China is going to war with scandal-hit celebrities who it deems 'social tumours' as part of a 'profound revolution' across the business, financial and cultural sectors, according to state media.
Billionaire actress Zhao Wei was wiped from the internet last week, with films and TV shows she starred in being removed from streaming services, without the government providing any reason.
She is the latest star to find herself in Communist crosshairs, with actress Zheng Shuang fined $46 million for tax evasion on Friday.
A list of 'misbehaving celebrities' who have allegedly been blacklisted by the government was circulated on social media last week.
Zhao, 45, and Zheng, 30, were both on the list, along with Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu, who was arrested on suspicion of rape this month.
'From the economic realm, the financial sector to the cultural circle, and to the political field, a profound transformation, or a profound revolution, is taking place,' wrote nationalistic blogger Li Guangman.
Actresses Zheng Shuang (left) and Zhao Wei. Billionaire actress Zhao Wei was wiped from the internet last week, with films and TV shows she starred in being removed from streaming services, without the government providing any reason. She is the latest star to find herself in Communist crosshairs, with actress Zheng Shuang fined $46 million for tax evasion on Friday.
A list of 'misbehaving celebrities' who are allegedly blacklisted by the Communist Party was circulated on social media last week. Zhao and Zheng were both on the list, along with Chinese Canadian pop star Kris Wu (pictured), who was arrested on suspicion of rape this month.
'This is a political transformation ... returning to the original mission of the Communist Party of China, returning to the people centralism and returning to the essence of socialism.'
Li's article, which referred to scandal-hit celebrities as 'social tumours,' was picked up by the People's Daily, the official Xinhua news agency, PLA Daily, China Youth Daily, the China News Service and China Central Television.
The rare orchestrated move by all of the major propaganda outlets comes as Beijing attempts to crackdown on the Western influence of celebrities and tech giants.
The tech sector now accounts for almost a third of China's economy - but since the start of the year, Beijing has sanctioned big tech and its tycoons,
The government action has seen some of the largest firms lose $1.2trillion in value in just six months.
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