China Media

Fifty Shades of ‘Vulgar’ – BDSM Lifestyle Slammed by Chinese Media

A young couple from Dalian recently made headlines in China by posting kinky pictures of their BDSM lifestyle on Weibo. According to experts quoted by Chinese media, their “sexual abuse addiction” can – and should be – cured.

Published

6 years ago

September 27, 2016

Manya Koetse

A man who calls himself a “master” (主人) and a woman who calls herself his “slave” (奴隶) recently caught the attention of Chinese media after they repeatedly put kinky pictures on Weibo. The pictures, that feature the girl kneeling on the ground in various places, some with red skin from being slapped, were soon deleted after they made the news and local police intervened.

The only two pictures made available by Chinese media.

Journalists came across the pictures when a concerned netizen tipped them about the unconventional couple.

“The couple suffers from a disease called ‘sexual abuse addiction’. ”

Chinese state media outlet Global Times, often called the Party mouthpiece, dedicated an article to the couple on September 27. According to the article, the two have been posting their self-taken pictures since this summer.

Some photos depicted ropes and cuffs, with the woman’s bruises clearly visible. According to Global Times, many Weibo netizens were “disgusted” with the “vulgar” pictures.

An expert interviewed by Global Times says that the couple suffers from a disease called ‘sexual abuse addiction’ (性虐待成瘾).

“’Sexual abuse addiction’ conflicts with China’s social norms.”

Global Times writes that “sexual abuse addiction” conflicts with China’s social norms. According to China’s leading psychologist Zhao Xiaoming (赵小明), the causes of this ‘disease’ are complex and can be traced back to childhood abuse or sexual violence, leading people to search for “abnormal stimulation” as an adult.

The public display of ‘sexual abuse addiction’ negatively affects individuals and society at large, the article argues, but can be completely cured. The Weibo couple should, therefore, “seek professional medical attention” in order for them to be able to “lead a happy life”.

“Clearly, this is just art, but you say it is vulgar.”

On Weibo, the accounts of the man and woman mentioned have been emptied of any pictures from before September 26. The woman, nicknamed Nuo Xiaozhao (@诺小昭), commented: “I didn’t expect this. But my conscience is clear.”

The man (@黑黑老大爷主人) only posted: “Our pictures have nothing to do with you. Right, my little slave Nuo Xiaozhao?”

He also posted a picture, writing: “Clearly, this is just art, but you say it is “vulgar”. This storm will blow over and we will continue.”

One female netizen wrote to the woman: “I respect every kind of lifestyle, people are entitled to do their own private things. I understand you, and everything will be ok. I’ll support you!”

Other netizens also offer their support, saying: “Believe in yourself!”

Some pictures previously posted by the couple also leaked online through various Chinese blogs (update 6 Dec 2017: we were forced to take these photos, that did not contain any nudity, offline by Google censors as long as we display Google Ads on this website. Sorry.)

One Weibo user comments: “Actually I think different people will have different views on this. Some will think you have no sense of shame. That’s because in China we’ve always been conservative. The people who applaud you also don’t necessarily approve of you – they just want to see your pictures and fantasize about them.”

“If they like it, what does it matter?” another netizen writes: “What does the police have to do with it?!”

“A crusade against vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content.”

BDSM is a variety of roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, that gained much attention after the popular Fifty Shades of Grey book series and movie.

Its popularity is evident on China’s e-commerce giant Taobao, where dozens of sellers offer accessories related to BDSM.

Although Fifty Shades of Grey was banned from cinemas in mainland China, the film found its way to Chinese streaming sites and DVD stores. Since it was heavily censored with all sex scenes cut out, the Chinese version was much shorter than the American one.

China censors have been on a crusade against “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content”. Regulations implemented earlier this year ban any content that “exaggerates the dark side of society”. Homosexuality, extramarital affairs, one night stands, underage relationships are all illegal on screen.

“Most Chinese even have no basic knowledge about sex, let alone alternative sexual practices like BDSM.”

