The Chinese government has banned insufficiently masculine men from appearing on television. In early September, as part of an intensifying party-state campaign to tighten official morale and control over business and society, television broadcasters were ordered to promote “revolutionary culture” more vigorously.
President Xi Jinping called for “national renewal” and increased party control over business, education, culture and religion. Companies and the public are under increasing pressure to justify the vision of a stronger China and a healthier society.
The party is trying to discourage what it says is “unhealthy” interest in celebrities. Electronic media must resolutely put an end to “unmarried men’s” programs and other abnormal aesthetics, a spokesman for the regulator said, using offensive slang for feminine men.
The measures reflect official concerns that Chinese pop stars, influenced by the sleek, girlish appearance of some South Korean and Japanese singers and actors, may not encourage young people in China to the necessary masculinity.
According to the regulator, TV operators should avoid advertising “vulgar internet celebrities” and admire both celebrities and their wealth. Instead, the programs must vigorously promote “the superior traditional Chinese culture, the revolutionary culture, and the advanced socialist culture.”
The rules, which went into effect on Wednesday, limit online games for people under 18 to three hours a week and ban them altogether on school days. Game developers must now present their new products in advance for approval by the authorities. It is recommended to include more nationalist themes.
The party is tightening its grip on celebrities as well.
Television operators should avoid performers who “violate public order” or “have lost their morale,” the regulator said. Celebrity children’s programs are also banned.
On Saturday, the Weibo platform blocked thousands of fan club accounts and show business news. Popular actress Zhao Wei has disappeared from streaming platforms without explanation. Her name was removed from the captions of movies and TV shows.
Another actress, Zhen Shuang, was fined 299 million yuan ($ 46 million) last week on charges of tax evasion as a warning to celebrities to be positive role models.
The new measures complement bans on gay people on television as early as 2016, as part of cultural repression against “any vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content that exaggerates the dark sides of society,” including extramarital affairs and short-term relationships.
Photo: FFC-Acrush, the newest boy band from China, gathered over a million followers on the social network Weibo before releasing their first song. The trick is that all the members are actually girls posing as boys.
