bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mandy Zuo

Another category of online influencers has run afoul of Chinese regulators amid the government’s internet clean-up campaign: people who are seen as exploiting Buddhist temples for attention.
The influencers, who do not appear to be monks, typically share social media posts showing them performing “Buddhist activities”, such as praying, meditating or practising calligraphy in temples.

They are often women dressed to the nines and flashing expensive handbags.
Some simply walk into a Buddhist temple and do nothing, but feature a jade bracelet or an Hermes bag in the photos.
After gaining enough online attention, they start selling clothes, jewellery, cosmetics and other consumer items via their social media accounts.
Several major social media platforms have banned such users, known as foyuan in Chinese, after official media criticised the trend, saying it exploited the temples to gain fame and make money.
Douyin, China’s TikTok, said on Thursday that it had punished 48 foyuan accounts and banned seven of them permanently. A search for the word on Kuaishou, another live streaming platform, yielded no results on Friday.
Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle sharing app, deleted 70 posts and banned three accounts.
The bubbles of a false image will finally burst.
A warning on Kuaishou against Buddhism influencers
All three platforms mentioned similar warnings against using temples as a marketing tactic.
“The bubbles of a false image will finally burst. There’s no long-term business by marketing this way. Please be your true self,” a warning on Kuaishou read.
Chinese state media pulled no punches in its criticism.
“It is truly sinful that a group of ladies who seem to stand aloof from worldly success, but in fact are full of material desires, sneak into these supposedly quiet temples,” the Workers’ Daily wrote in a commentary on Tuesday.

State broadcaster CCTV ran an article on its website saying the influencers have “greed that is like a valley that can never be filled”.
In recent months, Beijing has launched a crackdown on the internet to regulate its unruly fan groups, badly behaving celebrities and influencers with “low taste” or “bad moral values”.
The National Radio and Television Administration issued a directive this month that said the entertainment industry should resist the temptation to show off wealth, spread hedonism and gossip about others’ personal business.


Japan’s teen voters must improve media literacy, study misinformation

Who is Spanish Minions figure skater, Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté?

Silver surfers: how China ‘granfluencers’ steal spotlight, taking over social media

Tickets sold out for the first Pokemon theme park in Tokyo

Social media

Chinese influencers who go to Buddhist temples  find themselves in crosshairs of online crackdown

Buddhism influencers often visit temples and perform traditional acts such as praying. Photos: EPA-EFE

A stone sculpture of a horse near the entrance to the 'White Horse' temple in Luoyang, Henan, Central China, was the first Buddhist temple in China, established by Emperor Mingdi. 21APR17 SCMP / May Tse [28MAY2017 POST MAGAZINE TRAVEL LUOYANG]

Tourists visit The White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Henan Province, White Horse Temple was the first Buddhist temple in China, established by Emperor Mingdi. 21APR17 SCMP / May Tse [28MAY2017 POST MAGAZINE TRAVEL LUOYANG]

What’s the beef with James Corden and BTS’ Army? The Late Late Show host called fans of the K-pop idol group ‘15-year-old girls’ after its UN performance, sparking a social media war

“Papa Mochi” no more? BTS’ Army fandom has it out for James Corden after his comments about the K-pop band’s United Nations appearance. Photo: CBS via Getty Images

James Corden sparked a social media war after referring to BTS’ fan base as “15-year-old girls”. Photo: @latelateshow/ Twitter

James Corden poses with K-pop supergroup BTS. Photo: @latelateshow/Twitter

BTS perform on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2020. Photo: CBS via Getty Images

Chinese social media firms and streaming platforms promise to back crackdown on celebrity culture by removing content that fuels fan fights

The Chinese authorities have cracking down on the “chaos of fan communities”. Photo: AP

Live streams are changing the way social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitch work and becoming our new ‘social language’

A study has revealed that apps like TikTok and the ‘creator economy’ are changing landscape of how we use social media. Photo: AFP

Twitch is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Photo: AFP

Instagram has supplanted its parent company Facebook as the second-most downloaded app globally. Photo: Reuters

Bigo Live uses “beans” as a form of “gifting” to content creators during live-streams. Photo: Bigo Live

Chinese review platform Douban suspends reply function amid Beijing’s crackdown on social media

Users of popular Chinese review platform Douban will not be able to reply to any posts and articles on the platform until September 13. Photo: Reuters

The screen grab of the main page from the popular douban.com website.

News

People & Culture

China Personalities

Trending in China


Fouyan perform traditional Buddhist activities while sporting a flashy bag or fancy jewellery
If they gain enough online attention, the influencers begin to use their accounts as online shops



Foyuan, or online influencers who are seen to use Buddhist temples to gain online attention, have become the latest group to feel the heavy hand of China’s internet crackdown.


Internet

China society

Chinese influencers who go to Buddhist temples find themselves in crosshairs of online crackdown

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Fouyan perform traditional Buddhist activities while sporting a flashy bag or fancy jewellery If they gain enough online attention, the influencers begin to use their accounts as online shops

Fouyan perform traditional Buddhist activities while sporting a flashy bag or fancy jewellery

If they gain enough online attention, the influencers begin to use their accounts as online shops