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Andrea Chen

The state-run news agency Xinhua has published a 1,287 word commentary defending its criticism of the son of one of China’s richest men after he said his top criteria for choosing a girlfriend was she should be buxom.
The commentary said Wang Sicong’s comments turned women into objects and were borne out of arrogance because he was rich.
It also likened Wang’s attitude towards women to that of the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was convicted and later cleared on appeal of sleeping with an underage prostitute.
Wang, 26, reposted the original Xinhua commentary on his social media account and won sympathy online, with many bloggers saying the criticism of his jokey remark by Xinhua was excessive.
Wang, the son of the property and cinema tycoon Wang Jianlin, made the remarks on Valentine’s Day after he had helped raise more than 500,000 yuan (about HK$690,000) by auctioning the chance to watch a film with him.
The original Xinhua commentary had said Wang “recklessly disseminates vulgar information … from the worship of money to sex and violence”.
It published a preview of its second article saying: “We’ve noticed our commentary about a certain ‘second generation’ has received quite some criticism, including insulting comments from microbloggers. In response, we’ve decided to publish another commentary entitled ‘Son of the rich, you’re making a mistake.’”
The commentary said Wang, as an influential celebrity, had made an inappropriate and shameless joke that objectified women.
Wang was not legally at risk for saying he wants a “buxom” girlfriend, but he needed to bear in mind there were certain jokes that should not be made, it said.
Xinhua also compared Wang to Ximen Qing, a character from two classic novels in Chinese literature, the Water Margin and Jin Pei Mei.
Ximen is depicted as a man from a rich family who keeps many mistresses and is a symbol of promiscuity and vulgarity in Chinese culture.
He sleeps with a married woman in the novels and colludes with her to kill her husband.
The Xinhua commentary said Wang shared the same sense of arrogance with the former Italian premier Berlusconi.
“I talk in whatever fashion I feel comfortable with because I’m the richest. So what?” the commentary said.
Wang sits as a board member at his father’s company Wanda Group and it recently entered into a partnership with Berlusconi’s soccer club AC Milan, according to Italian media reports.
The Xinhua commentary added that men’s biological desire for “buxom” women, if said explicitly by a male celebrity, tore down the “fig leaf on civilization”.
“He tore down that fig leaf on purpose, like a naughty boy that pees in public,” the commentary said.
The Empress of China, a popular mainland TV drama temporarily pulled off the air in late December for showing more cleavage than censors considered appropriate, was also singled out in the commentary as an example of “male-dominant popular culture" that it said objectifies and consumes women.
 


Chinese state media ramps up criticism of Wanda tycoon’s son over ‘buxom’ remark

Wang Sicong pictured at a charity auction. Some bloggers thought the initial criticism of tycoon Wang Jianlin's son by Xinhua was excessive. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Chinese tycoon’s son blasted for ‘vulgar obsessions’ with money, sex and violence

One of the winners of a cinema ticket takes a selfie with the tycoon's son, Wang Sicong, after the charity auction, which raised more than 500,000 yuan. Photo: Tencent

Wang Sicong, 26, (above) claims the comment about finding a 'buxom' girlfriend was said as a joke, and he was  left speechless that so many people took it seriously. Photo: weibo

Mainland authorities have stepped up their controls on what they consider to be improper elements, including censoring the revealing cleavage of actresses in the period drama 'The Empress of China'  ...

... which were then removed from screens through close-cropping.

News

China

Xinhua publishes 1,287 word commentary saying Wang Sicong’s comments about his ideal girlfriend were “shameless” and “arrogant”


Xinhua has published a 1,287 word commentary defending its criticism of the son of one of China’s richest men.
