28th October 2026 – (Shanghai) Footage of mainland actress Liu Tao greeting Italian cashmere tycoon Brunello Cucinelli at a brand event has set Chinese social media alight, with viewers accusing the 73-year-old founder of inappropriate touching that went well beyond a polite hello.
Liu, known for lead turns in television hits including Nirvana in Fire and Legend of Mi Yue, married businessman Wang Ke in 2007 and is often praised as a steadfast wife who stood by him through bankruptcy. At the Brunello Cucinelli appearance, she wore a fitted floor-length gown and drew much of the room’s attention — until circulating clips focused less on the dress than on the founder’s hands.
According to the online video, Mr Cucinelli was unusually warm the moment he met her. He repeatedly reached out to touch her, ran a hand from her shoulder down to her waist, and, as they shifted their footing, appeared to brush the side of her chest — contact many viewers said crossed ordinary social etiquette.
Ms Liu can be seen turning sideways and drawing her shoulders in, trying quietly to make space. Bound by a public photocall, she kept a professional composure. He did not appear to pull back. During the group shot, he tugged her firmly towards him; she forced a working smile to get through the frame. Once she turned away the smile dropped and her face looked tense and uneasy.
Clips spread quickly. One comment called it “blatant sexual harassment”. Another said her body language told the story and that viewers felt for her.
Online users then dug through older event pictures and claimed Mr Cucinelli had a pattern. They pointed to actress Chen Duling at the same gathering, Korean star Kim Yoo-jung at earlier Brunello Cucinelli appearances, Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu and actress Li Xiaoran — all, they said, shown being pulled into close waist holds or pressed against him in ways that looked forced. The posts kept the row boiling as more stills circulated.
Brunello Cucinelli recently hosted the Asian gala screening of the documentary “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary,” directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, at Tai Kwun in Central, Hong Kong.