Photo: Screenshot of Weibo video

Chinese netizens were shocked after it was revealed that an aspirant to a boy band was a 12-year-old girl, a real life situation that many compared to the fictional story in the South Korean TV drama You're Beautiful.

Fu Jiayuan, the 12-year-old girl from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, hid her gender with the help of her parents so she could try out for a boy band established by an entertainment company. However, after one fan of the band discovered her secret, she quickly became the target of criticism for her fraudulent behavior. 

Fu apologized on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Monday, saying that she had been interviewed online when the company was recruiting members for the boy band right as the COVID-19 pandemic reached Xinjiang. After hearing that the company was satisfied with Fu's talents, her parents helped her hide her real gender and allowed her to participate in the training.

Fu added that she had not attended any of the boy band's formal activities and was still just a candidate before quitting.

"I am very sorry and please, give me one chance. I will never enter the entertainment industry," she wrote.

The entertainment company also responded on Sina Weibo on Monday, clarifying it cancelled its agreement with Fu a few months ago. 

"This is due to a fault by our company's employees during the recruitment. We will strictly obey the rules of the company in the future," the post said.

Bands of young boys and girls have become a source of worry for netizens concerned about the growth of these youngsters. Idol training imported from Japan and South Korea fills trainees days with singing and dancing lessons and netizens worry that this busy schedule may harm their education and growth.

"Fu's case is special but it is also a typical example for the entertainment industry," Shi Wenxue, a cultural critic in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"The girl covered up her gender to join the boy band, which is a special situation, but other teenagers and even adults in the industry also cover up their real selves, such as their age and family background, to be perfect in front of fans."

Shi added that if entertainers enter the industry when they are too young, it might harm their values and qualities, adding that "entertainment companies should focus on social responsibility while they pursue economic benefit and the healthy growth of teenagers is also very important."