M’sians Alarmed After Lee Zii Jia Shares Disturbing Photos On His Instagram Account
Hope he's doing okay.
Sarah Yeoh
July 4, 2025

Olympics bronze medalist and national badminton player Lee Zii Jia recently caused a ripple of worry among fans and fellow players after he posted a series of disturbing images on his Instagram account.
Following the post, many have flooded the comment section to offer words of encouragement for Zii Jia, who did not disclose the reason behind the photos at the time of writing.

Grotesque-looking photos shared on IG account
In the Instagram post, Zii Jia posted several photos sourced from Xiaohongshu (XHS), where it seemed to suggest he may be going through mental turmoil.

In one of the photos, it showed a person stitching up his face, while another showed a person’s head being shrouded by what seemed to be flames.

However, some photos took a darker turn, with one showing a person lying on the couch with needles piercing through the head and body as the face melts into a bloody puddle.
Another showed a person looking at his own reflection, where the dark figure is seen placing what appears to be a gun next to his head.

However, Zii Jia didn’t reveal the circumstance which caused him to share these photos.

Fans & players show support
In the comment section, Zii Jia’s supporters and fellow badminton cohort were full of concern for his wellbeing and offered him words of encouragement.

Things haven’t been looking great for Zii Jia lately, where he lost in the first round during the All England in March and withdrew from the Badminton Asian Championships in China in April to recover from an ankle injury, reported NST.

If you or anyone is experiencing depression and needs a listening ear, please call the following helplines:

Befrienders KL
Contact: 03-76272929
Operating hours: 24/7

Befrienders Penang
Contact: 04-2910 100
Operating hours: 3pm- 12am daily

SNEHAM Malaysia
Contact: 1800 225757
Operating hours: 4 pm-8 pm daily

LifeLine Malaysia
Counselling Helpline: 03-4265 7995
Monday To Friday 9.30am – 10.30 pm, Saturday 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Late-Night Helpline: 011-5779 5803, 011-5779 5813
Friday & Saturday 10.30pm – 1.30am

This post has been edited by 11c: Jul 4 2025, 01:50 PM

Promoter at Jaya jusco got vacancy

At the end of the day, he's a professional athlete. If he doesn’t perform or stops playing, his income takes a hit—sponsors won’t keep paying forever. While the money he gets might seem a lot to ordinary people, it’s actually not much when you factor in expenses like travel, accommodation, coaches, physios, and support staff. Could it be money issues piling up? Possible. Mental health struggles and financial pressure often go hand in hand

I think the cyberbullying is getting way out of hand. Honestly, I don’t understand why some people feel the need to keep bashing him non-stop. At the end of the day, he's a professional athlete — if he doesn’t perform, sponsors will pull out, and that’s basically the end of his career. It’s not like he’s immune to pressure or consequences. Why keep kicking someone who’s already struggling?