China to ban celebrities with ‘incorrect’ politics, limit pay

Latest effort by President Xi Jinping to rein in celebrity fan culture

People visit a film set at the Wanda Film industrial park in Qingdao, China's Shandong province. Picture: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

President Xi Jinping ordered sweeping action to clean up the entertainment industry, with the broadcast regulator moving to ban film stars with “incorrect” politics, cap salaries and rein in celebrity fan culture.

Television companies and internet platforms were told to “strictly control the selection of program actors and guests, and uphold political literacy, moral conduct, artistic level and social evaluation as selection standards,” according to a statement Thursday from the National Radio and Television Administration.