PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #4 | READING TIME: 7 MIN

Dear Reader,

It was Saturday night in Beijing’s Dongcheng District when the Chinese comedian Li Haoshi, better known as ‘House’, performed one of his stand-up comedy shows. The 31-year-old had gained significant recognition after participating as a contestant on the immensely popular stand-up comedy competition series called “Rock & Roast,” which had propelled his career to new heights.

However, his world quickly unraveled over the past week when he used a well-known People’s Liberation Army (PLA) motto, “good style of work, capable of winning battles,” to humorously depict two stray dogs chasing a squirrel. A member of the audience recorded the joke and subsequently leaked it. By now, you are likely familiar with the extensive repercussions the Chinese comedian is facing as a result of this incident: his shows were called off, he was banned from social media, his employer was fined more than $2 million, he was blacklisted under orders of the China Performing Arts Association (CAPA), and he is now under official investigation.

As the story made headlines worldwide, it was also the biggest discussion of the week on Weibo, where some related hashtags received over one billion views. Interestingly enough, many of the Chinese online discussions about the scandal were focused on the U.S. and how there are also many limits to freedom of speech in ‘the land of the free.’

Although Li was doing western-influenced stand-up comedy, the U.S. actually had nothing to do with the controversial joke, nor with Li’s cancelation. But it seems that people always need some kind of ‘whataboutism’ to make sense of the things that are happening around them by measuring them to how other nations, cultures, and societies deal with similar issues.

Nevertheless, the American stand-up comedy context won’t really help in further understanding the specific ‘House’ incident – and there’s more to the issue than meets the eye. On social media, numerous netizens expressed anger right from the start, with some aiming to defend the esteemed reputation of China’s military, and others holding the comedian responsible for disregarding well-known boundaries. Then there are those who are more concerned about the potential harm ‘House’ may be causing to China’s flourishing, albeit still evolving, stand-up comedy industry.

This scandal sheds light on a complex interplay of factors, including the challenging and creative working conditions within the Chinese comedy industry, the moral expectations placed on performers in China’s entertainment realm, and the important role played by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in shaping Chinese nationalism.

For our latest article, we did a deep dive to highlight all of these three aspects behind the issue. For all this and more, see our list of featured articles in this newsletter where we explore the major trends that have recently captured the attention of Chinese social media users. Also make sure to get the quick takes on online media, popular Chinese catchwords, and foreign affairs. What’s on Weibo intern Zilan Qian, news editor Miranda Barnes, and Sinification‘s Thomas des Garets Geddes have contributed to this week’s newsletter.

Got questions or suggestions? I always like to hear more about the China topics you’d like to know more about. Contact me via email or DM, or follow me on Twitter for the latest news and trends.

Best,
Manya

What to Know

 
Major trends to know:

• ▶︎ Group of Seven. The G7 meeting that took place in Hiroshima this week made headlines in Chinese media for the group’s “hostile plans against China and Russia.” Neither Russia nor China are part of the group. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson slammed the G7 communiqué for “smearing and attacking China” as well as “interfering in China’s internal affairs.”
• ▶︎ Update on Chinese couple’s Bali ‘murder.’ Indonesian police announced Wednesday that the death of a Chinese couple in Bali is ruled a murder-suicide. The case had been trending on Weibo since earlier this month. According to the official media briefing, the 25-year-old Chinese man beat and drowned his 22-year-old girlfriend in a bathtub at the InterContinental Hotel. He then took his own life by stabbing himself with a broken beer bottle in his neck and body. On Weibo, many people expressed doubts over the outcome of the investigation.
• ▶︎ Hubei floating bridge incident. Five people from Shanxi Province were killed in Hubei on May 16 when an SUV with 8 passengers plunged into the water from a popular 400-meter-long ‘floating bridge’ at the Lion’s Gate scenic area. The floating bridge had been in operation since 2016 and no prior accidents were reported. A video of the incident went viral on Weibo.
• ▶︎ Chinese pilot fired after secretly filming stewardess.. A short video capturing a tense situation involving Chinese flight crew went trending on Chinese social media platforms this week. A Xiamen Airlines co-pilot was caught secretly filming in the women’s restroom. On Saturday, police confirmed the man had been detained and he has since been fired from his job.
• ▶︎ Uncle Roger’s Weibo account banned. After the Li Haoshi controversy, another comedian saw his Weibo account banned this week. It concerns the Malaysian-born comedian Nigel Ng, aka Uncle Roger, whose Weibo and Bilibili accounts were suspended after clips shared online showed the comedian poking fun at Xi Jinping and Taiwan.

