Chinese influencer Viya, in Boao, southern China, at the Asia Economic Forum, April 20, 2021 (CNS / AFP / Archives / STR)
One of the most influential celebrities in China on the internet disappeared Tuesday from the country’s main social networks in the aftermath of a heavy conviction for tax evasion, when the authorities castigate excesses in entertainment.
The influencer Viya, considered in China as an emblematic figure of “tele-shopping” 2.0, is one of the most prominent personalities in online commerce. It has 110 million subscribers on social networks. And Viya is best known for her videos in which she sifts through products and offers big discounts.
Its notoriety is worth to him to be frequently solicited by the marks and to be at the head of a small empire.
Viya was pinned on Monday for tax evasion and ordered to pay the Chinese state 1.3 billion yuan (181 million euros), one of the heaviest sanctions against a celebrity.
On Tuesday, the influencer’s main accounts were nowhere to be found on the Chinese internet. His Taobao account, owned by Alibaba, on which Viya was directing to promote products of the e-commerce champion was inaccessible.
Alibaba did not immediately react to a request for an explanation from AFP. Searches on the social networks Weibo (equivalent to Twitter) and Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) also gave no results.
The internet in China is strictly regulated and the country’s censors do not hesitate to dive into the digital anonymity of individuals or companies in the crosshairs of communist power.
In March, Swedish ready-to-wear giant H&M was removed from certain online listings and its products removed from major Chinese online sales sites.
Viya is a key figure in online commerce. Its teleshopping on smartphones is followed on a daily basis by millions of Chinese consumers, generally young and eager for new technologies. According to the local press, Huang Wei of his civil name sold 8.5 billion yuan (1.8 billion euros) of products in a single evening in November, on the occasion of the Singles Day which gives rise to monster promotions.
Its tax adjustment comes at a time when the authorities intensify their campaign against excesses around celebrities, “staggering salaries” in showbiz and severely track down fraud surrounding remuneration.
© 2021 AFP
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