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China Memes & Viral

Prohibited to Promote Top Students, Chinese Schools Are Praising their Excellent ‘Fruit’ Instead

Who knew Chinese schools were so good at harvesting fruit?

Manya Koetse

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It is that time of the year again: China’s gaokao results are in. Chinese schools that are proud of their top-scoring students would like to scream it from the rooftops, but they are banned from doing so. So they are now posting about their very successful fruit production instead.

This week, the scores came out for China’s gaokao (高考), the National Higher Education Entrance Examinations that took place earlier this months.

The exams are a prerequisite for entering China’s higher education institutions and are taken by students in their last year of senior high school. Scoring high grades for this exam can give high school students access to a better college, which enlarges their chances of obtaining a good job after graduation.

Those who succeed in becoming top scorers in their field and area are known as the gāokǎo zhuàngyuán (高考状元, ‘gaokao champions’). Gaokao champions are usually widely praised, not just by families and friends, but also by their hometowns and schools for which the top-scoring students are their pride and unique selling point.

But since 2018, as explained in this article, it is prohibited for Chinese media and schools to give publicity to gaokao top scorers. The Chinese Ministry of Education banned the promotion of top achievers in line with Xi Jinping Thought, emphasizing the value of equality and sociability instead.

This year, local authorities again reiterated the message that in order to set the right example and “establish the correct orientation of education,” the hyping up of school exam results and publishing top score rankings are strictly prohibited.

Because of the Ministry of Education guidelines, schools can not openly flaunt the successes of their top scorers, but some have found creative ways to do so anyway.

“Of a batch of 1320 ripe mango’s, there are over hundred weighing more than 600 grams,” one school in Guangxi’s Nanning wrote. The ‘weight’ refers to the score, with 600 being a very high score (the maximum score is usually 750, depending on the field and area). “”[We] picked a mango weighing as much as 696 grams, the king of Qinzhou fruit. Two fruit dealers in the capital have already heard of it and are eager to take it.”

Besides mango’s, there were also other schools mentioning their successful production of ‘plums or peaches.’

One blog by Jiangchacha (姜茶茶) listed various examples of schools boasting about their ‘fruit harvest’ in social media posts.

The blog explained that some schools in Guangxi used the mango metaphor because Guangxi has some of the country’s largest mango-producing regions. Meanwhile, the word for ‘peaches and plums’ in Chinese (桃李) also refers to one’s pupils or disciples.

Another school’s post said: “It is harvest season (..), and the campus is fragrant with peaches and plums, and fruitful results!”, adding that “a total of 2400 high quality peaches and plums have been harvested, and over 93% are of high quality!”

There was also one school that mentioned other schools were below them in scores, writing that its “excellence rate” was “clearly ahead of the three other big gardens on the east coast.”

“Our king peach weighs no less than 689 grams,” another school announced. There were also schools that did not discuss fruit but were making references to fish, trees, and high-speed trains instead.

The issue of schools reporting their ‘harvest’ became a trending topic on Weibo, where some found it very funny. But others also voiced criticism that schools cannot publish about some of their students being gāokǎo zhuàngyuán, top scorers.

“There is nothing to hide, the exam scores are the result of hard work by both the teachers and students,” one popular comment said, with others replying: “Why wouldn’t you announce the scores? It might inspire other students!”

“This entire guideline is just nonsense,” another typical comment said.

Meanwhile, some netizens suggested that Sichuan schools could use pandas as a metaphor for their top scorers, while Chongqing could use chili peppers next year, with others suggesting other types of fruit that could be used in these ‘covered-up’ gaokao score publications. It’s bound to be another fruitful year in 2023.

Want to read more about gaokao? Check out more related articles here.

By Manya Koetse
With contributions by Miranda Barnes

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Photo by Bangyu Wang on Unsplash

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Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

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1 Comment

  1. charles webster baer

    July 1, 2022 at 6:12 am

    its time for love

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China Memes & Viral

The Viral Bao’an: How a Xiaoxitian Security Guard Became Famous Over a Pay Raise

Most netizens aren’t buying the story about the Xiaoxitian bao’an allegedly “misunderstanding” his dismissal.

