Vicky Zhao or Zhao Wei and several famous stars have been banned by the Chinese government. What is the reason why the Bamboo Curtain Country has the heart to destroy the careers of its biggest celebrities?
Vicky Zhao's existence on the internet, as reported, was completely deleted in China. Apart from Zjao, actress Zheng Shuang was recently fined USD 46 million for tax evasion. Later, pop star Kris Wu was arrested on charges of rape.
Although Chinese celebrities have been targeted by the previous government, the action this time is tougher. Vicky Zhao's career, for example, could be stalled because there are no more videos that can be shown in cyberspace.
Previously, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued guidelines for regulating celebrity fanpages in the online world. All parties are also prohibited from ranking celebrities based on their popularity.
Under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist party has become more obsessed with ideological and cultural control. The charm of stars and the rise of fandom is considered a danger, a bad influence especially for China's young generation
"For decades, high economic growth was a key pillar of the party's legitimacy. At a time when China's economy was slowing, Xi pushed for the need for general prosperity and promised to distribute prosperity, so that high-income celebrities and technology tycoons were the first to bear the brunt," CNN added.
The high salary of celebrities is a clear sign of economic inequality. Zheng, for example, was paid USD 24 million for a drama series. Last year, Chinese officials revealed that 600 million people earn just $140 a month.
From an ideological perspective, the party wants celebrities to serve as models to help promote the values of patriotism and love of government. However, there is something else to pay attention to.
"The party sees the lavish lifestyle of some celebrities as a sign of moral decay and considers some male idols to act like women too. The extreme things that fans do to defend their idols such as mocking online and spreading rumors are also a concern," said CNN.
This is known as toxic celebrity culture and is not suitable for young people. So that's why raids were encouraged, including on Vicky Zhao. Although the reason is not clear, he has had several problems with the authorities, such as allegations of investment fraud, wearing a costume with the Japanese flag, being close to Jack Ma and other reasons.
