NEWS
CHINESE ACTRESS AND OWNER OF BORDEAUX CHATEAUX, ZHAO WEI, CENSORED BY CHINESE AUTHORITIES
By Tony Zhu
7-9-2021
Source: Chateau Monlot
Chinese billionaire actress and owner of several Bordeaux wineries, Zhao Wei, has been targeted by Beijing authorities in the latest censorship campaign on celebrities with substantial influence on the populace.
Zhao’s movies, talk shows and TV series were removed from major Chinese video platforms last week with no explanation, according to a report from Global Times.
She is the latest celebrity whose works have been taken down after actor Zhang Zhehan, who came under fire for visiting Japan's notorious Yasukuni Shrine.
Many netizens wrote on social media since last Thursday that searching Zhao's name on major Chinese video platforms such as Tencent Video and iQiyi showed no results, and her works including My Fair Princess have been taken down from several platforms with no explanation. On other platforms, Zhao's name was simply removed from the cast.
According to Hubei-based news media Jimu News, several video platforms confirmed the removal of Zhao's works, saying they received the request at a short notice and without a clear reason.
It is still not sure why Zhao has become a target in this round of censorship. She received a lot of criticisms on social media in 2001 after wearing a dress featuring a Japanese military flag.
Apart from being a top actress, Zhao is also a successful businesswoman with investments spanning real estate, entertainment and the wine industry.
Source: Chateau Monlot
In 2011, the actress splashed out €40 million to purchase Château Monlot, a Saint-Emilian Grand Cru winery with 8.5 ha of vineyards.
She went on to purchase two other Saint-Emilian properties, namely Château Patarabet Saint-Émilion and Château La Vue in 2013. Her footprint expanded into Entre-Deux-Mers with the purchase of 57-ha Château Senailhac in 2015. More recently, she purchased Château La Croix de la Roche, a 12-ha winery in AOC Fronsac and Bordeaux.
In addition to wineries, Zhao also founded a negociant house called SAS Cellar Privilege, selling her own wines back to China.
The internet purge on Zhao once caused confusion among wine merchants selling her Bordeaux wines. JD.com had reportedly pulled out her Château Monlot page but later reinstated it with all mentions of Zhao on the page removed.
Zhao’s business endeavours were not without controversies. She was a target of lawsuits filed by 67 investors demanding some RMB50 million (USD7.45 million) in compensation for a misleading takeover in 2016, and she and her husband were banned from China's securities markets for five years for market violations in 2017.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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