Celebrities In China Cannot Show Off Their Wealth On Social Media, The Government Said

30/11/2021

The Chinese government through its Cyberspace Administration of China announced that celebrities in the country are not allowed to "show off their wealth" on social media networks.

Furthermore, celebrities are also not allowed to show off their "extravagant pleasure."

The move is meant to prevent celebrities from publishing false or private information, and to prevent them from provoking fans of other celebrities so they won't "verbally attack each other," and won't encourage them to partake in "illegal fundraising or irrational investment."

Additionally, the government also urge celebrities and their fans to have their social media accounts adhere to "public order and good customs, adhere to correct public opinion orientation and value orientation, promote socialist core values, and maintain a healthy style and taste."

At this time, China sees celebrity culture and the pursuit of wealth and getting rich as a Western import which is threatening Communism, which teaches and promotes collectivism and not individualism.

And getting rich to then flaunt wealth is considered an act of selfishness.

Cyberspace Administration of China
The office for Cyberspace Administration of China.

In details:

  • Posts must not contain content that is prohibited by laws and administrative regulations, and must not promote bad values ​​such as traffic supremacy, deformed aesthetics, extravagant pleasure or show off wealth and worship.
  • Posts must not reveal unauthorized exposure or the buying and selling of celebrity identity information, home address, travel information and other personal privacy.
  • Posts must not conduct malicious marketing, or publish false information about celebrities.
  • Posts must not spread rumors or smearing and must not create momentum for the comeback of illegal and unethical celebrity artists.
  • Posts must not provoke fan groups to verbally attack each other, or stimulate fan groups to engage in supportive behaviors such as excessive consumption, illegal fund-raising, and irrational investment.

The entertainment industry is a billion dollar industry. And in China, the number of millionaires and billionaires is only surpassed by the United States.

With the ruling Communist Party of China, led by President Xi Jinping, the crackdown means that famous people in the country shall no longer allowed to show off their cars and expensive watches or jewelry, or their mansion.

The rules apply mostly to women, who often use social media networks to share their lifestyle, using makeup, skincare, and fashion tips through live streaming, short videos, photos, and posts.

Posting these things on social media networks is "unethical."

To enforce the rules, the Chinese government is requiring all social networks in the country to monitor and report back any "suspected illegal and criminal acts of exposed stars, and group conflicts involving fans."

Since Western social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are banned in China, these rules only apply to the likes of Weibo, Renren and Youku.

These rules represent yet another crackdown on celebrity culture in China as the country continues to strengthen its grip on the entertainment industry.

Previously, in September, Chinese celebrities were given a warning, in which they must "oppose the decadent ideas of money worship, hedonism and extreme individualism" at an entertainment industry symposium hosted by the Communist Party.

The meeting that was held in Beijing, was attended by senior party officials and leaders in the entertainment industry. There, the government told them that they must conform to social ethics, personal morality and family values, reports said.

Attendees of the conference were also told that they must "consciously abandon vulgar and kitsch inferior tastes, and consciously oppose the decadent ideas of money worship, hedonism, and extreme individualism."

The meeting went with the slogan: Love the party, love the country, advocate morality and art.

Before that, "misbehaving celebrities" who were allegedly blacklisted by Beijing included Vicky Zhao and Zheng Shuang. Also included on the list, was Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu, who was arrested on suspicion of rape earlier this 2021.

As a result, their names were censored from major Chinese video streaming sites

And this move by Beijing, which bans celebrities from flaunting their wealth, is its way to rein in what it calls a "chaotic fan culture" and celebrity excess after a spate of scandals that happened in the entertainment industry.

The move also follows the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which said that it had "zero tolerance" for tax evasion, "sky-high pay" and "yin-yang contracts," referring to the how the entertainment industry often obscure actors and actresses' real pay.

Zheng Shuang
Actress Zheng Shuang was on a list of "misbehaving celebrities" who have allegedly been blacklisted by the Chinese government.

Social media posts to flaunt wealth are very common, and the trend also happens in China.

And not only celebrities that tend to show off wealth, as usual users also like to show off some things in order to get that social media attention.

Before this, there was a trend where people in China were having their face down on the ground, surrounded by luxury bags, shoes, and sometimes lots of cash.

They were pictured in a pose as if they've just fallen head first out of a luxury car and spilled many of their valuable items to the ground.

The posts were meant to challenge China's growing middle class who have greater purchasing power.

The trend is dubbed the "flaunt your wealth challenge" and has generated millions of posts in just weeks after it first went viral.

That, thanks to China's growing army of social media influencers who played significant roles in popularizing the memes, by also sharing images of themselves participating in the challenge with their followers.