Photo of Roy Wang (Wang Yuan). Photo: VCG

Chinese teenage heartthrob Roy Wang (Wang Yuan) is facing punishment and has already apologized on Tuesday after being caught smoking inside a restaurant, leading to more than 1 billion views with many netizens saying that he has ruined his "good boy" image.

Wang, 18, is a member of the popular teen band TFBOYS, and actor. 

A newly compiled textbook of politics for junior school students includes Wang's speech at the 2017 Youth Forum of the UN that aimed to encourage students to focus more on their education. 

Wang was also listed by the US magazine Time as one of the 30 most influential teenagers in 2017. 

A flood of Wang's fans wrote on social media that they were shocked, disappointed and even considered "falling out of love" with Wang. 

"Wang Yuan ruined his 'good boy' image!" wrote a Weibo user.

Wang apologized on his Weibo account on Tuesday afternoon, saying that "I deeply regret my actions, and feel very sorry for the bad social influence...I will accept responsibility and the punishment." 

Wang's actions set a bad example for the public as he has massive influence especially among teenagers, Zhang Jianshu, president of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Beijing health supervision institute announced on Tuesday afternoon that it will punish Wang in accordance with the law. 

The institute said it is also investigating the restaurant. 

The Weibo post "Wang Yuan smoking" had been viewed for more than 1.5 billion times as of press time. 

While some condemned his act, others argued, that Wang has the right to choose to smoke or not. 

A poll titled "can you accept an idol smoking" showed that nearly 53,000 Weibo users said they can while 16,671 others said no. 

Many said that it is acceptable for anyone to smoke as long as they do not affect others  in the public. 

Beijing implemented its strictest-ever ban on smoking in 2015. 

The ban stipulates that smoking is forbidden in all indoor public places, including restaurants, office buildings and public transportation. 

It also extends to open-air spaces near school buildings, women's and children's hospitals, sports venues and cultural relic protection sites. 

Smokers who violate the ban can be fined up to 200 yuan ($32). Owners of venues who fail to put up non-smoking signs or who allow smoking in their premises can be fined up to 10,000 yuan.


Newspaper headline: Young singer faces fine for smoking in restaurant