The Chinese government is putting a limit on how much pay its movie stars get. The government says that actors getting very high salaries is bad for society. Authorities say a lot of actors try to avoid paying tax and their love of money is harmful. Government officials said they want to stop "money worship" in society and in the movie industry because money is not the most important thing in life. The government also wants to try and stop a celebrity culture from developing. It says many young people are "blindly chasing celebrities" and turning them into heroes, which is giving people a false idea about what life is really like. The government said movies should benefit society, not movie star bank accounts.
The government has issued a set of rules that tell movie production companies how to pay their movie stars. The salaries of actors will be capped at 40 per cent of the total cost of the movie. Furthermore, leading actors will receive no more than 70 per cent of the total wages for the entire cast. Many Chinese citizens said they support the new rules. They say it is not good for society that "greedy" actors and celebrities are "showing off" their wealth and "Hollywood lifestyles". One Chinese citizen wrote on social media: "Society has given them too much and they give nothing back. They do not teach young people about the value and importance of humility and community in China."