Manya Koetse

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An elderly man with a friendly face from Shanxi Province’s Xi County became China’s most famous security guard this week. After first receiving a raise and then seemingly being fired from his job, the situation sparked so much discussion that it became a top trending topic on Weibo.

The man in question is a bǎo’ān (保安, security guard) at the Xiaoxitian (小西天) temple complex area in Xi County in the city of Linfen. That area has recently became a hot destination among domestic travelers because of the wildly popular video game Black Myth: Wukong. The game, inspired by the classic novel Journey to the West, features numerous real-life landmarks from Shanxi province.

As a so-called “Wukong site,” Xiaoxitian, among with dozens of other spots in Shanxi, has seen a surge in visitors, including gaming bloggers, travel vloggers, and online influencers.

One of these influencers is the Douyin vlogger “So Many Times” (@那么多曾经), who has been documenting the success of Xiaoxitian on her channel. The vlogger, who now has 12,000 fans, has been capturing the rising number of visitors to the area, especially during this year’s National Day holiday.

Her videos often focus on the best times to visit without having to queue, traffic updates, and daily visitor counts. In one video, she even captured the first group of foreign tourists visiting the area.

 
“They gave me a raise”
 

Recently, the vlogger also featured some of the security guards at Xiaoxitian, chatting with them about their local dialect, their work, and how they manage the crowds.

In the videos by “So Many Times,” the vlogger focused on one particular security guard—an elderly bao’an who was especially friendly to her. In several videos, he shared how much he enjoyed his job and the increasing responsibilities that came with Xiaoxitian’s growing popularity. He soon became affectionately known among visitors as the “Security Guard Uncle” (保安大叔).

The security guard became popular online due to videos posted by a Douyin vlogger.

In a video posted on October 15, the bao’an happily shared how grateful he was for the visitors. Smiling, he said, “I attended a meeting, and they gave me a raise. I used to earn 1,700 yuan (US$240) a month, and they added 500 yuan (US$70), so now it’s 2,100 (he meant 2,200 yuan/US$310). Everyone’s salary went up.” (See video here)

The security guard suggested the tourists were to be thanked for local bao’an getting a better pay, as it increased their workload.

Uncle Bao’an tells about his 500 yuan raise.

The video quickly went viral—becoming the most-watched on the vlogger’s channel—as some viewers appreciated how ‘influencer tourism’ can benefit local workers. Others, however, were surprised by the 1,700 yuan/month (US$240) salary, considering it far too low. Beyond these discussions, the uncle’s friendly demeanor, humble enthusiasm, and obvious passion for his work touched many hearts.

A news reporter for Jimu News verified with the local citizen hotline that the minimum monthly wage in Xi County is 1,780 yuan ($250), and that the 1,700 yuan salary previously mentioned by the security guard was below this standard.

A few days later, on October 19, the Douyin vlogger whose videos made ‘Uncle Bao’an’ famous posted another short video (which has since been taken down). In this video, the security guard looked tired and said, “They [the superiors] told me not to work anymore. I didn’t say anything wrong, but they don’t want me to continue.”

He explained that his leaders thought it was inappropriate for him to appear in the other videos, though he felt it was spreading positive energy.

“These past few days, I haven’t been feeling well. They don’t want me to work, and I’m very sad.. I will never forget everyone’s support.”

 
“He didn’t hear it clearly”
 

News of the popular security guard’s alleged dismissal flooded the internet, becoming one of the hottest topics on Weibo.

Many netizens were outraged, feeling that the bao’an was unfairly forced to stop doing his job. They suggested he was dismissed because he disclosed information about his pay and the recent raise.

In light of the online controversy, the local tourism authorities responded to clarify the situation on October 20.

A spokesperson from Linfen suggested that the bao’an had not heard it clearly (“他就没听清楚”), and was not dismissed at all. Instead, he was simply given a few days off and “reassigned to a less demanding role” to lighten his workload, considering his age and the fact that he had been working without a break for the past two months.

 
“We all heard it clearly”
 

On social media, most netizens aren’t buying the story about the bao’an allegedly “misunderstanding” his dismissal.

