China's evolution of Influence Operations has reached in the Entertainment Sector and Social Media where the use of Soft Power is prominent to push a narrative 

China has been using this unique combination of soft power and the internet to push for an image of China as a modern, progressive, and strong leader in the global order. It is seen in the videos of tiktoks and reposted tiktoks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., where videos range from modern fashion to patriotic-driven posts to dramatic skits and everything else in between. Another aspect is the social media posts and activities of Chinese Celebrities on the internet and in promotional activities. 

The “Machine of Propaganda” used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the past decade used a mixture of star power and social media to change the minds of the outside world in their favour.

China has a thriving film and music industry, with Hong Kong taking the lead in both areas with prominent figures like Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, Tony Leung, and many others in the ranks. These celebrities are not famous within Hong Kong but have gained a following in Mainland China and globally.

The path to fame is not easy in China. Here, youths compete to join MCNs (Multi-Channel Networks) or famous streaming services to become the top online influencer. In recent times, the entertainment industry has also been swarmed with issues relating to Nepotism and the use of money, which makes it difficult for aspiring individuals to make it big.

In Mainland China, they adopted the South Korean “Trainee System”, in which youths are scouted by entertainment agencies and trained in their skills in Singing, Rapping, Dancing, acting, or modelling, and if they reach a specific standard, they can make their debut in the industry. It led to a wave of C-Pop bands with groups like  NEXT, UNIQ, 7SENSES, etc. These groups have similar elements to their South Korean counterparts.

 It was not uncommon for Chinese Youths to be scouted by South Korean Entertainment Agencies and relocate to Korea to pursue their careers as K-pop idols. However, due to the THAAD Deployment in 2016, South Korea has reduced its intake of youths from China as trainees to avoid public backlash from having a Chinese member in a K-pop group. China started to form “Idol Survival Shows”, another concept taken from South Korea, to expand the music industry in China. It led to the formation of "temporary groups" like Rocket Girls, R1SE, Nine Percent, etc.

These shows were eventually banned after the ‘Milk Wasting Controversy’ generated by the popular show “Youth with You 3” in 2021. 

In the past decade, we have seen that these prominent figures have shared posts or statements during certain events in China and Hong Kong, often inclining towards a Pro-China stance. Those who make social media posts condemning the events and criticising the Chinese government get blacklisted from performances and activities in the Mainland.

 The Mainland has been a lucrative market for any celebrity to gain fame and money. Chinese K-pop idols often come back to the Mainland to relaunch their careers with great success as well as avail themselves of opportunities they may not be able to get in a foreign land.

These prospects may incline the celebrities to support the ideals of the Chinese Communist Party, whether that could lead to criticism in their home, as in the case of Hong Kong or Taiwan-based celebrities.

Jackie Chan came under severe backlash from Hong Kong for his statement calling “Chinese Control” a positive thing at a conference in 2009. He also joined the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as a member in 2013 to represent the “Culture and Art” Occupation category.

During the 2019 Pro-Democracy Protests in Hong Kong, various celebrities, including Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, and Jackson Wang, shared posts supporting the police. Individuals like Denise Ho, Anthony Wong, and Chow Yun-fat stayed vocal in supporting the movement. The ones who supported the movement have either seen their careers die down or got blacklisted from the Mainland Entertainment sector as a whole.

In 2021, there were sudden withdrawals or terminations of endorsement contracts by well-known celebrities like Dilraba Dilmurat, Wang Yibo, and Zhang Yixing after brands like Puma, Adidas, Nike, and H&M announced that they would no longer purchase or utilise any cotton coming from Xinjiang in light of the atrocities and genocide against the Uyghur Community. The celebrities shared their announcements through Weibo and were applauded by Chinese Netizens for standing up for their nation.

(Image Credits: Dilraba Dilrumat on Sina Weibo)

This creates an awkward position for the fans of the celebrities who live outside the “Great Firewall of China,” ie an extensive system of internet censorship and surveillance implemented by the Chinese government to regulate and control online content within China through IP blocking, DNS filtering, URL filtering, packet filtering, etc.

These fans know the harsh pain of the atrocities in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and other parts of the country and encash the fame they get from all over the world. They question within themselves whether they should support the artist for taking a certain political stance or not.

There could be a possibility that celebrities resort to taking such stances to keep their careers safe, even if they don't align with their thoughts. It is common, especially after the stringent crackdowns in the Entertainment Sector in recent times that led to a crackdown on celebrities on the charges of “Tax Evasions”, and Corruption,” like in the case of Fan Bingbing and Zhao Wei, along with the ban of “Survival Shows” and depiction of “Effeminate Men” on Chinese television, leaving their careers at the mercy of the netizens.

Chinese Netizens hold significant power when it comes to increasing or decreasing the popularity of celebrities in China, especially if one takes a stance that may not be favourable in the eyes of China or, by extension, the Chinese Communist Party.

