A Chinese e-commerce CEO has posted a banned gay advert on social media, sparking a viral sensation.

Li Guoqing, CEO of Dangdang, uploaded the advert to his Weibo account on Tuesday.

The poster, which was part of the company’s ‘Dare to Do, Dare to Be’ campaign, shows two men holding hands, accompanied with the caption: “I fear prejudice but I dare to love.”

Li Guoqing wrote: “This was the only poster in the series that did not pass checks.”

He added: “I still hope everyone can see the content expressed in this poster – tolerance, understanding and peace are also attitudes of daring to do and daring to be.

“In this era full of insincerity, anyone who dares pursue true love should be applauded.”

The post was forwarded by the Chinese real estate agent Ren Zhiquiang, exposing it to over 16 million followers.

On Wednesday, Li posted the uncensored video version of the advert on Youku.

He wrote: “To be honest, when filming this advert I was afraid it wouldn’t pass checks. But didn’t we say in the video, ‘Courage is doing things we’re afraid of?'”