China Local News
Schoolgirl from Rural China Writes to Queen Elizabeth, Gets Letter Back
A schoolgirl from a small city in the south of China wrote a letter to the Queen of England asking her to visit her town. Much to her surprise, the girl got a letter back.
A middle-school student from the South of China named Siwen Ma recently sent a letter to the Queen of England, asking her to come and visit her hometown.
Siwen Ma (马思雯) is from a prefecture-level city named Zhaotong (昭通) in Yunnan, southwestern China. It is known as one of the poorest places of the province. The area became well-known when it was struck by an earthquake in 2014.
According to Chuncheng Evening News, Siwen wrote the letter because she read a lot about the Queen, and she wanted to practice her English. In her letter, she welcomed the Queen to come to Zhaotong, and congratulated her to have become England’s longest serving monarch in history.
Much to her surprise, the schoolgirl got an answer back from the Royal Palace. According to Chuncheng Evening News, the letter was signed by the Queen herself. Although this is not accurate, it is somewhat close; it was personally signed by Queen Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting.
The letter says:
“Dear Siwen,
The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your letter in which you tell Her Majesty a little about yourself and where you live.
Although unable to reply to you personally, the Queen was interested to hear of your hometown of Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province and I am to thank you, once again, for your thoughtfulness in writing as you did.”
Siwen told the local newspaper: “Actually, foreign affairs are not far away from us. From the big diplomatic and foreign affairs point of view, everyone actually is an ambassador to the place or country they come from.”
The topic is posted to Sina Weibo under the hashtag of “The English Queen replies to Yunnan Schoolgirl” (#英女王回信云南女生#).
Most netizens respond to the fact that the media falsely state the letter was personally signed by the Queen herself (“Do you read English at all?!”), and others react in amazement that the Queen actually has someone who writes letters for her: “Just like Santa Claus,” one netizen says.
Amongst the reactions are also those from fellow Zhaotong residents, who seem to be proud that their city is mentioned by the Royal Palace.
“Why don’t we try to write the Big Leader [Xi Jinping] a letter,” one netizen says: “And see what happens then?”
– By Manya Koetse
Follow @WhatsOnWeibo
©2016 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China and Covid19
Anger over Guangzhou Anti-Epidemic Staff Picking Locks, Entering Homes
While these Guangzhou homeowners were quarantined at a hotel, anti-epidemic staff broke their door locks and entered their homes.
WEIBO SHORT ｜ Weibo Shorts are concise articles on topics that are trending. This article was first published
Dozens of homeowners in Guangzhou, Guangdong, were angered to find out the locks of their apartment doors were broken during their mandatory hotel quarantine.
The residents had gone to a quarantine location after a positive Covid case in their building. Afterward, anti-epidemic staff had entered their homes for disinfection and to check if any residents were still inside.
The incident happened earlier this month in an apartment complex in the Liwan district of the city.
The incident first gained attention on July 10 when various videos showing the broken door locks were posted online. During the morning, the property management had conducted an ’emergency inspection’ of 84 households. The doors were later sealed.
The case went trending again on July 18 when the residential district apologized to all homeowners for the break-ins and promised to compensate them.
“What’s the use of apologizing?” some Weibo commenters wondered. “Where is the law? If this even happens in Guangzhou now and people in Guangdong put up with this, what else will they dare to do in the future?”
On Chinese social media, most comments on the Guangzhou incident were about the break-ins allegedly being unlawful.
Media reporter and Toutiao author Kai Lei (@凯雷), who has over two million followers on Weibo, said the incident showed that those breaking in “had no regard for the law.”
To read more about Covid-19 in China, check our articles here.
By Manya Koetse
With contributions by Miranda Barnes
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China Local News
Shanghai Ruijin Hospital Stabbing Incident
The police opened fire and subdued the suspect, who stabbed at least four people at Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital on Saturday.
WEIBO SHORT ｜ Weibo Shorts are concise articles on topics that are currently trending. This article was first published
On Saturday July 9, a stabbing incident that occurred at Shanghai’s renowned Ruijin Hospital (上海瑞金医院) shocked Chinese netizens as videos showing the panic and chaos at the scene circulated in Wechat groups and on Weibo.
At around 11:30 AM the police department started receiving calls that there was someone stabbing people at the hospital, which is located in the city’s Huangpu district. At the scene of the incident, at the 7th floor of the outpatient clinic, they found a knife-wielding man holding a group of people hostage.
According to police reports, the police opened fire and subdued the suspect. Four people who were injured during the knife attack are now being treated, none of them are in a life-threatening situation.
People fled the scene at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai's Huangpu District this morning, where at least four people were injured after a stabbing incident. pic.twitter.com/AFn0ZlWIIr
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) July 9, 2022
The case is currently under investigation.
According to The Paper, Ruijin Hospital resumed its outpatient services at 14:08 this afternoon.
This is the second stabbing incident in Shanghai this week. On Monday, a man was arrested after going on a random stabbing spree in Shanghai’s Jing’an District.
While some Shanghai residents say the recent incidents made them feel less safe, others praise the fast police response to the incident.
One doctor from Shanghai posted on Weibo that hospitals should have proper security checks in place in order to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again in the future.
By Manya Koetse
With contributions by Miranda Barnes
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China ‘Strikes Back’: Taiwan Military Drills, Countermeasures, and Waves of Nationalism on Weibo
Zhou Zhou in West Africa: Chinese Woman Trending on Weibo after Going ‘Missing’ in Nigeria
Pelosi in Taiwan: “1.4 Billion People Do Not Agree with Interference in China’s Sovereignty Issues”
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Chinese Internet Company Sina Abruptly Shuts Down ‘Sina Taiwan’ Platform
What Happened in Tangshan? The Violent Restaurant Incident Everyone Is Talking About
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
Resisting the Rat Race: From China’s Buddhist Youth to Lying Flat Movement
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Chinese Math Schoolbook Gate Continues
-
China Insight2 months agoWhat Happened in Tangshan? The Violent Restaurant Incident Everyone Is Talking About
-
China Arts & Entertainment2 months ago
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
-
China and Covid193 months ago
Resisting the Rat Race: From China’s Buddhist Youth to Lying Flat Movement
-
China Memes & Viral7 days ago
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
