China Military

“I Will Wash Your Uniform For You” – China’s Soldier-Loving Girls

A photo series titled “100.000 soldier-loving girls”(十万恋军女孩), posted by China’s Military Web in honour of soldiers’ aid during the Wuhan flood, has triggered online discussions about the way in which it portrays Chinese women.

Published

8 years ago

July 19, 2016

Diandian Guo

A photo series titled “100.000 soldier-loving girls”(十万恋军女孩) posted by China’s Military Web in honour of soldiers’ aid during the Wuhan flood has triggered online discussions about the way in which it portrays Chinese women.

While many netizens paid their respects to the young soldiers fighting the disastrous flood in the south of China, Chinese state media outlet Global Times elevated this ‘tribute’ to new heights by sharing pictures of girls holding the message “I wish to wash your uniform for you”.

The photo series, titled “100.000 soldier-loving girls”(十万恋军女孩), was originally posted on China’s Military Web. It triggered online discussions on the submissive female image propagated by Chinese state media.

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This is not the first time netizens collectively respond to how patriotism in women is portrayed by official media. Earlier this year, a comic that was released by China’s Youth League also caused some controversy.

“Thank you, our angels”

The big flood in Wuhan, the worst since the flood of 1998, has dominated Chinese headlines over the past week. Social media sites overflowed with images of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fighting the flood. They showed them walking in muddy water to put sandbags in place, evacuating the young and the elderly, or pictured them sitting on the road side, eating plain buns in muddy uniforms.

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Many netizens praised these young soldiers as China’s present-day heroes: “You always come out the first moment whenever problems arise. Thank you, our angels. Hope you are all safe”, one netizen writes.

“My soldier brother, I wish to wash your uniform for you”

Amidst the widespread online support for and praise of China’s soldiers, state media outlet Global Times (环球时报) published the Weibo post titled “100 thousand soldier-loving girls: my soldier brothers fighting the flood, I wish to wash your uniform”.

The post features pictures of girls holding the message “I wish to wash your uniform for you” in their hand.

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The text of the post reads:

“Our heart goes out to what is happening with the flood, and it also goes out to the young soldiers. What is so touching to us, is your high spirit while confronting the flood; it is your fatigue during brief breaks; it is your running about in the pouring rain. All we want to say at this moment is that we wish to wash your uniform for you – this uniform that has become stained by mud because of all your hard efforts.”

The feminist activist Sina Weibo account Voice of Feminists (@女权之声) responded to the post, saying that “soldier-loving girls seem to have become the most popular ideal female image in the official media.”

“He sticks to his belief. He said it is Communism. I do not quite understand. But I support him.”

In March of this year, another soldier-loving girl went trending online as the central division Youth League released a comic titled “I Am In Love, With Him” (我恋爱了，和他).

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This comic narrated an ever-lasting romance between a woman and a man from the female perspective. The ‘him’ in the comic was depicted as a young soldier. Some of the comic’s narrations read as follows:

“When I first knew him, he was still a poor young man, but I never cared about his poverty.”

“He has an unpleasant past. That is his trauma. He does not want to talk about it, and I am always careful to avoid it. After all, who doesn’t have a past?”

“Sometimes I am attracted to someone else, but that is just for a second! He is forever my idol.”

“He sticks to his belief. He said it is Communism. I do not quite understand. But it sounds fancy. I support him.”

“I love him, for his tenderness, for his assertiveness, for his strong character, and for him always walking straight all the way.”

The comic drew much criticism online. On Chinese question-and-answer platform Zhihu (知乎), many netizens responded to it with sarcasm. The post became so controversial that the original post on Central Youth League’s account was later removed.

Under the Global Times’ post, many netizens also responded with sarcasm or critique: “Attention begging, gender stereotyping – so China”, writes one netizen.

“Where are our female soldiers?”

Many netizens deem the representation of the patriotic female as meek and submissive as insulting to women: “A kind reminder”, says one netizen: “back in the war, when Japanese troops recruited comfort women, they also claimed it was for washing clothes”.