The recent article in Global Times is especially noteworthy because the newspaper published an article with an entirely different tone in 2015.

The article, simply titled “BDSM in China“, refuted that BDSM was a form of sexual perversion or abuse.

Peng Xiaohui, a Chinese sexologist, stated in the article that BDSM comes with mutual, informed consent, where the level of stimulation is discussed and agreed upon in advance. According to the sexologist, it is therefore much different from sexual abuse, which is “arbitrary and reckless, intended to hurt the victim, and constitutes a criminal offence.”

Global Times further quotes Peng by writing that BDSM has a bad name in China due to ignorance and prudishness when it came to sex. “There’s a huge gap in attitudes toward BDSM in China and other countries,” Peng said: “Most Chinese even have no basic knowledge about sex, much less about alternative sexual practices [like BDSM].”

– By Manya Koetse
Follow @WhatsOnWeibo

China Media

“New Chapter of Sino-Russian Friendship”: Putin Publishes Op-Ed in China’s People’s Daily, Xi in Rossiiskaya Gazeta

In Xi’s piece, the word “China” was the most recurring one. In Putin’s article, the word “Russia” was repeated the most.

Published

2 days ago

March 20, 2023

Manya Koetse

Op-eds authored by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were published in the other countries’ government newspapers ahead of Xi’s three-day state visit to Russia. Both articles emphasized the importance of partnership, mutual trust, and friendship between the two nations.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday, March 20, for his scheduled state visit to Russia.

During his three-day Moscow visit, Xi will have one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is the first time Xi visits Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On the first day of the top-level meeting, the Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily headlined that Xi Jinping published an article in the Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta on the occasion of his state visit, while also featuring the news about Putin’s signed article on the front page (the actual article was published on page three).

Meanwhile, the Rossiiskaya Gazeta did the same: they also featured Xi’s publication on the front page of their digital newspaper, while also turning Putin’s contribution to the People’s Daily into one of the main headlines. The newspaper also published a special section dedicated to Sino-Russian friendship.

Xi’s article, in Russian here and in Chinese here, was also translated to English and published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on their website here.

The article, titled “Forging Ahead to Open a New Chapter of China-Russia Friendship, Cooperation and Common Development” (“踔厉前行，开启中俄友好合作、共同发展新篇章”) mainly stresses the strong bond and mutual trust between China and Russia and the future of Sino-Russian relations, with the word “cooperation” being used 22 times and the word “friendship” used 8 times in the text. The most-mentioned word in the text is “China” (24 times); “Russia” was mentioned 22 times.

“Ukraine” was mentioned three times in one paragraph about the ‘Ukraine crisis,’ which emphasized China’s “impartial position” and its active promotion of peace talks.

Word cloud of Xi’s text for Russian newspaper (What’s on Weibo/Word Art).

The article by Putin is titled “Russia and China – A Future-Bound Partnership” (“俄罗斯和中国——面向未来的伙伴关系”) (link in Chinese, link in English) and it is similar to Xi’s op-ed in multiple ways, and also focused on stressing the special friendship between both countries and how similar they allegedly are in their culture, tradition, and foreign policy.

The article was actually also very similar to an earlier article titled “Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership” published by Vladimir Putin for Chinese state media outlet Xinhua just before the Winter Olympics and Putin’s visit to China in 2022 (link in English).

The current article condemns America’s role in the international community and thanks China for its approach to the Ukrainian issue. The word that comes up most often in the text is “Russia” (20 times); “China” is mentioned 18 times. Words such as “cooperation” and “partnership” also come up a lot (7 and 5 times respectively).

Word cloud made from Putin’s text for People’s Daily, by What’s on Weibo via Word Art.

The hashtag “Xi Jinping Published Signed Article in Russian Media” (#习近平在俄罗斯媒体发表署名文章#) was posted on social media site Weibo by Xinhua.

China Daily posted images featuring several quotes from Xi’s signed article in Chinese and English.

While it was not the first time for Putin to post an op-ed in a Chinese state media newspaper, it was also not the first time for Xi Jinping to publish a signed article in a Russian government newspaper. He also posted one in 2015 (link in Chinese).

