Kris Wu scandal: China’s internet watchdog seeks to rein in unruly celebrity fan culture

Name: Pop star Kris Wu detained by police in China over rape allegations
Uploaded: 2021-08-03T09:03:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 28 s
Description: Pop star Kris Wu detained by police in China over rape allegations

The move follows the date rape allegations made against pop star Kris Wu

Wu has been accused of date raping underage fans and has been detained by police

Reading Time:2 minutes

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Kris Wu bumped Ariana Grande off the iTunes charts in 2018. Photo: Artwork

Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen

Published: 5:03pm, 3 Aug 2021Updated: 10:01am, 4 Aug 2021

China’s internet watchdog has called for further discipline of online fan clubs, urging websites and platforms to adjust their products and services to regulate fans to “star chase rationally ”.

“There needs to be a limitation of irrational star-chasing by cancelling promotions that prompt fans to buy products in support of their idols, changing the rules for competition, and managing fan groups,” it said.

The announcement by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Monday, came after the Beijing police’s detention of Chinese-Canadian pop idol Kris Wu Yifan on Saturday on suspicion of rape, which can lead to a prison sentence of between three and 10 years under China’s penal code.

Chinese-Canadian pop idol Kris Wu has been detained by police after being accused of date rape by a fan. Photo: AFP

Since Wu’s detention, international brands have cancelled sponsorship deals with him and five Chinese industry associations, including the film association and music association, have issued statements in response, calling for those in the entertainment sector to respect the law and pay attention to their behaviour.

Since June, the CAC’s has been aiming to put an end to the “chaos” involving online fan clubs, part of a crackdown on China’s increasingly obsessive celebrity fan culture, which involves online abuse, doxxing, excessive spending and even stalking of celebrities in extreme cases.

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Pop star Kris Wu detained by police in China over rape allegations

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Kris Wu scandal: China’s internet watchdog seeks to rein in unruly celebrity fan culture

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The move follows the date rape allegations made against pop star Kris Wu Wu has been accused of date raping underage fans and has been detained by police

The move follows the date rape allegations made against pop star Kris Wu

Wu has been accused of date raping underage fans and has been detained by police