“Do they think we’re fools? Do they think we haven’t all seen the video on the 19th?” one commenter wrote.

“Ha ha ha, if this hadn’t blown up online, he would have been fired. But because it went viral, now he’s ‘transferred to another post,’” another Weibo user remarked.

“We all heard it clearly,” another blogger added.

“Okay” / “Sure” – a meme posted by netizens after hearing about the security guard allegedly “misunderstanding” his dismissal.

People suspected that the security guard was initially fired—possibly for speaking about his low income or because he was becoming a tourist attraction himself—but the decision was reversed after it sparked public outrage online. Rather than offering an apology, the authorities then claimed it was all just a misunderstanding.

In light of the controversy and worried over the bao’an’s well-being, other Douyin users visiting Xiaoxitian began searching for the popular security guard and filmed themselves finding him at a different location. In one such video, ‘Uncle Bao’an’ confirmed that his superiors had reassigned him to lighten his workload. Some viewers commented that he didn’t seem as happy as before.

However, in the latest video by “So Many Times” (@那么多曾经), the vlogger once again features her favorite bao’an. (She used a new account for this, as her original account was restricted from posting new videos). In the video, he expresses his gratitude and happiness for the overwhelming support he has received.

“I want to thank all of you online friends for your support and your concern for me. It makes me very happy. Thank you. so many people wanted to take a picture with me today. People from Henan, from Sichuan. So many people wanted to shake my hand.”

Despite the controversy, the bao’an seems quite pleased with his sudden fame. If he does end up losing his job after all, he could always launch a new career as an online influencer.

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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China Memes & Viral

Why the “人人人人景点人人人人” Hashtag is Trending Again on Chinese Social Media

China’s Golden Week, from October 1 to October 7, is one of the busiest times of the year for travel and sightseeing, with crowds surging across popular destinations.

Manya Koetse

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China is celebrating its National Day Holiday this week. This week-long holiday, also known as the Golden Week, is a popular time for trips, travel, and sightseeing.

On Chinese social media, it has become somewhat of a tradition to post about just how busy it is at China’s various sightseeing spots. This is often done using hashtags like “人人人人[place]人人人人” or “人人人人[me]人人人人.”

The character 人 (rén) means person or human; “人人” (rénrén) means “everyone,” and the more “人人人” (rén rén rén) are used, the more it playfully emphasizes the crowds of people.

On October 2, the hashtag “人人人人景点人人人人” was top trending, rén rén rén rén jǐngdiǎn rén rén rén rén, which basically means “people, people, people everywhere at the tourist spots, and more people.”

One such crowded place is Suzhou (苏州), where its ancient Shantang Street in the heart of the old town is packed with tourists this week ( #人人人人人苏州人人人人人#).

Crowds in Suzhou, photos posted on Weibo by @数码王小机

Other places like Chongqing, Xi’an, and Hangzhou also saw vast crowds during the various celebratory events and performances organized in these cities.

People also posted photos of the situation in places like the Guangzhou Zoo on October 2nd, or at the Beijing Great Wall, or at the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

Crowds in Luoyang, images by @李旭的散装生物学

Besides the Great Wall in Beijing, other places in the Chinese capital are also seeing large crowds this week, such as Tiananmen, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Lama Temple, and Nanluoguxiang.

Beijing crowds via @秒观视频

Beijing crowds via @秒观视频

Although China’s domestic spots are drawing massive crowds, China Daily reports that international travel has become more popular again during this year’s week-long National Day holiday, with bookings for international flights doubling compared to the same period last year.

According to the travel platform Qunar, there is increasing demand for new and more niche destinations, including countries in Africa. However, the most popular international destinations remain closer to home, such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Osaka.

Also read: China’s National Holiday Crowds: Even the Desert’s Camels Are Stuck in Traffic

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

Featured image on top: Guangzhou South Station during National Holiday, by @爱打板的乐哥

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What’s on Weibo is run by Manya Koetse (@manyapan), offering independent analysis of social trends in China for over a decade. Subscribe to show your support and gain access to all content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, providing deeper insights into the China trends that matter.

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