China’s superfans lie low after government’s ‘false idols’ crackdown

Behaviour viewed by the Chinese authorities as ‘irrational star-chasing’ has been banned amid multiple crackdowns in tech, education and entertainment

Authorities say fan culture needs to be curbed, but mass movements offering values other than those officially sanctioned are said to worry the government

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Fans holding cameras wait for celebrities at Beijing’s Capital Airport, but state regulations have banned some aspects of fandom as part of a crackdown. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:52pm, 6 Oct 2021Updated: 9:00pm, 6 Oct 2021

Beijing high schooler Chen Zhichu used to spend 30 minutes a day boosting actor Xiao Zhan online as one of a legion of superfans, before the practice fell foul of the government for promoting “unhealthy values”.

State regulations last month banned “irrational star-chasing” – online celebrity rankings, fundraising and other tools used by China’s fandoms to get their idols trending on social media – in the latest of a series of crackdowns across Chinese society.

Known for his androgynous good looks, Xiao earned legions of devoted, mostly female fans through his role in the 2019 fantasy drama The Untamed, and has over 29 million followers on Weibo alone.

“I used to upvote posts in his Weibo fan forum and buy products he promoted,” Chen, 16, said in a busy downtown shopping district. “It was pretty exhausting trying to keep him trending at number one every day.”

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