As part of supreme leader Xi Jinping's "national rejuvenation" order, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has banned what it refers to as "sissy men" from television.
Under Xi's plan, Chinese broadcasters were ordered to stop showing effeminate men on TV and to promote “revolutionary culture,” The Associated Press reported.
There have been no reports of American media being impacted by the order.
Broadcasters must “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal esthetics,” the CCP's TV regulator said on Sept. 2, using an insulting slang term for effeminate men — “niang pao,” or literally, “girlie guns.”
The CCP crackdown on broadcasters came amid concerns that Chinese pop stars were heavily influenced "by the sleek, girlish look of some South Korean and Japanese singers and actors," the report said, adding the China is encouraging its young men to be more masculine.
Broadcasters should avoid promoting “vulgar Internet celebrities” and admiration of wealth and celebrity, the regulator said. Instead, programs should “vigorously promote excellent Chinese traditional culture, revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture.”
The CCP's order also tightens control over China's celebrities, saying that broadcasters should avoid performers who “violate public order” or have “lost morality.”
On Saturday, microblog platform Weibo Corp. suspended thousands of accounts for fan clubs and entertainment news, the AP report noted.
A popular actress, Zhao Wei, has disappeared from streaming platforms without explanation. Her name has been removed from credits of movies and TV programs.
Another actress, Zheng Shuang, was fined 299 million yuan ($46 million) last week on tax evasion charges in a warning to celebrities to be positive role models.
Xi’s government has also reduced children’s access to online games. Rules that took effect Wednesday limit anyone under 18 to three hours per week of online games and prohibit play on school days, the report noted.
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