Misleading mooncake ads, vulgar content: China’s influencer network firms face regulatory clean-up

Three Sheep got into trouble when the firm’s live-streaming hosts hawked mooncakes supposedly made in Hong Kong under the Meicheng brand. -- PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM 吉尼斯世界纪录滴血赛陈伯认证官/DOUYIN

BEIJING (The Straits Times/ANN): The fall of one of China’s top influencers has triggered a clean-up of an industry that has gained attention for unethical profit-making behaviour.

Zhang Qingyang, better known as Crazy Brother Yang on Douyin, was 2024’s fourth-ranked internet celebrity in China by net income, taking in nearly 1.9 billion yuan (S$355 million) that year.