 
Note from the News Editor – by Miranda:

• ▶︎ Over the past week, a story about a manager in the civil service requesting three female employees to coordinate their pregnancies so that they don’t all go on maternity leave simultaneously trended on Chinese social media (#领导让我们三个怀孕错开#). The story first attracted attention because a 26-year-old woman sought advice from netizens. She expressed her desire to have a baby in the year of the dragon, a highly sought-after Chinese zodiac sign. However, the situation became more complex when she discovered that two female colleagues in their mid-30s in the same department were also planning to have their second child, aiming for the same year.
• ▶︎ The situation sparked a lively discussion regarding the challenges posed by balancing office workload and maternity leave. Many expressed concerns about the potential additional burden if all three female staff members were to take maternity leave at the same time, particularly in a small office setting. Others envied the woman for her secure civil servant job, noting that she could proceed without fear of being fired.
• ▶︎ The topic is interesting because it shows the predicament many managers and female employees find themselves in regarding the practical aspects of maternity leave. A majority of commenters suggested that the Chinese government should play a more active role in providing support for both workplaces and individuals. This is particularly important considering the government’s official encouragement for people to have more children in order to address the country’s low birth rates and rapidly aging society.

 
The China-Central Asia summit as viewed from China – by Sinification:

• Context: China’s hosting of its first in-person summit with five Central Asian states, known as the C5, has generated significant headlines in Chinese newspapers this week.
• Why it matters: The China-Central Asia Summit signals China’s growing clout in a region traditionally influenced by Russia.
• What Chinese experts are saying: “Over the years, relations between China and Central Asian countries have developed relatively quickly. The reason for this is that we have complementary economies and common interests in such areas as countering terrorism and opposing colour revolutions. Of course, the current Russo-Ukrainian war is also an important factor … China and the five Central Asian countries are basically on the same page when it comes to this conflict. Central Asia was once a part of the Soviet Union. It does not want the Russo-Ukrainian war to continue and will of course not be recognising Russia’s ‘referendums’ pertaining to these territorial issues.” – Pan Guang (潘光): Senior Researcher, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
• To receive free weekly insights from Chinese think-tank and academic circles on a range of key international topics, subscribe to Thomas’s “Sinification” newsletter here.

What’s Trending

1: A Joke Too Far | There is a delicate balance between humor and controversy, and Chinese comedian Li Haoshi recently discovered the consequences of crossing that line. In a punchline that took aim at China’s People’s Liberation Army, Li found himself at the center of a significant controversy. Is Li deserving of his ensuing cancellation? On Chinese social media, opinions are divided.

2: 10 Innovative Transformations | During the pandemic, nucleic acid testing booths in Chinese cities were primarily focused on maintaining physical distance. Now, empty booths are being repurposed to bring people together, serving as new spaces to serve the community and promote social engagement. From beer shops to study rooms, here are 10 examples of how they are being repurposed.

3: The Dynamics That Led to the Social Storm | The Li Haoshi scandal sheds light on a complex interplay of factors, including the working conditions within the Chinese comedy industry, the expectations placed on performers in China’s entertainment realm, and the significant role of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in shaping Chinese nationalism. A deep dive by What’s on Weibo.

PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #3 | READING TIME: 12 MIN

Dear Reader,

Ms. Wang was already tired when she got on the C6276 high-speed train to Chengdu on Tuesday evening. Just as she was trying to get settled into her reserved seat, she was rudely interrupted by the constant kicking of the chair from behind her. Looking back, she saw two children, merrily kicking her chair as if it were a playground ride. She found herself annoyed with the state of parenting in China today, where it seemed like too many parents were willing to let their children run wild without consequence. She decided to confront the kids immediately.

