“The content is unavailable.” these ultra-rich Chinese have been banned from displaying their wealth on social media

“Content unavailable due to violation of community guidelines.” This is what is currently written on the profiles of Wang Hongquan Xin, Baoyu Jiajie and Bo Gongzi on the Chinese social network Douyin, which is the equivalent of TikTok in Europe. These three influencers flaunted their wealth there, between first-class flights, luxury handbags and jewelry collections, and trips in a Rolls-Royce. With millions of followers each, these KOLs”mainstream opinion leaders”, or in French, opinion leaders have seen their online presence completely wiped out. If platforms mention a lack of respect for community directives, the reason seems more political than IT.

Context of repression

Internet use in China is strictly regulated. The internet regulator launched a campaign in April to remove any posts from social media that “deliberately emphasize extravagant lifestyles and ostentatious wealth”. This content goes against the directives of President Xi Jinping’s administration, which seeks to promote the ideology of “shared prosperity”.

The three influencers are not the only ones targeted by the authorities under the pretext of encouraging the “cult of money” in Chinese society. Last week, local media reported that the platforms had started removing posts from users who displayed personal flamboyance. Douyin said it deleted 4,701 posts and 11 accounts between May 1 and May 7. Xiaohongshu said it removed 4,273 posts and closed 383 accounts in the past two weeks, while Weibo said it removed more than 1,100 items in the same period. “If materialism starts to spread, it can have a bad effect on teenagers. This is why this trend of luxury on the Internet must be stopped,” Beijing News, a Chinese state media, wrote on May 22. This content between the lines is likely to cause irritation due to the significant wealth inequality in China.

Money, fame and banishment

It must be said that the three influential people were very, very rich. Baoyu Jiajie or “Shell Sister” was considered the “richest woman on the Internet”. He was known to show off his ornate 2,000 square meter mansion and stroll through his private gardens, which were adorned with pearls and diamonds. Bo Gongzi, or “Young Master Bo,” unveiled his luxury bags in which he carried his dogs and bought a Rolls-Royce Cullinan for his 25th birthday. Wang Hongquan from renminbi or 1.2 million euros. Obsessed with jade jewelry, she had 4.3 million subscribers on Douyin. Today, their content and their names are absolutely impossible to find on the platforms.