appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Jane Cai

After a months-long war of words between an online influencer and a restaurant chain owner, a Communist Party mouthpiece has taken the unusual step of direct intervention – underlining China’s desire to rein in internet celebrities and social media platforms.
Since Sunday, People’s Daily has published four commentaries about the restaurant chain Xibei, which says it expects to lose 500 million yuan (US$71.8 million) following an influencer’s online complaints about pre-made dishes.
“This is typical of the internet era,” the Sunday commentary said. “A prominent internet influencer dominates online public opinion with sensational material while the exposed party responds [unskilfully] and platforms fan the flames ... to attract attention.”
The commentary said the losses were saddening but it might be even “more worrisome that social media posts can plunge a company that has operated for 38 years and runs hundreds of stores into such a crisis”.
Other People’s Daily commentaries called on companies to improve their public relations skills and influencers to conduct themselves properly online to help uphold social and economic stability instead of chasing traffic.
A Beijing-based political scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the commentaries represented “a U-turn” from earlier media tolerance or even sympathy for consumer rights.
“It shows that authorities are increasingly wary of the influence wielded by social media and influencers, pointing to even stricter regulatory oversight in the future,” he said.

The feud started in September, when Luo Yonghao, with nearly 3 million followers on the social media platform Weibo, publicly criticised Xibei, accusing it of serving mostly pre-made dishes at premium prices.
Luo described the practice as “disgusting” and called for greater transparency and food labelling legislation for the industry.
Jia Guolong, Xibei’s founder, strongly denied the accusations, threatened legal action and opened kitchens for public inspection. But the efforts backfired when footage revealed the use of pre-packaged and frozen ingredients.
The dispute quickly grew online as customers criticised various restaurants for using pre-made dishes, a part of the catering sector not covered by national standards.
Over the following months, the controversy escalated further.
China Newsweek reported this week that Jai confirmed that Xibei would shut more than 100, or a third, of its restaurants across the country this year, affecting about 4,000 jobs.
Jia also said on social media that he would debate Luo and raised the issue of defamation. Both parties’ accounts were then taken offline.
Explaining the suspension, a Weibo executive said that “organising fights or debates” was strictly prohibited under the “negative list” for influencers issued by China’s cyberspace regulator last month.


According to People’s Daily, the Xibei case showed how platforms’ pursuit of traffic could fuel negative public opinion, consumer desire for spectacle and business fears.
Online public opinion had become “a significant factor affecting corporate survival” and even China’s “overall economic development”, it said.
The first commentary was published before China released its annual economic figures on Monday. Last year, the country’s gross domestic product grew by 5 per cent from 2024, meeting the official target of “about 5 per cent”.
However, analysts said that trade tensions with the US and Europe as well as stagnant domestic consumption posed major risks.
In its second commentary, on Monday, People’s Daily said entrepreneurs like Jia should “improve media literacy in the online realm” and learn to respond better on social media.
Tuesday’s commentary called for influencers to be more self-disciplined, saying social media was “not a private domain and cannot be allowed to run rampant”.
It also listed various types of “irresponsible words and actions” used by influencers in recent years.
These included superficial or distorted interpretations of the party’s and state’s major policies; excessively biased views on certain public issues; defamation of businesses for personal interest; and the staging of fights to generate traffic and monetise attention.
In the Xibei incident, the commentary said, many online users viewed Luo’s complaints as merely those of a consumer regarding a business, “but this was actually a public expression – entirely different from a private chat with friends”.
Wednesday’s commentary criticised platforms for “amplifying confrontational content through algorithms and hot searches”, which it said served to “polarise opinions, hinder consensus-building and erode positive online spaces”.


Beijing has made a range of efforts to rein in online opinion.
In 2024, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) shut down 107,802 social media accounts for various irregularities, ranging from violence to defamation of national heroes or martyrs.
In one campaign launched in September, the targets included “inciting extreme group antagonism”; forcibly linking social issues with identity, region and gender; “spreading negative and pessimistic emotions” such as referring to education or hard work as “useless”; and “selling anxiety-inducing content and courses related to employment, dating and education”.
Since the campaign, several Chinese social media platforms have been hit with penalties, and several influencers’ social media accounts have been deleted or suspended for months.
On Tuesday, in a rare public disagreement with state media, a commentary titled “Sorry, People’s Daily, this time I cannot agree” was posted by an author using a pseudonym in the chat room for the Shanghai-based news outlet Guancha.
According to the author, what happened to Xibei was “a fundamental collapse of product value – no amount of beautiful promotion or PR can serve as a cure”.
“Overemphasising the online public opinion environment sets a bad precedent for Chinese companies, as if enterprises only need to study how to ‘control reviews’ or ‘delete posts’,” it said. “Protecting enterprises does not mean shielding them from criticism.”
The article attracted thousands of views and sparked spirited discussion.
Users’ views were mixed, with many urging People’s Daily to defend consumer rights and press the government to introduce regulation in the pre-made meal sector rather than lash out at influencers and social media.
Meanwhile, the All-China Journalists’ Association, a government-backed industry federation, published a commentary on Wednesday praising People’s Daily for “guiding the public discourse with the sense of responsibility”.
The association said the Chinese economy was “under significant pressure” and that online public opinion had “become an important factor influencing corporate survival environments and even the broader economic development environment”.