Meanwhile, Ms. Yang, a mother traveling with three children, was also feeling exhausted and on edge. Her children were overly energetic and couldn’t seem to calm down. It was way past their bedtime. As the lady in front of them suddenly began scolding her kids, Ms. Yang had had enough of people showing no consideration for her and her children. She decided to stand up for herself right away.

This was the scenario that unfolded when two female passengers on a high-speed train recently became embroiled in an argument. The confrontation between the two women quickly escalated, and Ms. Yang slapped Ms. Wang in the face. In response, Ms. Wang retaliated by slapping Ms. Yang twice. The incident, seemingly a minor altercation, gained nationwide attention on Chinese social media, sparking a debate on the problem of ‘brat children’ and their passive parents, self-defense, and whether authorities were too quick to punish both parties involved.

Is the ‘train slapping incident’ an important event? Probably not. But the incident is symptomatic of a larger trend. Videos of altercations on China’s high-speed trains flooded social media following the May Day busy travel season.

These kinds of high-speed train scenes are like a microcosm of the larger society. As people from different backgrounds and walks of life are seated together in a confined environment, the dynamics and problems that exist in society are suddenly magnified, and conflicts can quickly escalate. Whether it is about intergenerational respect, individualism, or a lack of consideration for others, there is much more to these small incidents than meets the eye. While these dynamics are not unique to China by any means, the frustrations that arise do relate to problems specific to present-day Chinese society. The online discussions that ensued analyzed every second of the incident, and the subsequent viral video garnered a range of opinions on how the incident should have been handled.

For all this and more, see our list of featured articles in this newsletter to dive deeper into the major trends that have attracted attention on Chinese social media this week. Also make sure to get the quick takes on social media, noteworthy trends, and popular Chinese catchwords by Miranda Barnes, Zilan Qian, and Andrew Methven in this week’s newsletter.

Got questions or suggestions? I always like to hear more about the China topics you’d like to know more about. Contact me via email or DM, or follow me on Twitter for the latest news and trends.

Best,
Manya @manyapan

What to Know

 
Major trends to know:

• ▶︎ Xi Jinping’s Xiong’an New Area tour. Xi Jinping’s visit to Xiong’an New Area, located in northern Hebei Province, has placed renewed attention on the development of the broader Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region this week. The area is now being touted as a leading model for China’s urban future and eco-friendliness, innovation, high-tech advancement, and economical growth.
• ▶︎ Tianzhou 6: The new space mission. An upgraded version of China’s Tianzhou cargo spacecraft was successfully launched on Wednesday and docked with China’s Tiangong Space Station less than 8 hours later. The news event received a lot of attention on Chinese social media, where news was celebrated by state media outlets.
• ▶︎ 15th anniversary Sichuan earthquake. Footage and images of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake were trending this week as May 12 marked the 15th anniversary of one of the most catastrophic earthquakes in Chinese history which caused the death of approximately 70,000 people.
• ▶︎ District mayor pushes museum director. It almost sounds like the plot of a crime drama. On May 8th, the Luliang Revolution Museum in the city’s Lishi District released a closure notice stating that their director got into a dispute with the district mayor and was pushed by him, allegedly leading the museum director to lose consciousness. Local government denies, and investigations are underway.
• ▶︎ Solar sun in Wuhan There have been a lot of videos on Weibo showing the spectacular sun halo that appeared in Wuhan on Saturday. The rather spectacular phenomenon, also known as a 22-degree halo, is a ring of light that appears when sunlight is refracted, or bent, by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
• ▶︎ Death sentence for couple killing children. A father and his girlfriend were sentenced to death in their second trial for killing two toddlers by throwing them off a building in Chongqing in 2020. The girlfriend allegedly could not accept her boyfriend’s children, and conspired to kill them together with him. The couple appealed their earlier death penalty verdict, but the original judgment was upheld. The verdict has been widely supported by Chinese netizens, who called for their immediate execution.

