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A bunch of scholars underneath the impression that they had found a WeChat “bug” that hides the phrase “200 jin of dumplings” (roughly 220 kilos) had in reality stumbled upon an obscure insult for Xi Jinping that triggers computerized censorship.
In the middle of each day dialog, the scholars discovered that messages preceded by the time period “200 jin of dumplings” (200斤饺子) weren’t obtained by their counterparts. Juvenile hilarity ensued. They despatched one another curses and confessions: “200 jin of dumplings, you’re a silly c***,” “200 jin of dumplings, you’re an fool,” “200 jin of dumplings, piggy,” and “200 jin of dumplings, you’re a lil’ cutie.” They then shared screenshots of their “discovery” on-line—delighting of their exploitation of a perceived bug in China’s hottest chat app.
Little did they know, the “bug” was no accident—however somewhat an computerized censorship mechanism. In 2017, CCTV aired a particular on Xi Jinping’s time as a sent-down youth within the village of Liangjiahe, Shaanxi Province, by which Xi claimed, “I’d carry 200 jin of wheat on a ten-li mountain highway with out even switching shoulders.” Mass ridicule adopted his boast. Many doubted his declare. In 2020, a bunch of Taiwanese bodybuilders tried, and failed, to recreate the feat (their shoulder yoke broke underneath the burden.) The 2021 smash hit tune “Fragile,” which is censored in China, additionally mocked the declare.
“200 jin” quickly grew to become a tongue-in-cheek reference for Xi, alongside a number of different phrases derived from the identical interview sequence: “Wheat-Carrying Man,” “Wheat-Bearing Donkey,” “With out Switching Shoulders,” and the character 奭 shì, which resembles a single particular person carrying a heavy load throughout their shoulders (the 2 radicals 百 at left and proper imply “100.”) All of those have change into delicate phrases topic to censorship. In 2019, an individual claimed that they have been invited to “drink tea,” a euphemism for police interrogation, after posting “I hope that Trump beats ‘200 jin’s’ mind out quickly,” in a QQ group.
It’s not unusual for younger Chinese language netizens to brush up towards censorship with out realizing it. Even the censors want refresher programs on the Tiananmen democracy protests and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Liu Xiaobo. China’s censorship regime is so huge that it’s troublesome to recollect what should be forgotten.
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