“I wonder who washes the uniforms for our heroines?” one netizen asked.

“The male heroes save the country and resist disasters at the front; the female housekeepers stay behind to do the cooking, washing and providing maternal or female care,” Voice of Feminists author Datu (大兔) writes, summarising how state media construct the female gender in times of disaster.

“I think our female soldiers, doctors and nurses deserve more attention,” one netizen writes.

Despite all controversy, there are also who don’t see what all the fuss is about. As one Weibo user says: “Maybe there are just some girls who really just do want to wash their uniforms!”

-By Diandian Guo
Follow @WhatsOnWeibo

China Military

“Taking Down a Tiger”: Li Shangfu Expelled from the Party

Li Shangfu allegedly “took advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and received large sums of money.

Published

6 months ago

June 28, 2024

Manya Koetse

On June 27, the news that Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu (李尚福, 1958) had been expelled from the Communist Party became a top trending topic on Chinese social media.

Within two days, the hashtag “Li Shangfu Expelled from the Party” (#李尚福被开除党籍#) had garnered over 490 million views on Weibo.

Li, a Chinese aerospace engineer, served as the Minister of National Defense and as State Councillor of China from March to October 2023. He had been under investigation for corruption since 2023.

On June 27, Chinese state media issued a press release stating that Li Shangfu was expelled from the Party. The report detailed:

“It has been found that Li Shangfu severely violated political discipline, failed to fulfill his political responsibilities to comprehensively and strictly govern the Party, and resisted organizational examination. He severely violated organizational discipline by seeking personal benefits for himself and others. He took advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and received large sums of money, and he is suspected of accepting bribes. More evidence of Li Shangfu’s serious disciplinary violations and legal problems were also discovered during the investigation.”

“As a high-level leading cadre within the Party and military, Li Shangfu abandoned his original mission, lost his Party principles, and his actions severely betrayed the confidence and great trust placed in him by the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission. He severely polluted the political environment in the military equipment field and industry, causing enormous damage to the Party’s cause, national defense, military construction, and the image of senior leadership, with an extremely serious nature, extremely bad influence, and particularly huge harm.”

Among the top replies to a post of this press release on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, one Chinese netizen commented: “Taking down a tiger.”

Notably, news also emerged on Thursday that the Party had expelled former defense minister Wei Fenghe (魏凤和) for serious violations of Party discipline and the law.

“Eradicating such people is not a loss to the Party, but a victory,” another Weibo commenter wrote.

Punishing both “tigers” and “flies” (influential leaders and minor officials) is part of Xi Jinping’s fight against corruption. Although the anti-corruption drive was already important before Xi Jinping’s rise to power, the campaign has become a central pillar of his tenure, with China’s battle against corruption setting new records.

In 2014, the arrest of China’s former national security chief Zhou Yongkang (周永康) demonstrated President Xi Jinping’s determination to crack down on high-level corruption. That same year, General Xu Caihou (徐才厚) became another target in Xi Jinping’s war on corruption. The former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission was the highest-ranked PLA military officer ever to be implicated in corruption following Bo Xilai’s arrest in 2012.

They were not the only “tigers” brought down. Guo Boxiong (郭伯雄), former vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, was expelled from the Communist Party and sentenced to life in prison in 2016 for bribery.

Other high-profile cases include the former vice chairman of China’s top political advisory body Su Rong (苏荣); former Hu Jintao aide Ling Jihua (令计划); former Chinese politician and senior regional official Sun Zhengcai (孙政才); and former senior official Wang Min (王珉). All were found guilty of bribery and sentenced to life in prison.

Although the fight against corruption campaign is generally applauded by the people, it remains a sensitive topic, leaving little room for open discussion on social media. One post about Li Shangfu’s expulsion received over 8,400 comments, but only 25 of them were visible at the time of writing.

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo

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China Military

Saying Goodbye to “Uncle Wang”: Wang Wenbin Becomes Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia

There are thriving fan forums filled with thousands of posts and videos dedicated to Wang Wenbin.

