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BEIJING / SHANGHAI (Reuters) – More than 62 million online fans in China and campaigns for Montblanc watches have seen over 62 million fans online on Fan Bingbing, a Chinese movie star. and the De Beers diamonds are gone.
The star's disappearance – she fell in June when information began to circulate that she was involved in an investigation into tax evasion in the film industry – sparked speculation in China over her fate including information that the actress was detained.
Reuters could not contact Fan. Calls to his agent went unanswered. Asked Fan, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry replied, "Do you think this is a matter of diplomacy?" The Beijing Public Security Bureau refused to comment.
The tragedy of real life unfolds at a time when Beijing is tightening the reins of popular culture, seeking to eradicate behaviors perceived as going against the ideological line of the ruling Communist Party and co-opting movie stars. , pop bands and celebrities online. to approve socialist values.
"It is written in our new law on the promotion of films that artists must pursue professional excellence and moral integrity," said Si Ruo, a researcher at the School of Journalism and Communication at China's prestigious Tsinghua University. .
"In the unbridled growth of the industry in recent years, we may have overlooked the need for positive energy, so that government intervention is reasonable."
Fan Bingbing is the most important example. The actress, 36, is the Chinese equivalent of Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence. Last year, she surpassed Forbes' list of Chinese celebrities with revenues of 300 million yuan (43.78 million US dollars).
A presenter of a Chinese TV channel in May reportedly widely published online tax evasion payment agreements known as "yin-yang" contracts – an agreement defining agreed terms of payment and another one for the authorities. tax. involve Fan.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported that Fan's studio denied ever signing separate contracts for a single job. China's tax office said in June that it is launching an investigation into tax evasion in the film and television sector.
CLEANING THE CULTURE
But the cleaning of culture is more prevalent, video games, online bloggers and rap artists. Critics say it threatens to stifle creativity in some areas and it hits the biggest companies like tech giant and Tencent games.
The official media have started to use expressions such as "contaminated artists", official bodies pledging to ban stars that misbehave, including drug users, games of chance or prostitutes.
An open letter this month from members of the Beijing Trade Association for Shows said the organization would "cleanse" the city's entertainment and performance sector and guide artists to fundamental socialist values ".
"Celebrities are seen as a weapon in the ideological battle of the Party, which takes place in all sectors," said Jonathan Sullivan, director of Chinese programs at the University of Nottingham.
China has long sought to control the creative arts, from film censorship to literature. However, the rise of online media has sparked a new impetus to clean up the world of the arts, as President Xi Jinping seeks to strengthen his grip on a huge and diverse cultural scene, much appreciated by young people in China.
This reader created a net that swept the creative arts, leaving few unaffected subjects.
Fangu, a grunge group from Beijing, who has toured across China, said he had encountered a problem with his name, which literally translates as "anti-bone," but means something closer to the rebel spirit.
The band was forced to change their name this week before a concert in Shanghai.
"The organizations involved do not allow the word" anti ", so we have to change the name temporarily," Qi Tian, group assistant, told Reuters.
Video game makers had to modify their offers to add patriotic Chinese elements. Others have simply seen the approvals denied. Large media platforms have been hit to not censor their content enough and some have had to take offline sites.
A report published this month by a state university and broadcast in the official media ranked Chinese stars in the order of their social responsibility, including their moral conduct – highlighting an increasingly puritanical focus on good behavior.
Fan came in last place with zero points.
The current reshuffle is hitting hard on China's film and entertainment industry. Share prices of related companies have fallen after the announcement of the government's investigation and many are conducting self-checks on their tax situation.
Claire Dong, a partner and attorney at Tiantai's Beijing-based law firm, said there had been a sharp increase in referrals since Fan entered the hot water.
New policies are rapidly eroding the favorable tax treatment enjoyed by actors and artists in the past.
"That's what the government had to do," Dong said. "The government had to guide the actors so that they focus more on the actors' game and not on the creation of money." (1 $ = 6.8528 Chinese yuan)
Editing by John Ruwitch and Alex Richardson
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