Why is China scared of Marvel & Winnie the Pooh (2021)

And welcome back to the Snapshot Channel. I'm Sonya Prisky. Today we are going to look at a fascinating topic. Why is China's President Xi Jinping seemingly afraid of Disney characters? But before we go on, make sure you click the like and subscribe button. So Marvel's latest blockbuster, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, stars Simu Liu, who plays the main character Shang-Chi, the master of Kung Fu, who's forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization. However, this is not the only thing he has to confront. The evil fighting superhero has drawn the eye of the Chinese national. Apparently they weren't particularly happy about an interview that Simu Liu gave the Canadian broadcaster, the CBC, four years ago. That's right, folks. You can never be too certain what those past-digging trolls are going to discover. Now, Simu Liu moved to Canada with his parents when he was five years old. In an interview with the CBC, he said, When I was young, my parents would tell me all these stories about growing up in China where people were literally dying of starvation. And they felt that Canada was a much safer place to When this video resurfaced on a pro-Chinese government forum site, Chinese nationalists accused Simu Liu of insulting and belittling China. One netizen said, If that's the case, why does he still want to act as a Chinese? Yeah, valid question. Very valid. Another said, Is this the superiority of a high-class Chinese? A sarcastic term that is applied to Chinese people who have left the country to either study or live abroad. The idea of moving across the sea in search of a better life does not sit well with many Chinese. Immigrants, with or without justification, could be labelled traitors if they dare to say anything negative about China whilst abroad. This negative reaction from some Chinese just highlights how the Western idea of immigration clashes with the newly uprising sentiment of nationalism in fast-growing countries like China. A reporter for the Voice of America commented on Twitter. And so the video with Simu Liu's interview is, surprise, surprise, no longer available on the CBC's website. Even though Shang-Chi is a box office hit around the world and regarded as a milestone for Asian representation in Hollywood, it is still awaiting approval by the Chinese officials. But it looks like it may never get approved. Amongst perceived problems with Simu Liu's interview, the movie also has some links to a racist archetype villain, Fu Manchu, created by English Pulp Fiction novelist Sex Roma, who described him as the embodiment of all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race. Fu Manchu is considered the archetype of Western anti-Chinese sentiment. Fu Manchu does not appear in the new movie, but in the Marvel Universe. He is Shang-Chi's father. Many Chinese believe that the new film cannot disassociate itself with this legacy. Of course not. Definitely not. Another reason which has made the movie controversial in China is that apparently Simu Liu looks like the younger version of China's President for Life, Xi Jinping. There has been social media posts circulating comparisons made between the two. What do you think? Yes, well maybe just a little resemblance perhaps. In China though, it's not a good idea to look like the Supreme Leader. You will likely be censored, especially when you are of a foreign nationality lacking in Chinese patriotism. Another casualty of China's censorship is an all-time favourite, Winnie the Pooh, the lovable bear. A few years ago there were loads and loads of memes circulating the internet comparing China's President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh. Of course, not surprising that these memes were not particularly well received by the President. So now, of course, Winnie is banned. He is no longer available on online games, in search engines, and even the movie Winnie the Pooh Christopher Robin is now censored and banned. Xi Jinping is not the only world leader who's been compared to Disney characters. Well, there's been Obama who's been likened to Tiger and also Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was more the donkey. However, in China there cannot be challenges to the supremacy of the Chinese leaders. Hence down came this cuddly bear. Of course, sometimes the more things are censored in China, the more attention they receive. Not surprising after all. So the cute cuddly bear has now become a symbol of communist resistance and an embedded satirical figure for the Chinese President. Well, lately, in fact, China has been cracking down hard on the entertainment sector. And of course, Simon Liu is only just the latest celebrity to have their Chinese ancestry criticized over comments that are viewed to be critical of mainland China. The Chinese government believes that even though you are a foreign citizen, as long as you have Chinese ancestry, you are considered Chinese. So you can never get away. No. And should be faithful to China and the Chinese Communist Party. Since President Xi Jinping came to power, he has repeatedly said that overseas Chinese belong to China in an attempt to conflate the concepts of ethnicity and nationality. Simon Liu is not alone. In response to the latest crackdown, Hong Kong actor and singer Nicholas Tse is applying to give up his Canadian citizenship amid rising concerns that holding dual citizenship may be viewed as unpatriotic by the mainland Chinese audience. Another actor who faced backlash for comments perceived to be anti-Chinese was US-based filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who won an Oscar earlier this year for her film Nomadland. Despite speaking proudly of her Chinese heritage in her acceptance speech, her win was still censored by the Chinese state media because in 2013, that's correct, she described China as a place where there are lies everywhere. This demonstrates an increasing intolerance of criticism of China. And recently another actress, Taiwanese Janine Chang was harshly, harshly criticized by the patriotic Chinese netizens who were particularly unhappy when they found out about her thesis that she wrote, wait for it, in 2010. That's right folks, 2010. In that thesis, she called Taiwan my country. Gosh, those archive trolls should really get a life. Unbelievable. And at the end of last month, A-list Chinese billionaire and director, actress Vicky Zhao, she first found fame in a series called My Fair Princess. She was wiped, that's correct, completely wiped from China's internet with all her movies, her blogs, her social media accounts were completely deleted from history. So bizarre, as if she vanished completely overnight. No official reason has ever been given by the Chinese authorities so far for this action, except that the Chinese state media running articles detailing various lawsuits surrounding her investments. Another Chinese actor, Zhang Zhehan, also became the target of Chinese nationalists after an old selfie of him at a shrine for Japanese soldiers surfaced online. The shrine was commemorating Japanese soldiers who invaded China in World War II. He too had his works taken down. China's social media Weibao has also suspended the widely popular South Korean K-pop group BTS and Blackpink in an attempt to curb the fan frenzy and pop culture. Well, they were criticizing this pop group's behavior as irrational star chasing and severely polluting the social atmosphere. Chinese government agencies called the BTS celebrities vulgar or feminine looking men who should not be allowed to be broadcasted on the national TV. They do not portray the values of the Chinese nation or cultural norms the state desires to promote. Chinese Communist Party asserted that it wants Chinese broadcasters to make sure that the male actors are more manly as they have an influence on the country's youth. And further that the PRC also condemned, in fact, they issued an official notice condemning the TV programs depicting effeminate behavior and other warped content that should be prohibited. So the PRC are the moral voice of the country. So in Xi's China, no one is safe. Not Marvel's superhero, not even Winnie the Pooh. Let us know what you think. Don't forget to leave a comment, like and subscribe our channel. Have a great day and we'll see you soon.