Chinese Internet users (archive image): "The Chinese youth lack other idols"
Photo:
© Kim Kyung Hoon / Reuters / REUTERS
The end of a true fanatic love: every day, high school student Chen Zhichu spent half an hour on the Internet to support her actor idol.
Now it's over, the Chinese government has banned the practice - to protect the youth from "unhealthy values".
16-year-old Chen is one of millions of mostly female admirers of androgynous series star Xiao Zhan.
Like many other fans, she worked to make him even more famous and successful.
"I upgraded posts on his fan forum and bought products he was promoting," says Chen in a shopping district in Beijing.
"It was pretty exhausting to keep him at number one every day." The actor now has over 29 million followers on the Weibo social network alone.
Last month, however, Beijing put a stop to the "irrational" star cult and banned online rankings, fundraising and many other things that fans used to attract more attention to their stars on social media.
Government fear: Stars can mobilize millions of fans
The fans are the driving force behind the lucrative business with the stars in China. According to previous projections by state media, it is expected to reach a volume of 140 billion yuan by 2022. In a country where young people have few other options to influence public life, they can make a stranger star. Critics see this as exploitation of minors. Many, however, enjoy the company with the other fans and are happy to contribute to the success of their idol.
The communist leadership is suspicious of the Internet stars with their host of supporters for another reason: They can mobilize their tens of millions of fans in the blink of an eye and so often dominate the social media for days. "This is the beginning of a mass movement, and that is what the government does not want," says a professor of social sciences at a Chinese university who does not want to be named.
There have been numerous raids in the fields of technology, education and show business in the past few months.
The authorities are increasingly targeting the rich and powerful with the alleged aim of promoting greater socio-economic equality.
But it is also about conveying »healthy« social values to young people from a state perspective and preventing them from being influenced by unpredictable celebrities.
"The Chinese youth lack other idols," says Fang Kecheng, communications professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
"It is very difficult for them to find other opportunities for citizen participation, for activism."
The Chinese regulatory authority for radio and television recently ordered broadcasters to exclude artists with "depraved morals" and "incorrect political views" from their programs. And so-called »Sissy Men« - androgynous stars modeled on Korean boy bands - are no longer allowed to perform. For fear of a "effeminate" society, the government also takes rigorous action against video game manufacturers and obliges them to remove "unmanly" content.
Chinese artists who want to be successful in the mainstream have little choice but to come to terms with the state.
Dancer Li Chengxi, for example, accepts the new guidelines; she sees them as an opportunity to restart the industry.
The 26-year-old has been an avid dancer and actress since childhood.
After graduating from the elite Beijing University, she tried herself as an entertainer, starred in several films and took part in talent shows - a genre now forbidden.
She is currently rehearsing for a TV dance competition in Nantong in the east of the country.
Li is not afraid that the recent restrictions will harm her career.
"When big waves break ashore," she says, "the gold that remains will shine even brighter."
pbe / AFP