Trending in China: What Chinese Netizens are Talking About These Days

Trending in China: What Chinese Netizens are Talking About These Days
Apr 29, 2015 By Elaine Pang , eChinacities.com

What stories have been recently trending on the Chinese internet? The sheer volume of Netizens ensures that there is no shortage of talking points in a nation where nothing escapes the scrutiny of the online world. Moreover, the Chinese seem to have a knack for detail, picking up minute irregularities that everyone else would gloss over. When an overloaded school bus in Gansu province encountered a tragic accident, Netizens dug out photos of comparatively luxurious school buses donated by China to Africa. Here’s a list of recent happenings in China that have taken the online world by storm.

1) Bi Fujian: The CCTV Host Who Dissed Mao

A celebrity host’s drunken rendition of portions of an iconic play created during the Cultural Revolution at a private dinner has landed him in hot soup. Bi Fujian, host of “Avenue of Stars”, a talent show, as well as host of the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala since 2011 is certainly no stranger to fame. Yet this incident further propelled him into the international spotlight with local and international media alike reporting the incident.

The video footage of his “performance” which went viral first on Chinese social media sites involves him addressing the founder of modern China as a “son of a bitch” who led people down a path of misery. The alleged presence of foreign guests at the table hosted by Bi himself has further fueled speculation on how the video got leaked.

Netizen reactions are mixed – from admiration for the host’s outspokenness to questioning how a beneficiary of government funds could criticize the founder of the party. The result? An investigation by his employer, CCTV and a subsequent suspension of his talent show.

2) The Nouveau Riche who Play Bumper Cars on Beijing Streets

A Lamborghini chases a Ferrari down the street before finally crashing into a tunnel wall and a road divider. Sounds like something out of a “Fast and Furious” installment, right? Only, the tunnel in question is at Datun Road, not far from the “Bird’s Nest” Stadium of Beijing and both cars were driven by “unemployed” young men, or rather fu'erdai, the second generation living off inherited wealth. The impact of the collision totaled the Lamborghini leaving the driver’s seat area intact and also tore of chunks of wall paneling before ramming into a divider. The Ferrari suffered damage to its side and rear end.

Investigations so far have yielded more questions than answers. Both drivers were found to be from the same automobile club. And a lack of skid marks at the scene suggests that the drivers never attempted to brake. The online response? The usual backlash against the offspring of millionaires and billionaires – from calls to investigate the sources of their fathers’ wealth to lamentations that the “racers” survived the crash.

3) The Recent Questioning of the Veracity of Historical Accounts in Chinese Texts

Recently, an unlikely source has come under (Netizen) fire – Chinese textbooks. Quite a few Chinese heroes have been scrutinized with the cool eye of online logic. Huang Jiguang (1930-1952), made a Hero of Special Class for his role in the Korean War, is one of them. His role in the Battle of Triangle Hill of October 1952 caused him to be immortalized in Chinese texts and even a memorial. After casting his last hand grenade, he threw himself against an enemy machine gun placement, securing a way forward for Chinese troops. This led Netizens to question how a single person could serve as a human shield against a machine gun long enough to let his comrades pass.

Another case in point would be Qiu Shaoyun of the same war. When his grass-covered camouflage was set ablaze by random enemy grenades, he kept still, so as not to give the troop’s position away. Netizens questioned if it was humanly possible for a person to remain completely as his body was consumed by flames.

4) The Resignation Letter that Captured China by Storm

How many of us have longed to resign in a blaze of glory, telling our boss to take the job and shove it. Yet how many of us have actually done it? A teacher in Hunan Province did exactly that in ten Chinese characters, translated as "The world is big and I want to go out and see it." The writer, Ms. Gu Shaoqiang, an educational counselor with the school for 11 years claims that the letter had been circulated without her permission. A colleague snapped a photo of it and with went viral on WeChat, catching the attention of writer Feng Tang, who caused it to be seen by thousands.

Naturally the succinct resignation which most of us can only dream of drew praises from Netizens from everything from Gu’s beautiful handwriting to her “renxing” nature, a reference to her wild abandon. As for Gu herself, she has shunned all interviews stating that she has resigned for “personal reasons” and that she would like to see the world while she is still young.

5) The Comparison of Internet Service in China to Countries like Vietnam

After spending all that time online, savvy geeks have uncovered that they are not getting value for money from Internet service providers in China. It seems that countries considered less developed in China, such as Vietnam, enjoy cheaper Internet services at higher speeds. Looks like “made in China” is not a symbol of low prices anymore. In fact, labour costs in parts of Southeast Asia have been found to be lower than that of China. Such that Chinese factories have found it cheaper to automate in a country that was thought to have unlimited supply of cheap labour.

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Keywords: Chinese netizens Trending in China

6 Comments

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Guest14819194

I like mooncakes

Sep 28, 2016 09:43 Report Abuse

Guest2781358

So how is Vietnam?

Jul 08, 2015 00:34 Report Abuse

kuntmans

The netizens demonstrate democracy with Chinese characteristics in action.

May 01, 2015 23:07 Report Abuse

Guest2301262

They should include this one. Compare bureaucracy in 'modern' china with developed countries. LOL * Proof of proof of proof of (i.e. when you have no guanxi). "When a young woman applied for her teacher’s license, she needed a ‘proof of no criminal record’ (无犯罪证明) from her neighbourhood committee. The neighbourhood committee first needed a proof of no criminal record from the local police station, before being able to process a proof of no criminal record. In order for the local police station to give this proof, they required the right papers from the criminal records unit. This unit first needed proof that there was proof of no criminal record." www.whatsonweibo.com/crazy-bureaucracy-proof-of-proof-of-proof-of-no-criminal-record/

Apr 29, 2015 21:06 Report Abuse

Chairman_Cow

This is what Chinese netizens are talking about after all the censoring, blocking and deleting of comments and conversations by the CCP.

Apr 29, 2015 09:54 Report Abuse