Hongkong Stars In, Male Pop Idols Out For CCTV’s Prestigious Mid-Autumn Festival Gala

The Cyberspace Administration of China has launched Operation Qinglang to clean up the Chinese internet. And with the blacklisting of “unethical” celebs and the crack down on toxic fan culture, one can say the movement is now in full swing.

In the midst of all of this, the initial lineup for this year’s CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala has been revealed on Weibo, giving an insight on how drastic Operation Qinglang is.

The annual Mid-Autumn Festival Gala and the Spring Festival Gala are the biggest events on Chinese TV. Organised by the state-run Chinese Media Group, a celeb's attendance at the galas is seen as stamp of approval from the government as well as a measure of one's popularity.