Xi previously also published letters or bylined articles in the media of other countries.

Ahead of his state visit to Finland in 2017, the Finnish newspaper Helsinki Times featured Xi’s article titled “Our Enduring Friendship” (“穿越历史的友谊”). Xi also stressed bilateral relations in letters to the foreign media of countries such as Myanmar, Greece, Nepal, North Korea, and others.

The term used by Xi in the article, “starting a new chapter” (“开启时代新篇章”) was repeated by many commenters replying to the topic on Weibo, where Xi’s Russia visit is covered by many media accounts in videos, text, and images.

In a recent post, political commentator Hu Xijin (@胡锡进) noted how Xi’s Russia visit made international headlines, underlining the major significance of the meeting. Hu wrote that no third party could hinder the “steady development of Sino-Russian relations.” At time of writing, only three out of more than a hundred replies to Hu’s post were displayed – the three replies consisted of hearts and thumbs up emoji only – with the other comments being filtered.

Although the meeting between Xi and Putin was promoted in the Weibo trending lists, most posts about the state visit only allowed some selected replies in the threads below, or simply closed the comment sections. This was also the case went Putin’s annual address in Moscow was featured by various accounts on Weibo.

For more articles on China-Russian relations and related Weibo discussions, check our archives here.

By Manya Koetse

With contributions by Miranda Barnes

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China Digital

Meet Ren Xiaorong, People’s Daily AI Virtual News Anchor

Although their functions are still limited, AI news anchors such as Ren Xiaorong are a sign of the future.

Published

1 week ago

March 12, 2023

Manya Koetse

Ren Xiaorong (任小融) joined the Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily as a virtual presenter/news anchor this week.

Ren Xiaorong is the AI-powered host of an app allowing users to ask questions related to the Two Sessions, the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that have been taking place this week.

Through the People’s Daily app, you can ask Ren Xiaorong to tell you more about various topics covered during the Two Sessions, including education, epidemic prevention, housing, employment, environmental protection, and many other issues.

According to the introduction video launched by People’s Daily, Ren is also available to discuss other news topics people would like to know more about.

Ren Xiaorong is interactive to a certain (very limited) extent; users can select the topics they want to learn more about, but the app does not yet allow to ask specific questions.

A related hashtag went viral on Weibo on Sunday (#人民日报AI虚拟主播#), triggering discussions on the use of virtual news presenters.

Ren Xiaorong is not the first People’s Daily virtual news anchor. In 2019, the very first AI-powered presenter was unveiled at the 2019 Big Data Expo (#人民日报首位AI虚拟主播#). Guo Guo (果果), aka Little Guo Guo (小果果), was based on the real-life Chinese reporter Guo Xinyu (果欣禹).

Guo Guo and Guo Xinyu

China’s state media outlets Xinhua, Beijing TV, Hunan TV, and CCTV previously also unveiled their own AI-powered virtual news anchors at a time when China’s virtual idol market started to explode.

During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, there was also a virtual host and China’s first AI sign language presenter.

Although news media outlets have started experimenting with virtual presenters for some time now, some netizens are still not convinced about the actual purpose of having virtual TV hosts and news anchors, especially when their AI-driven interactive functions are still limited.

Weibo blogging account ‘Media People Online’ (@传媒人在线) writes: “I’ve never really understood this, is there a shortage of broadcasting talent, or are AI anchors better at it? Why would you use a robot to broadcast the news? Are you spending so much money on an AI presenter just to show technological progress?”

But other bloggers (@夏日之阳新闻传播考研) think that virtual anchors could improve the quality and availability of news, since they could broadcast around the clock while saving on manpower, alleviating the pressure on newsrooms.

Whether people approve of virtual news readers or not, most agree Ren Xiaorong, along with her virtual colleagues, is a harbinger of the digitalization of the media at a time when artificial intelligence has already come to play a pivotal role in everyday activities.

Want to see Ren Xiaorong at work? Click this link on mobile.

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo