China’s crackdown on ‘wealth-flaunting’ social media puts pressure on influencers − both on the mainland and in Taiwan − to echo the party line

By Gengsong Gao, Dan Chen, University of Richmond

Chinese regulators are in the process of wrapping up a two-month “spring clean” of the country’s social media.

Launched on April 23, 2024, by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the latest Qinglang campaign – the literal meaning of which is “clean and bright” – aims to penalize Chinese social media influencers and internet celebrities deemed to be flaunting wealth or deliberately showcasing a luxurious life built on money to attract followers and traffic. Its reach goes beyond the behavior of social media users on the mainland, with Taiwanese influencers feeling the heat, too.

China is far from alone in expressing official alarm over the perceived harms of social media. The U.S. government on June 17 signaled its desire to slap warning labels on platforms such as TikTok, X and Instagram. But whereas U.S. efforts are framed as protecting the mental health of users, it is the well-being of China’s society that is the focus of Beijing’s crackdown – and regulators there are going beyond mere warnings.

Following the Cyberspace Administration of China’s directive, various Chinese social media platforms blocked the accounts of influencers such as Wang Hongquanxing, who has earned the nickname “China’s Kim Kardashian.”

Wang appears to have been censored for bragging about his extravagant clothing and other luxury goods. And he isn’t alone. Fellow influencer Bo Gongzi received similar treatement for showing off Porsche cars, Hermes bags and other rare and expensive accessories. And Baoyu Jiajie disappeared from Chinese social media platforms after flaunting her luxurious cuisine and lavish properties.

Violation of online expression?

Chinese official media defended the crackdown as a move against money worshipping and what Beijing describes as “toxic traffic” – or attracting online fans for the purposes of making money.

Analysts such as Yao-Yuan Yeh, a Taiwanese professor of political science from St. Thomas University, have argued that the cancellation of the wealth-flaunting influencers is not simply motivated by a desire to protect public morality.

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