Celebrities in China have been banned from showing off wealth and “extravagant pleasure” on social media. The announcement was the latest move in the government’s effort to crackdown on the entertainment industry.
On Tuesday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that celebrities and fan-club pages should “follow 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.”
The internet regulator also said that celebrities will not be allowed to spread rumors, post private or false information, provoke their fans to “verbally attack each other,” and encourage fans to participate in “illegal fundraising or irrational investment.”
Chinese social media networks will enforce the new rules by monitoring and reporting “suspected illegal and criminal acts of exposed stars, and group conflicts involving fans.” The platforms will also moderate content and flag posts that might stir social disorder.
The new rules are the latest in what appears to be a crackdown on the entertainment industry. In September, the CCP held a symposium for the entertainment industry where celebrities were warned that they should “oppose the decadent ideas of money worship, hedonism, and extreme individualism.”
China views celebrity culture as a threat to communism because it encourages individualism as opposed to the communist idea of collectivism.
On the same day celebrities were banned from posting their extravagant lifestyles, the China Association of Performing Arts banned 88 celebs from live-streaming. The list includes Kris Wu, a Chinese Canadian pop star who was accused of sexual assault earlier this year.
The organization claimed the purpose of the list was to “strengthen self-discipline” among celebs and to prevent the reentry of “illegal and unethical artists.”
