China celebrity crackdown: producer questions blacklists before legal system has its say
- Li Xuezheng is most famous for the hit political drama In the Name of the People
- He questioned whether a powerful industry association has the legal authority to blacklist artists before they go through the legal process
A well-known Chinese producer questioned the legality of a recent blacklist of celebrities by an industry association, marking a rare public disagreement with the government’s crackdown on “poorly-behaved” entertainers.
It is the ninth list released by CAPA since it started a “blacklist management system” in 2018.
The three celebrities were Kris Wu, who was charged with rape in August over a date-rape scandal; Zheng Shuang, who had to pay a US$46.1 million fine for tax evasion; and Zhang Zhehan, whose career was torpedoed by a 2018 photo of him outside of Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
Problems with the live-streamers tended to involve pornography, vulgarity or inciting conflict among fans.
The producer spent the past week arguing on social media that CAPA does not have the legal authority to dictate disciplinary measures against these celebrities and internet stars.
“Whether it is actors or live streamers, being on this list means they will lose their jobs,” he said on Weibo.
