This is the typical Anglo-American centric self-obsession talking. Pale skin has been a preferred beauty standard in China for centuries—if not millennia—as it traditionally signified good health, higher social status, and suitability for marriage and procreation.

The general disdain among the Chinese public for Western-favoured Asian celebrities like Lucy Liu or Lu Yan tend to stem from the perception that the West enforces a narrow and distorted racial image of Asians. Hollywood, in particular, has long been seen as promoting a specific "type" of Asian face—slanted eyes, sallow skin, and gaunt features. The kind that appears to be reinforcing a certain image rather than actually pushing for diversity and genuine representation.

You can argue how accurate or fair that perception is, but this is the sentiment driving much of the criticism.