Bilibili, Weibo remove Ma Baoguo videos amid state media criticism of tai chi ‘master’

Streaming-media platform Bilibili and microblogging site Weibo have removed user-generated videos of a 69-year-old tai chi master, Ma Baoguo, who state media accused of “poisoning” China’s values.

The two popular internet platforms said over the weekend that they are trying to stop people from hyping up Ma after a People’s Daily report criticised companies for trying to profit off of Ma.

While Ma has promoted himself as a martial arts master, his fame online is largely due to his sensationalist remarks and stunts. In recent months, Ma has shown up in spoof videos, with some platforms looking to use Ma to draw attention.

“If someone can make waves by grandstanding and expand their business by swindling and bluffing, what kind of value orientation is this?” wrote Qin Chuan, the author of the People’s Daily article. “For those internet platforms that crave traffic and fuel the flames, if they have a basic sense of social responsibility, they should immediately stop facilitating the spread of this kind of ‘disgraceful conduct’ and ‘farce.’”

In a statement published on Saturday, Bilibili said that it is “vehemently against such values and behaviour” and that it would “leave no opportunities” for people trying to hype up the topic. The company said it will check and manage videos related to Ma. Weibo said it would also check related videos and disband fan groups for Ma.

Ma, known for taunting and challenging other fighters online, gained notoriety in May when he entered a domestic martial arts tournament. Ma said on Weibo that he hoped to “defend the honour” of his craft, called hunyuan xingyi tai chi. Ma was quickly knocked unconscious in three strikes from his opponent, a former martial arts coach and amateur fighter.