The repression of Chinese culture is a sign of “profound” political change – comment

SHANGHAI, Aug. 31 (Reuters) – China’s crackdown on celebrity culture and moves to curb Internet giant businesses are a sign of ongoing “profound” political changes in the country, a prominent blogger said in a widely circulated publication among the state media.

The Chinese government has recently taken action against what it has called the online fan club’s “chaotic” culture and has also punished celebrities for tax evasion and other crimes.

In a wide range of interventions in the economy, it has also pledged to combat inequality, “excessively high” incomes, rising property prices and profit-seeking educational institutions.

“This is a transformation of the center’s capital into the people of the center,” nationalist author Li Guangman wrote in an essay originally published on his official Wechat channel.

“This is also a return to the original intentions of the Chinese Communist Party … a return to the essence of socialism,” he wrote in an article that was republished by the Xinhua news agency and the official newspaper of the Communist Party, the Daily Daily. .

Li, identified as a previous editor in a state-run publication, said China’s markets “would no longer be a paradise for capitalists to get rich overnight,” adding that culture does not it would be a haven for celebrities and that public opinion “would no longer be” a place to worship Western culture. “

“Therefore, we need to control all the cultural chaos and build a living, healthy, masculine, strong and people-oriented culture,” he wrote.

Since coming to power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to enhance the role of the ruling Communist Party in all spheres of society, including its businesses, schools and cultural institutions.

In a speech on the occasion of the party’s centenary in July, Xi vowed to “improve” the party’s powers, maintain its own “basic” leadership and strengthen the unity of the Chinese people.

Report by David Stanway. Edited by Gerry Doyle

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