Detention of CCTV 'superstar' anchor Rui Chenggang polarises opinion across China’s social media

The arrest of leading CCTV anchor Rui Chenggang was perhaps the single most discussed event across China’s social media networks over the weekend.

Rui, 36, was taken away by prosecutors from a China Central Television studio in Beijing for investigation last Friday. The sudden nature of Rui’s detention was highlighted by the presence of a second microphone left unused on set as Rui’s co-host anchored the programme without him.

Authorities have not announced why Rui was detained, but many have speculated it was due to his connection with the channel’s director-general who was arrested in May for suspicions of accepting bribes.

Also led away by authorities were Rui’s supervisor and a fellow producer, but their detention failed to solicit nearly as much attention online as Rui – arguably China’s most prominent business news reporter.

A fluent English-speaker, Rui is known for his frequent appearances at international economic conferences and conducting interviews with numerous business and political leaders worldwide.

He was also reportedly the youngest Yale World Fellow to date, the author of two books and generally accepted as a role model for China’s younger generation.