Published

6 months ago

June 5, 2024

Manya Koetse

When China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesperson Wang Wenbin concluded a regular press conference on May 24, he suddenly said “farewell” (“我们再见”) and stepped down to shake hands with reporters. This surprising moment quickly had his online fan circles buzzing. Was he leaving? Starting a new job? Everyone was speculating.

Wang Wenbin (汪文斌, b. 1971), the Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of China, has been with the Foreign Ministry since 1993. His face became familiar to many both inside and outside China after he took on the role of MFA spokesperson in 2020.

Over the years, Wang has become increasingly popular on social media. There are thriving fan forums filled with thousands of posts and videos dedicated to Wang, praising his professionalism and humorous expressions.

Although there were no official reports on Wang leaving his post, hundreds of netizens began saying goodbye to their favorite diplomat.

Nearly two weeks later, on June 4th, it was announced that Wang will be starting as China’s new ambassador to Cambodia. A related hashtag went trending on Weibo (“Wang Wenbin Appointed as Ambassador to Cambodia” #汪文斌候任驻柬埔寨大使#), attracting over 130 million views within a day.

“Anhui’s Pride”

Why is Wang so popular?

First, his popularity is part of a larger trend of Chinese diplomats being admired and idolized online, a phenomenon detailed in our article here (link).

But besides being part of China’s “Diplomat Dream Team” (外交天团), Wang is admired for his conduct and character. He appears very serious but often shows a smile. He is highly professional, yet occasionally displays a playful side.

These likeable contrasts in his persona also reflect his background. While Wang represents international China, he comes from a small village. Born and raised in Xindu in Tongcheng, Anhui, Wang studied at China’s Foreign Affairs University, majoring in French and economics. He speaks several foreign languages, including English, and once sent out New Year’s wishes in 11 different languages. His success story makes him “Anhui’s pride.”

While Zhao Lijian was known as a real ‘wolf warrior diplomat,’ Wang Wenbin’s style is perceived as more “calm,” “scholarly,” and “refined,” though he remains critical, firm, and assertive. For instance, Wang rebuffed U.S. claims that China might arm Russian troops in the Ukraine war, stating, “it is the United States and not China that is endlessly shipping weapons to the battlefield.” He also called the shootdown of the alleged Chinese spy balloon “100 percent hysteria” and urged the United States to abandon its “hegemonic” approaches to international affairs.

For many Wang Wenbin fans, his assertive yet ‘refined’ (‘温文尔雅’) foreign policy resonates deeply, as they appreciate how Wang shapes China’s image abroad: “It’s the perfect interpretation of being a great and elegant great power.”

Wang’s large fanbase on Chinese social media is always creative in editing images of him and adding quotes. In response to the news of Wang’s new position, a flood of new videos popped up in Wang Wenbin fan communities. Many see Wang as relatable, likeable, and a role model, often saying that ‘Uncle Wang’ (汪叔) is just too “cool.”

“We’ve got your back”

Wang’s role as China’s ambassador to Cambodia is not entirely new to him. He has previously worked in various positions at Chinese embassies in Senegal, Cameroon, and Mauritius, and served as ambassador to Tunisia from 2018 to 2020.

Cambodia is an important regional ally to China, and Sino-Cambodian ties have grown stronger, exemplified by the two countries holding a 15-day joint military exercise in May of this year. Cambodia is a key country for China’s strategic layout in Southeast Asia.

Many netizens are pleased to see Wang Wenbin appointed to Cambodia, though some complain that his “talent is wasted on an insignificant role” (“大材小用” dà cái xiǎo yòng). However, others recognize the growing strategic importance of Cambodia and see Wang’s appointment as a reflection of his significance to China; they suggest he is the right man in the right place.

Wang’s loyal fans wish him nothing but the best in his new position. One person posted: “No matter where you are, we’ve got your back, Uncle Wang.”

Wang Wenbin will replace Wang Wentian (王文天), who served as Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia since November 2018.

Although Wang Wenbin’s online fan communities might become a bit quieter from now on, one thing is certain: he won’t be forgotten. One fan wrote: “From now on, we’ll continue to watch you shine.”

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo

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