China's 'Kim Kardashian' Banned In Crackdown On Online Influencers Flaunting Their...

An influencer dubbed China's Kim Kardashian has been banned in a purge of Chinese social media celebrities who have been flaunting their wealth.

Wang Hongquanxing, 30, a jewellery dealer, who once boasted that he never left home wearing clothes and accessories worth less than $1.4 million (£1.098 million), is the latest casualty of the Communist Party 's crackdown on public displays of wealth and ostentation.

Mr Wang, like several other rich online influencers, attracted millions of followers by bragging about his luxury possessions and daily extravagance – a lifestyle that has now been denounced by state media as a "toxic influence".

This month, dozens of accounts were abruptly banned from every major Chinese social media platform , including Douyin, Weibo and Xiaohongshu. Mr Wang's own profiles have now been declared inaccessible under "violation of self-discipline" rules.

The sudden crackdown marked a stunning public fall from grace for Mr Wang, who had 4.4 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, and who was often seen dripping with exquisite jade, pink diamonds and pearls the size of pigeon eggs, reported Sixth Tone.

Mr Wang also previously told Chinese media outlet Phoenix News that he owned seven properties in a high-end Beijing residential compound worth $110 million.

The latest crackdown comes during a tough economic period of slow growth, high youth unemployment and a troubled property market, prompting speculation that authorities may be trying to censor displays of inequality.

In recent years, the regime has sought to squeeze freedom of expression on the internet and reign in personalities deemed to be too influential on public opinion or promoting messages that run counter to the government's narrative.

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