China cracking down on children of super rich

This article is more than 12 months old

Jul 10, 2015 09:05 pm

China is cracking down on the children of the mega-rich in a bid to stamp out their bad behaviour.

Known as the fuerdai (富二代) or "second generation of the rich", the offspring of China's billionaires have been gaining notoriety for their online antics - usually by flaunting their obscene wealth.

To combat the trend, China's government recently made 70 such fuerdai attend a strict course meant to imbue some sense of social responsibility in them.

According to qq.com, one of these strict measures is a 1,000 yuan ($217) fine for being late.

The move comes in the wake of several high-profile scandals involving China's opulent youngsters like Guo Meimei, the social media celebrity on China's Weibo micro-blogging service who was arrested last year for running an illegal gambling ring.

Guo Meimei, whose Weibo account has more than 1.7 million fans, is known for her sexy photos and shots with luxury cars. PHOTO: WEIBO / GUO MEIMEI VIA SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Before her arrest, Guo drew flak for an online spat with another fuerdai, who had accused her of selling sex at a party.

Photos of the retro-styled car were shared on Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar's Facebook page.

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The 24-year-old responded to her accuser by blogging a photo of herself with five yuan million-worth of casino chips saying she was "too rich to need to sell sex".

During her televised trial, Guo admitted to being paid for sex as a "professional mistress" to China's wealthy men.

Guo's fall from grace hasn't stopped other fuerdai from showing off their rich and wealthy lifestyles online.

One such person is Zhang Jiale, the tomboy daughter of Chinese tycoon Zhang Jun, who rose to prominence for posting photos of herself at lavish parties along with other women.

PHOTO: WEIBO / ZHANG JIALE VIA MAIL ONLINE

Zhang Jiale goes by the online moniker of k1ngzhang. PHOTO: WEIBO / ZHANG JIALE VIA MAIL ONLINE

Sometimes, posting photos of themselves isn't quite enough as proven by Wang Sicong.

The only son of property magnate Wang Jianlin made the headlines in May with his dog Wang Keke when he posted photos of his beloved pooch sporting not one, but two Apple Watches.