Using a Chinese phrase that means to make an example of someone or something, Mr. Gao added, “They’re killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.”

Of particular concern for many fans and industry watchers was the shutdown of popular entertainment-related accounts that were not in the business of trading celebrity gossip. One of these was the WeChat public account of the popular movie-review blog Dushe Dianying, which still had more than 4.8 million followers on Weibo. In July, the Chinese news media reported that Dushe Dianying was valued at about $44 million, after completing an early round of financing.

“Generally, China’s leaders have been obsessed with the containment of negative coverage, and under Xi Jinping we’ve seen a rather dramatic decline in serious coverage by China’s media,” David Bandurski, editor of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong, said in emailed comments, referring to the Chinese president. “What we’re now seeing is a war on the nonserious.”

“It’s no longer enough for media content to avoid the negative,’’ he added. “It must be adequately positive.”

The shutdowns come after a new cybersecurity law and new regulations issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China concerning the provision of news information through social media platforms like WeChat came into effect last week. According to the regulations, all online publishers — including websites, apps, blogs and social media accounts — must obtain permits from the authorities in order to publish news or news commentaries.

“These regulations could have quite a dramatic impact on the ecosystem of public accounts on WeChat, and on the broader online space,” Mr. Bandurski said. “This is something we must watch closely.”

Some of the affected accounts have already begun to regroup. By Thursday morning, Go Ying Studio, known for celebrity photographs and gossip, had created a new account and posted an official apology. “For us, this was a very profound lesson,” the statement read. “We wholeheartedly accept the criticism and help given to us by different corners of society, and from now on, we will make sure to strengthen our own thinking and moral education.”