Luxury influencers vanish from Chinese social media in wealth crackdown

China's Communist government has in recent years sought to tighten the reins on social media celebrities, with authorities frequently criticizing "money worship" and "vulgar" content.

China long ago gave up the pretense of Marxism. They have a sort of technocratic hypercapitalist authoritarian guided economy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/12/ten-student-activists-detained-in-china-for-supporting-workers-rights

These young influencers like the ones in the West came about their wealth through nepotism and inherited rentier assets and the CCP know this creates resentment and dissatisfaction that we can see now in China.

It is the same in the West though the neo-liberal order does not want to question the economic system and and translates it to Instagram influencers are creating unrealistic body images and standards.

It disgusts me that there is a crack down on showing wealth when we all know that the elites and those high in power pork themselves with the best life has to offer. They are fine with living at a level that the rest of the population is not at but forbid the "pleebs" to have money and homes. Why is that. Why does the populace have to live at a sensible level meanwhile their wines and car collections cost more than people's homes or far exceed the salary the public brings home.

Dagon, unlike the west there are very few opportunities to inherit wealth in Communist China. All land is owned either by the state or by farming communes so kids can't inherit their parents home or homes. There is no private land ownership and the condo or apartment you "own" is really only leased. There is no guarantee you will be allowed to renew your lease much less pass it along to your offspring.

Until pretty recently the Chinese economy was a roaring free for all and everyone seemed to have a gold rush mentality. There were lots of ways for ambitious entrepreneurial Chinese to make a pile of money and live in luxury, and lots did. Things are changing now and not for the better either. Xi Jinping is a Maoist true believer intent on asserting state control over everything and everyone.

 disgusts me that there is a crack down on showing wealth when we all know that the elites and those high in power pork themselves with the best life has to offer. They are fine with living at a level that the rest of the population is not at but forbid the "pleebs" to have money and homes. Why is that. Why does the populace have to live at a sensible level meanwhile their wines and car collections cost more than people's homes or far exceed the salary the public brings home.

The article is about cracking down on people displaying wealth on social media. If they weren't flaunting their possessions on SNS there probably wouldn't be an issue. Do you see the elite flaunting their wealth on social media? No. Why? Because they know better than to attract unwanted attention. They don't need to prove themselves.

….unlike the west there are very few opportunities to inherit wealth in Communist China. All land is owned either by the state or by farming communes so kids can't inherit their parents home or homes. There is no private land ownership and the condo or apartment you "own" is really only leased.

Hence the massive outflows into places that are supposedly safe from that. But safe for how long? It’s becoming increasingly impossible in the West to disguise the dispossession and marginalization of those unable to take advantage of the opportunities for aggrandizement afforded by unfettered capitalism of which hot money inflows are emblematic.