During the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, Actress Charmaine Sheh, who worked in major films and dramas on the mainland, also came under the bullying of Chinese Netizens. It was discovered that she liked an Instagram post depicting the protests. The celebrity had to make a statement on Weibo, stating her shock at what she saw in the post.

(Image Credits: Charmaine Sheh on Weibo - Today Online)

Taiwanese singer from the famous girl group, S.H.E., Hebe Tien, also came under backlash from Chinese Netizens after posting an Instagram story of the singer enjoying an Italian Meal during Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022. Her Instagram story was mistaken as a gesture for Taiwanese independence, as the meal was taken as a reference to Pelosi’s Italian Heritage.

In such instances, fans can take a sentimental stance of separating the art and politics from the artist and even feel pity for their icons for taking such positions to keep their careers afloat. 

As mentioned before, the way to achieve fame in the Entertainment or Influencer Industry is quite competitive. In the Influencer sector, there are a large number of Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) in which an individual signs a contract and works on creating content specific to their niche. The MCN helps individuals develop their online presence on social media platforms or streaming websites by providing professional support and giving strategic advice on pushing their content to favour the algorithm. In these contracts, the split on profit and sponsorship varies from company to company, and the individual is prohibited from pursuing their brand-related interests without the prior permission of the MCN. 

Some of the MCNs are often tied to the Communist Party. One major MCN called ‘Muyun’ is a host to a lot of the rising influencers from China’s ethnic minorities like Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols, etc. 

These influencers make vlogs that show a rosy image of China and a peaceful co-existence between the majority and the minority at a time when the country was under the global spotlight regarding the pandemic and Xinjiang issues. These influencers have fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English 

The subject of such videos ranges from cultural experiences to field trips to certain parts of the country, exposing the “truth” videos among a few.

These can involve Chinese and Non-Chinese individuals who have fluency in either English Or Mandarin, or even both languages. In the case of the Chinese Influencers, they often feature individuals from China’s Ethnic Minority communities like Uyghur, Tibetan, or Mongol. All of the groups currently facing persecution in China.

Another interesting pattern that was discovered is that most of these accounts were created between 2020 and 2021. Guli Sisters, Duoduo Qimuge, Ayituna, and Naqulamu are some of the people whose accounts popped up in the same timeframe. Their videos showed a mixture of lifestyle blogs and subtle Communist Party propaganda. 

Sabira Samat from the Guli Sisters used to directly bash the Western media for the lies they shared in the news about Xinjiang. The video from the "Guli Sisters" covered “Cotton Farms”, “Covid-19 policy measures,” and any other policy that was deemed controversial outside China, indicating the involvement of the Communist Party’s Propaganda department. 

(Source: ‘GuliXinjiang’, Instagram; account currently Deactivated)

The social media accounts of the "Guli Sisters" were suspended in 2021, however, their videos can give us a sneak peek at how creative the Chinese Propaganda Department has become.

It doesn't end with the accounts featuring Chinese individuals, we can also observe the rise of Non-Chinese individuals who are based in China, speaking in favour of the Chinese Communist Party and bashing the US and its allies for creating fake news about China.

(Image Source: Twitter - @BarrettYoutube)

These accounts have a similar pattern of duo lingual fluency, and aggressive presence on all social media platforms, especially Youtube, Instagram and Twitter as well as on the other side of the firewall in platforms like Weibo, Bilibili, Xiguashipin, etc. One can also observe that these accounts have active interactions with Chinese Government Officials' accounts, with replies or resharing on their accounts.

(Image Source: Youtube - @JasonLivinginChina)

China’s “International Media Outlets,” like the Global Times, and China Global Television Network (CGTN) have even featured these foreign-origin influencers to create videos on their behalf to show a positive image of China as well as show China’s proactive status as a world leader. The videos from CGTN have even showcased a positive image of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Syria and Pakistan, which is a contrast to the actual reality where the projects are in a state of limbo in the said two countries, especially in Pakistan.

If one can go through the comment sections of the videos or posts of these influencers, we can see that the mind of an average person has also changed. We can observe that some of the people also started to see the media outlets as liars or biassed to talk about their agendas and often thank these individuals for “Opening their Eyes” about China as well as express hope for a change in their country’s foreign policy to become more China-oriented.

It can be seen as a curious case from China on how they are utilising their soft power and the internet to change global opinion in their favour, unlike their counterparts, who have set up extensive policies on tapping into the power of soft power and utilising the benefits from it despite the historical popularity of Chinese Actors in the west as well as the rising popularity of Chinese web novels, dramas, and music.

For the time being, there are no signs that there will be any decline in the product or rise of such social media accounts all around the world, as the CCP is ready to take any opportunity to gain positive approval from as many countries as possible by hiding the reality with the perfect and idealistic portrayals of their countries and the superstars who will continue to promote all around the world.

The Non-Stop Machine of Propaganda: China's Use of Social Media and Entertainment Sector

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