Chinese Social Sites Ban Online Influencers Capitalizing on Buddhism

Several state media outlets have criticized the trend dubbed "foyuan" for turning religion into a profit-making tool. A woman is praying to a Buddha statue. Another one has parts of the Buddhist scriptures painted on her nails. A third sits writing religious texts but in the wrong sequence. The women are all so-called online influencers, part of the growing community using Buddhism to boost their social media rankings. Known as foyuan — which loosely translates to "female Buddhist socialite" in English — the women usually post photos, often in seductive poses and sometimes wearing revealing outfits, with some hoping to…