 
Note from the News Editor – by Miranda:

• ▶︎ 200 households evacuated after accidental removal of load-bearing wall | A trending topic this week brought back memories of a 2015 Chinese New Year’s Gala sketch, which featured a man who hired a migrant worker to help renovate his new apartment. The worker used two hammers to break down walls, causing chaos and damage to the property and neighboring wall. The act elicited laughter from the audience, who found the chaotic construction scenario all too relatable.
• Last week, that scene became a reality as residents from an apartment in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, found several huge cracks on the walls inside their home. Later they learned that the person who rented the business unit on the lower floors had removed a load-bearing wall to make space for their billiard room. As the building is unsafe to live in, over 200 households were evacuated from their homes.
• The damage is estimated to be over 160 million yuan (approximately 23 million USD), and the property’s value is now uncertain, although most of the households still have mortgages to pay. The tenant who initiated the disastrous construction work could be held accountable, along with the contractors and property management company, but it’s impossible for them to provide the required compensation. No house insurance was held by the 200 households (it’s also not obligatory for property owners in China). The trending hashtag “Who will pay the 160 million in compensation” (“1.6亿赔偿款谁来出”) reflected the fear of being in a similar situation. Some referenced the 2005 comic sketch and argued that it was a missed chance to educate the public on the dangers of unsafe construction, the significance of building insurance, and the importance of hiring skilled construction workers.

 
Spotted by Zilan, What’s on Weibo author & intern:

• ▶︎ Shifting clothes sizes, celebrity diet craze | Why do women’s clothes keep getting smaller and smaller? This hashtag (#为什么女装越做越小?#)” has recently become popular on Chinese social media. Many women have shared their experiences of being unable to find properly fitting clothes, despite choosing sizes that used to fit them well. Online shoppers have complained about receiving unreasonably small clothes. Netizens are expressing frustration that XL-sized clothes look like they are meant for children, that skirts are too short to cover their buttocks, and that some clothes only come in sizes as small as M.
• As clothing sizes continue to shrink, people are left wondering who these clothes are designed for. This trend has sparked body anxiety among some individuals who question whether they need to lose weight in order to fit into the smaller sizes.
• Although there may not be enough suitable clothes for women, there are always enough ways to lose weight. Over the past week, Chinese actor Qin Hao’s diet plan (秦昊减肥法) received a lot of attention online. After Qin successfully lost over 20 pounds he gained for a role in the series “The Long Season (漫长的季节),” his wife shared his diet plan on Weibo. Despite complaints that the plan starves people to death, many people are still strictly following it and sharing their progress on social media. The topic of celebrity diet plans keep going viral. Discussions about celebrities losing weight, and finding and following their diet plans are never-ending, indicating the persistent body anxiety among Chinese women. The topic of celebrity diet plans will be covered in more depth in my upcoming article for What’s on Weibo – stay tuned!

What’s Trending

1: Teaching Fake History | The inclusion of a propaganda print by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Toshihide Migita (右田年英) from 1895 in a new Chinese history book for children has sparked controversy this week. The illustration, which portrays the surrender of the esteemed Chinese Admiral Ding Ruchang during the Sino-Japanese War, is historically inaccurate and has raised concerns among Chinese netizens about the quality of Chinese textbooks. Many are questioning how the book was ever approved for publication back in 2017.

2: Online Discussions on Salary and Inflation | Comparing prices and salaries between generations is always interesting. A hashtag titled “When My Dad Was Young His Monthly Income Was 2000 Yuan” (#爸爸年轻时的工资是2000#) received 130 million views on Weibo this week and raised discussions about changes in average monthly salary, inflation, and discouraged youth. Are people still making as little as 2000 yuan ($287) per month? A quick search on online job sites will show you that it’s what a basic McDonald’s staff member in a smaller Chinese city would start with and it’s also a reality for many in China’s more rural areas.

3: Why Three Slaps Triggered Nationwide Discussions | An explosive argument between two female passengers on a high-speed train has gone viral on Chinese social media this week. The fight has triggered widespread discussions on the issue of ‘mutual assault,’ the problem of ‘brat children,’ and why it might be wiser to avoid intervening in these types of disputes altogether.