Zhao Wei's Digital Trace Loss Puzzle Solved, Here's Why

Vicky Zhao alias Zhai Wei (Foto: Weibo Zhai Wei)

JAKARTA - After deleting digital traces of Vicky Zhao alias Zhai Wei. All drama series and television programs featuring the actress's name disappeared. Several Chinese online streaming sites have also been removed from the credits of the film she starred in.

The Chinese government has not given an official statement so that the action has drawn controversy among their millions of fans.

Speculation of the reasons for this action is rife. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this may have something to do with Zhao's case in 2018. At that time, Zhao was barred from holding senior positions for any company for five years in China. This statement was made by the Shanghai Stock Exchange on the grounds of "disrupting market order".

In 2016, Zhao and her husband's company Tibet Longwei held a takeover bid for Zheijang Wanija's 29 percent stake. They announced the offer but did not have the financial resources to continue the process.

Zhao Wei was also accused of being unpatriotic for inviting a Taiwanese actor to appear as the main character in a film in 2016. However, the casting has been canceled.

Earlier, China's Cyberspace Administration in a statement said the authorities need to increase their responsibility, mission, and immediate action to maintain political and ideological security. In fact, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued guidelines for regulating celebrity fanpages in the online world. All parties are also prohibited from ranking celebrities based on their popularity.

"Under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has become more obsessed with ideological and cultural control. The charm of stars and the rise of fandom is considered a danger, a bad influence, especially for China's younger generation", CNN quoted him as saying.

"For decades, high economic growth was a key pillar of the party's legitimacy. At a time when China's economy was slowing down, Xi pushed for the need for general prosperity and promised to distribute prosperity, so that high-income celebrities and tech tycoons would be the first to bear the brunt", he continued.

As a communist country, the distribution of prosperity is a constellation of the Chinese government. The high salary of celebrities is a clear sign of economic inequality. From an ideological perspective, the party wants celebrities to serve as models to help promote the values of patriotism and love of government.

This seems to be the most plausible reason for the disappearance of Vicky Zhao alias Zhai Wei's digital footprint on the internet.