"I don't leave the house without wearing at least 8-figure looks", this is what a well-known Chinese influencer, one Wang Hongquanxing, stated in an interview some time ago.
That the Chinese love luxury is common knowledge, and if one does a minimum of research on the accounts of Eastern favorites, one can see this at a glance. Countless Hermès handbags, overpriced cars, huge resort properties and nabob-like beauty treatments is what appears on their profiles.
@philip.g500 Chinese love to buy luxury for their girlfriends....because money is a romance and embodies time, attention, accompany and caring.......#romance #china #luxury #love #money ♬ original sound - Philip.G
They are referred to as the Kardashians of the East and are often engaged in live video infomercials, capable of generating really big revenues. According to SHINE, Wang Hongquanxing himself has allegedly held as many as 13 infomercials in the past three months, which were able to generate over 25 million Yuan, corresponding to 3 million 180 thousand euros.
@la.repubblica La streamer Xiang Xiang è una venditrice diventata celebre su Douyin, la versione originale cinese di TikTok, per il suo modo veloce e spiccio di presentare i prodotti in vendita: i suoi assistenti le passano una scatola, Xiang Xiang mostra il prodotto alla telecamera, ne dichiara il prezzo, e poi passa al prossimo. Nessuna descrizione, nessuna pausa, nessun dettaglio superfluo: a ogni prodotto sono dedicati solo 3 secondi. Un metodo particolarmente efficace che avrebbe fatto guadagnare a Xiang Xiang e ben 100 milioni di yuan - cifra pari a circa 18 milioni di dollari -, in una sola settimana. Secondo quanto riportato da “Medium” e “Today Online”, gli oggetti che propone costerebbero in realtà meno di 10 yuan (1,4 dollari) ciascuno; ciò significherebbe che la sua azienda, in una settimana, avrebbe venduto circa 10 milioni di prodotti. Un’impennata che si manifesta anche nel numero dei suoi follower che, sul social cinese, hanno superato il milione. Via @whoopsee.it
♬ suono originale - la.repubblica
Despite profitable business, the Chinese government has said enough is enough, taking serious action and blacking out, or giving restrictions, to the social accounts of influencers of this magnitude. Excessive display of luxury, inducing sick behavior that could lead ordinary citizens to desire nothing but wealth, practicing indulgence.
The moral role of social media has also often been questioned in the West. The lives of the protagonists always seem fantastic: vacations in pentastar hotels, walk-in closets to be the envy of the Rinascente, constantly perfect physical fitness and so on. But there has never been a trace of similar measures.
China, on the other hand, since 2021, through the China Cyberspace Administration has removed more than 60 thousand posts promoting overly agitated lives, shut down 1174 livestream rooms, and banned 3609 accounts (SHINE).
Are we sure this measure is not a mask for something else? Is censorship really the way to make the youngest and most vulnerable understand that wealth is not the key to human beings?
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios
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