Long Read: Why the Economy Is Key to Calming Online Rage in China

As long as reform efforts continue, online public opinion will be manageable, with its intensity and consequences absorbed by development itself, writes public relations expert Yan Zhihua

A furor erupted after a young actress posted a picture of herself wearing jewelry worth more than 30 times the average annual salary of urban workers at private firms. This online controversy shows how challenging it is for the authorities to manage the sentiment of a public grappling with an economic slowdown after years of rapid growth.

On May 11, Huang Yangdiantian posted a photo on social media — netizens soon spotted that her flashy earrings were worth around 2.3 million yuan ($317,000). It didn’t take long for them to look into her family background and find even more details to fuel their anger.

Netizens alleged her father is a former civil servant, implying such lavish spending would be beyond the means of his legitimate income. Further claims surfaced that her younger brother was born in violation of the one-child policy, and that her mother owns a 180 million yuan luxury villa in Shenzhen.

Despite several statements from Huang’s family and talent agency, the online anger only intensified, compelling local government departments to launch an investigation.

For the authorities,