Xi Jinping's order? China doesn't want social media influencers to flaunt wealth because…

Chinese social media sites such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin; China's loose versions of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok cracked down on influencers known for flaunting wealth due to China’s income inequality. This goes back to China's President Xi Jinping promoting "common prosperity," or the ideal of providing wealth more equally to all Chinese citizens, Business Insider reported.

The average household income of the richest 20% in urban China was 6.3 times that of the poorest 20%, per data from Nikkei Asia. The Cyberspace Administration of China announced in April that celebrities could no longer "show off wealth" or "extravagant pleasure" on social media.

Also Read | Chat Xi PT: China's new AI chatbot features Xi Jinping's political thought

A CNA report stated that Weibo, which has close to 600 million active users “cleaned up” 1,110 posts that flaunt wealth and other “bad value” behaviour in their content, banning or suspending 27 accounts.

Similarly, Douyin said it removed 4,701 messages and 11 accounts from May 1-7 and Xiaohongshu said it had cleaned up 4,273 “illegal” posts in the past two weeks and closed 383 accounts.

A WWD article states that Wang Hongquanxing, dubbed "China's Kim Kardashian" with 4.3 million followers on Douyin had his account removed. He is an influencer known for his luxurious lifestyle, collection of rare Hermès bags and jade jewelry.

Baoyu Jiajie or "Sister Abalone," who had over 2 million followers and gave tours of her luxurious homes, and Bo Gogzi or "Mr Bo" who filmed himself test-driving Rolls Royces and splurging on rare Hermes Birkin bags, also had their accounts restricted, as per Financial Times.

According to state-owned media The Cover, the ban is part of China’s effort to create a “social-ecological environment that is civilized, healthy and harmonious.”