Chinese actress Zhao Wei scrubbed off from social and media platforms

Chinese billionaire actress Zhao Wei’s existence has been scrubbed off many social platforms and media platforms in China. Zhao is the latest celebrity who has been cancelled following actor Zhang Zhehan, who saw close to 20 brands dropping him after photos of him visiting the Yasukuni Shrine emerged.  

Zhao, who was the face of Fendi China in 2020, was also famous for her My Fair Princess Chinese TV drama. She also starred in shows such as Shalin Soccer and Lost in Hong Kong. Netizens were also seen discussing possible reasons her works were removed on platforms such as Weibo. However, Chinese newspaper The Global Times reported that no official reason had been given for the erasure of Zhao’s work from the internet.

Zhao is no stranger to controversy. In 2001, she faced extensive criticism for wearing a dress featuring a Japanese military flag. In 2016, she invited Taiwanese actor Leon Dai Liren to join the movie No Other Love, but Dai was regarded as a supporter of Taiwan independence. A year later, Zhao and her husband Huang Youlong were also banned to participating in market activities for five years after the China Securities Regulatory Commission said they tried to acquire a listed firm using a shell company.

Zhao and her husband who are also said to be close friends with Alibaba founder Jack Ma were early investors of Alibaba Pictures Group and had reported bought a US$400 million stake in the company in 2015.

In recent times, several Chinese influencers and stars have made headlines as the Chinese government tightens the rules around celebrity culture. Most notably, singer-actor Kris Wu was arrested following rape allegations and his internet presence has been widely deleted. While Zhang later apologised on Weibo, saying that he was ashamed of his ignorance, and deeply apologised for his previous misbehaviour, CAPA on Sunday also called for a boycott of Zhang after the incident. The association said it is a basic professional ethic for cultural-activities-engaging actors to know the history and ignorance is not an excuse.

Meanwhile, Chinese video streaming platform iQIYI also announced last week that it was cancelling its idol competition shows after the Chinese government becomes critical of companies "encouraging celebrity worship". IQIYI's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it takes its responsibility as an entertainment platform seriously. To uphold its duty as a responsible corporate citizen and help maintain a healthy online streaming environment, the company is cancelling its idol competition shows, and future iQIYI programmes will not feature any form of online voting.

According to Reuters, the Chinese government has criticised "idol competition" programmes for reportedly creating an "unhealthy fan culture". This came after celebrities such as pop star Kris Wu and actor Zhang Zhehan were embroiled in scandals recently.

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