South Korea wants free ‘AI for All’. Is society ready?

Japan’s ‘Suica penguin’ mascot to be retired and replaced in public vote after 25 years of service

Hong Kong must put child safety on the development agenda

China targets ‘toxic’ traffic as viral sensations upend daily life and public services

Internet

Xibei vs the influencer: why Beijing called time on a Chinese restaurant food feud

The controversy involves the Chinese restaurant chain Xibei, which became the target of an influencer’s online complaints about high-priced pre-made dishes. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

The commentaries of People’s Daily, a Communist Party mouthpiece headquartered in Beijing, are thought to reflect the views of China’s top leadership. Photo: Shutterstock

Japan ramen eatery bans ‘troublesome’ China customers, charges a lot more for English menu

A Japanese ramen restaurant has faced backlash on social media after announcing a ban on Chinese customers, claiming that 90 per cent of issues with foreign diners involve people from China. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Google Map

The restaurant has two menus, one in Japanese and one in English, the latter being much more expensive. Photo: QQ.com

A woman tucks into a bowl of ramen noodles in a Japanese eatery. Photo: Shutterstock

Tourists take a selfie in front of the Kaminarimon gate in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. Photo: EPA 

China targets wealthy influencers with audits, fines as fiscal pressures rise

China is cracking down on live-streamers who are not paying their fair share of taxes. Photo: Shutterstock

This Chinese-Vietnamese plant-based influencer makes even haters love tofu

Wendy Luong, aka Wendy the Food Scientist, shares vegan cooking techniques that are backed by science and rooted in tradition on her Instagram and other social media pages. Photo: Wendy Luong

Luong holds a pan of crispy lentil crackers that are simple to make. Photo: Instagram/wendythefoodscientist

The cover of Luong’s cookbook. Photo: Wendy Luong

Luong says the trick is not to follow a recipe blindly but rather to understand the technique, then adapt it to what you have. Photo: Wendy Luong

Some of the simple dishes Luong features with recipes on her Instagram account include fresh soy milk, ginger tofu pudding, silken tofu with crispy chili oil, home-made firm tofu and soy yogurt. Photo: Instagram/wendythefoodscientist

China beauty influencer pays off US$57,000 family debt; accused of faking cerebral palsy

A Chinese girl with cerebral palsy who became a beauty influencer to help her family pay off a US$57,000 debt has faced accusations of faking her condition. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Lin Ling poses for a photograph as a little girl. She was diagnosed with jaundice at birth. Photo: Douyin

A back pose by Lin showing off one of her many styles in a live-streaming session. Photo: Douyin

Lin applies make-up during another live stream. Her condition means she finds it difficult to do so. Photo: Douyin

One online fan described Lin as an “angel with broken wings”, but other people have not been so kind. Photo: Douyin

China influencer with 44 million followers banned for zooming in on women’s breasts in live-stream

A Chinese influencer with 44 million followers was banned after live-streaming a pool party with inappropriate content, leading to criticism over the platform’s tolerance for such material. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Pool party participants splash about during the three-hour live-stream event. Photo: jiemian.com

A male participant in the event “checks” the legs of a woman taking part. Photo: jiemian.com

At one point, influencer Liu was seen rubbing lotion onto the arm of a woman. Photo: jiemian.com

A man places his hands on the back of a scantily clad woman during the event. Photo: jiemian.com

News

China

Politics

Communist Party mouthpiece says it’s worrying that online posts can create a crisis for a long-standing business


Communist Party mouthpiece says it’s worrying that online posts can create a crisis for a long-standing business.


China’s internet censorship

Internet Culture

Cyberspace Administration of China

Xibei vs the influencer: why Beijing called time on a Chinese restaurant food feud

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Communist Party mouthpiece says it’s worrying that online posts can create a crisis for a long-standing business

Communist Party mouthpiece says it’s worrying that online posts can create a crisis for a long-standing business