A social media post about giraffe conservation has become the latest place for people in China who are unhappy about the economy to vent their frustration, as the Chinese government increasingly cracks down on negative commentary.
On Feb. 2, the US embassy in China posted an update on its Weibo account about tracking giraffes in Namibia using GPS technology. As of Monday afternoon local time, the post had received approximately 166,000 comments, many of them about China’s economic pains.
“Who can help me? I’ve been unemployed for a long time,” wrote one commenter. “I’ve seen a few comments about stocks, will they be deleted?” wrote another.
Photo: AP
Other comments, reported by Bloomberg, included: “If criticisms are not allowed, then praises are meaningless” and negative references to China’s stock market.
Weibo, which has 593 million monthly active users, moderates comments that are posted on the platform.
Threads beneath posts by foreign organizations, such as the US embassy, are a slightly more permissive environment for commenters than those below posts by Chinese state agencies, which often take it upon themselves to ensure that discussions stay within government’s red lines.
Many of the comments on the US embassy’s post appeared to have been scrubbed from the platform as of Monday, or drowned out by comments saying variations on “I love China.”
Chinese authorities are increasingly concerned about gloomy commentary as the economy struggles to rebuild momentum after the lifting of the country’s harsh “zero-COVID” pandemic restrictions. In December, social media influencers were warned against making public comments that would “bad-mouth the economy.”
The restrictions on negative comments have failed to mask the fact that China’s stock market is flailing. The CSI 300 index, which tracks the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses, tumbled nearly 5 percent last week to a five-year low. On Sunday, the Chinese securities regulatory commission said it would step up market stabilization measures.
The popularity of the US embassy’s post about giraffes prompted giraffe-related comments elsewhere on Weibo. In one since deleted comment, a user wrote: “The giraffe has reached a new high. Even though many comments have been deleted and many likes have been deleted, it has still reached a new high! Weibo administrators and your editors, thank you for your hard work. The holidays keep you so busy.”
For many people, Bilingual Nation 2030 begins and ends in the classroom. Since the policy was launched in 2018, the debate has centered on students, teachers and the pressure placed on schools. Yet the policy was never solely about English education. The government’s official plan also calls for bilingualization in Taiwan’s government services, laws and regulations, and living environment. The goal is to make Taiwan more inclusive and accessible to international enterprises and talent and better prepared for global economic and trade conditions. After eight years, that grand vision is due for a pulse check. RULES THAT CAN BE READ For Harper Chen (陳虹宇), an adviser
Traditionally, indigenous people in Taiwan’s mountains practice swidden cultivation, or “slash and burn” agriculture, a practice common in human history. According to a 2016 research article in the International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, among the Atayal people, this began with a search for suitable forested slopeland. The trees are burnt for fertilizer and the land cleared of stones. The stones and wood are then piled up to make fences, while both dead and standing trees are retained on the plot. The fences are used to grow climbing crops like squash and beans. The plot itself supports farming for three years.
The breakwater stretches out to sea from the sprawling Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan. Normally, it’s crowded with massive tankers ferrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to be stored in the bulbous white tanks that dot the shoreline. These are not normal times, though, and not a single shipment from Qatar has docked at the Yongan terminal since early March after the Strait of Hormuz was shuttered. The suspension has provided a realistic preview of a potential Chinese blockade, a move that would throttle an economy anchored by the world’s most advanced and power-hungry semiconductor industry. It is a stark reminder of
May 4 to May 10 It was once said that if you hadn’t performed at the Sapphire Grand Cabaret (藍寶石大歌廳), you couldn’t truly be considered a star. Taking the stage at the legendary Kaohsiung club was more than just a concert. Performers were expected to entertain in every sense, wearing outlandish or revealing costumes and staying quick on their feet as sharp-tongued, over-the-top hosts asked questions and delivered jokes that would be seen as vulgar, even offensive, by today’s standards. Opening in May 1967 during a period of strict political and social control, Sapphire offered a rare outlet for audiences in
RSS