The bling and hollow ring of ill-gotten wealth

A one-woman force in wrecking the credibility of a big charity symbolizes what is wrong with our society

Guo Meimei is the new pinup girl for profligacy, debauchery and greed.

The 23-year-old, who was arrested on suspicion of illegal gambling, is now facing charges on more serious crimes including prostitution and organizing gambling. But her biggest sin, which she herself so relentlessly touted, is the pursuit of wealth through dubious means and the excessive ways of squandering it.

For the sake of discussion, let's leave aside the legal technicalities of the case and, instead, focus on the social aspect of the phenomenon, of which Guo is perhaps the most visible embodiment. Hers is not an isolated case. It is not an exaggeration to say that she personifies the shady side of the zeitgeist.

Take the flaunting of brand names, which she started long before her 2011 breakout on her microblog. Like selfies, which she also indulges in, it is perfectly normal if done with moderation. We all have our own vanity and like to show off what we are proud of.

Chinese obsession with bling, or a large segment of it, as evidenced in such runaway hits as Tiny Times, is a reflection of society in the throes of change, specifically, the eradication of poverty and the ensuing awareness of a world of material goods.

The blind quest for luxury is a sign of lack of confidence of what we want. I have seen some of my countrymen wearing brands that totally contradict each other in style, but this won't bother them because all they care about is that the brands are equally expensive and therefore validate their social status, or so they believe.

When what you have is not enough to boost your self-image, some would go the extra distance and make things up. In 2011, Guo changed her online title from "entertainer" to "general manager of business function of the Red Cross", which triggered the biggest public relations disaster in the history of China's Red Cross. Even today, after she had explained the origin of her made-up connection to the charity, there are still people who say in sarcasm what they donate to disaster relief may end up paying for some bimbo's Maserati.

You cannot accuse Guo, though, of a deficiency in keeping an eye on the pulse of public curiosity. Some of the news stories she fabricated in the aftermath of her Red Cross scandal are essentially negative for her image, such as owing 260 million yuan to a Macao casino. But it was an indirect way of saying she had that much money to fritter away in the first place. She knows how to grab people's attention, and the tidbits she threw to the media usually made their way to the headlines.

Her motto "Bad reputation is still reputation" is shared by quite a lot of people in this country. Traditional Chinese society, closely knit as it was, used to be heavy on honor, so shame functioned as a deterrent for acts not accepted by the majority. Things went to such extremes that traces of individual needs were suppressed.

However, the pendulum seems to have swung to the other extreme. The kind of thing some would now say in public is simply astounding, such as the infamous remark by a contestant on a dating show: "I'd rather weep in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle." It encapsulates the priority some in contemporary China would place on their goals. Shall we applaud her for her honesty or shall we be shocked at her warped sense of happiness?

In a sense, Guo is a practitioner of that philosophy. We see her smiling next to her big house, her expensive cars and her big pile of luxury items, but are the men who made these possible her real targets for love? From the news report, she appears to prefer young and handsome guys, whom she would not charge for dating, so she clearly used rich and older men as a way of making money. She is the quintessential gold digger.

A gold digger compares unfavorably with a socialite, who is famous for being famous and milks that fame for personal gains. Paris Hilton and the Kardashians built their fortune by selling their image via modeling, acting, perfumes and the like. They may not have much tangible talent per se, but they seem to have earned their money fair and square. Guo is eager to launch a career in entertainment, too, but she seemed to use "performing" as a springboard to attract rich men who pay her more handsomely than an acting gig would.

Had Guo parlayed her notoriety into something resembling a career as an entertainer, she would have received slightly more respect. The kind of money she was using as her small change would be enough to launch a budding career. But the feature film she was reported to be making last year is titled I Am Guo Meimei, which shows the degree of her self-infatuation. She is using the real world as a stage and insists on playing herself all the time, replete with hedonistic details.

Despite my deep suspicion about her acting talent, I'll give credit to her drive. She has many of the characteristics of an artist: She chases what she wants regardless of what obstacles may lie ahead; she likes to conduct her life in high profile; she has a way with men in decision-making positions who somehow always yield to her material demands; she is a pathological gambler, never afraid to take risks. If only she could act on screen or stage.

Usually if one has talent, the public is willing to forgive his or her eccentricities. A genius with a big ego is still a genius, although it would be an uncomfortable thing to get close and get along for others. The saddest thing is, people like Guo have no intention of using their ill-gotten wealth for some meaningful goal, such as preparing themselves for financial independence. Perhaps they regard their ability to attract a legion of sugar daddies as a unique talent that would never run dry.

I'm sure that Guo sees young women who work hard for their money as fools who fail to locate the easy route. If you take her perspective, she has reasons to delight in her cleverness. While most women of her age have to squeeze into crowded buses and subway trains to get to work, she drives around in her Maserati and spends most of her day shopping or gambling. She might have seen those regular workers as a tragedy.

Even if she is not caught or indicted on the legalities (illegal gambling and prostitution), her kind of life is a true tragedy of our society. Yes, it is wonderful to leave behind the era of poverty and be able to relish a life of abundance, but each person has to contribute to the wellbeing of the society. I don't want to judge her by sticking a label on her, and I figure she may have strengths we are unaware of, but the way she throws her life away is at once bewildering and tragic. If she had made her money by honest means it would have been so much more enjoyable with the spending process.

The writer is editor-at-large of China Daily. Contact him at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/08/2014 page30)