Chinese regulators eye unruly online fans and pop culture shows as their next crackdown targets

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection — the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog — said Thursday that the Cyberspace Administration of China, the internet regulator, has shut down 1,300 fan groups, disabled 4,000 online accounts, and removed more than 150,000 “toxic” remarks in a recent crackdown against “unhealthy” celebrity fan culture.”The chaos in celebrity fan clubs, exposed by the ‘Kris Wu’ incident, reflects that bad fan culture has reached a critical moment that must be corrected,” the agency said, adding that “fan club” culture is “crazy” and “devil-possessed.” “We must cut off the black hand of the capital — and curb the wild growth of the entertainment industry, ” the agency said.The government’s criticism of misused capital and the entertainment industry echoes its The disciplinary agency also accused celebrity fan clubs of manipulating children into hurling verbal abuse, inciting violence and encouraging them to show off their wealth or extravagance.Thursday’s statement added to growing scrutiny on the media and online fandoms, and it reflects the government’s longstanding, aggressive desire to regulate fan groups and the entertainment industry. Beijing has long been wary of the rise of celebrity worship culture and has made clear that celebrities need to be inoffensive in public to stay in their good graces.Weibo said Monday that it had removed or banned nearly 1,500 accounts regarding “inappropriate remarks” about the Wu incident. Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, said earlier this week it has removed 2.4 million abusive comments and nearly 8,000 videos by celebrity fans since June. And Kuaishou, Douyin’s major rival in China, said last weekend that it had it banned more than 100 accounts in its own crackdown on celebrity fan clubs since June 15.Even before the Wu case, authorities were criticizing the space. The Cyberspace Administration of China said in June that irrational fan behavior has “destroyed the online environment and is adversely affecting the physical and mental health of minors.”In that statement, the CAC also announced that it would launch a two-month online campaign against “unhealthy” celebrity fan culture, and focus on scrubbing rumors, online bullying, harassment and other abusive remarks made by celebrity fans.– Lauren Lau and CNN’s Beijing bureau contributed to this report.