President Xi Jinping ordered a clean-up of the entertainment industry early this month. China’s broadcast regulator is moving to limit entertainers’ salaries, rein in fandom culture, and ban film stars with “incorrect” politics.To get more chinese entertainment news, you can visit shine news official website.
The crackdown began in June when the Cyberspace Administration of China posted a statement on its official website. It said that fans had been fighting and spreading rumours online, which “disrupted the pure and healthy online ecosystem”.
On September 2, television companies and internet platforms were told to “strictly control the selection of programme actors and guests, by making sure they have a correct political stance, good conduct, high artistic level and strong social credit,” according to a statement from the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).
The NRTA also released the following eight-point plan, which calls for “further regulation of arts and entertainment shows and related personnel”:
Radio, television and internet platforms should not employ entertainers and guests who have incorrect political stances, break laws and regulations, or speak or behave against public order and morals.
They should not have idol selection shows or shows starring the children of celebrities. Shows should strictly control voting. They cannot encourage fans to shop or buy membership to vote for their idols.
Promote traditional culture, and create a correct beauty standard. Stay away from gossip, “sissy idols”, large amounts of wealth, and vulgar internet celebrities.
Refuse to pay high salaries to entertainers. Create rules on how shows pay guests; encourage celebrities to take part in charity shows; and punish under-the-table contracts and people who try to avoid paying taxes.
Create rules for those working in show business. Provide professional and moral training. Television hosts must have licences, and their social media activity will be monitored.
Encourage professional commentary in the entertainment industry. Insist on correct political direction and values; avoid spreading rumours and harsh comments; and promote a kind and positive culture instead.
Entertainment associations should criticise bad examples, provide more training, and create ways to make sure people in the industry follow the rules.
Regulators need to be more accountable by listening to the people and responding to their concerns. They should fill the public space with positive shows. China’s top media regulator has announced a boycott of what it calls “sissy idols”, among other guidelines, during an ongoing “clean-up” of the entertainment industry.
Broadcasters must “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal aesthetics,” the National Radio and Television Administration said early this month. It used an insulting slang term for effeminate men – niang pao, translated literally as “girlie guns”.
This reflects concern that Chinese pop stars – influenced by the sleek, fashionable look of some South Korean and Japanese singers and actors – are failing to encourage China’s young men to be masculine enough.
The new guidelines come as authorities have been increasingly critical of the trend some refer to as “sissy men”. It includes pop idols that wear make-up or who do not conform to macho male stereotypes prevalent in traditional Chinese culture. Some in China also see the popularity of such idols – often referred to as “little fresh meat” – as a threat to traditional social values.
