was executed on December 18 2024 for attacking his 16-year-old girlfriend with a knife in 2022, cutting her left carotid artery, jugular vein, trachea and esophagus, which led to her death afetr prolonged bleeding
Zhang started dating the victim in September 2021, before the victim proposed breaking up after a dispute.
After the murder, he took away the deceased’s mobile phone, discarded the knife and other weapons and related items in a reservoir to destroy evidence.
On the following day, he attempted to commit suicide at a hotel but was discovered by one of the hotel workers, who reported to the police.
His popular songs include ‘I Only Care About People Who Care About Me’, ‘So Care About You’ and ‘Crying Man’.