Tech Firms Describe Sackings as "Graduation"

JD.com and Bilibili have turned sackings into "graduations"

Chinese tech stocks have taken a beating recently, which has led to numerous layoffs in companies like JD.com, Bilibili, and ByteDance. However, these firms are using euphemisms to describe employees being given the pink slip.

"Sorry, you are terminated" is now replaced with "congratulations, you graduated" in dismissal notices issued by some Chinese technology companies, sparking controversy.

The translation of one dismissal letter

Large firms usually describe massive layoffs as business "optimisation", JD.com and Bilibili are using the term "graduation" which led to many fired employees to angrily post their dismissal notices on social media.

The employers don't describe the large-scale job cuts as layoffs because that often invites the intervention of labour authorities, and is seen as a sign of market weakness.

The JD.com termination letter offered "congratulations on your successful graduation" from the company, and gave details on how to handle social security issues, employment records and other administrative matters, while Bilibili's dismissal letter has the title "graduation day" and provided instructions on human resources issues.

The authenticity of the letters was confirmed by the companies' current and former employees, and it was also pointed out that they would also get this letter if they resigned voluntarily.

Referring to work colleagues "schoolmates" is part of the culture at many Chinese tech firms, including TikTok owner ByteDance.

Tech firms like TikTok call staff "schoolmates"

The layoffs at JD.com were mainly at its group-buying business Jingxi, which is expected to sack 10 to 15 percent of its staff, or about 400 to 600 people.

Another JD.com business unit that handles books, pet products and cross-border e-commerce also plans to cut 15 to 20 percent of its staff.

Bilibili started laying off staff last year, mostly in its gaming department, where nearly 20 percent of its staff were sacked.

Some social media users were angry at the use of the term "graduation". One Weibo user said sarcastically that JD.com was "too merciful" because it paid employees but "did not ask them for tuition fees".

Another asked why an employee who got sacked should be congratulated.

A third Weibo user said everyone who left JD.com was called a "graduate" whether they were fired or resigned. 

Staff "graduate" if they resign voluntarily too

"Doesn't the work experience one received before the layoff count as personal growth?" she asked.

Meanwhile Hong Kong's Covid-19 count continues to drop, though incrementally.

Today 6,639 cases were reported, 119 deaths, of which 102 were in the past 24 hours, and 17 backlogged.

Global Times Chief Editor Steps Down

Hu Xijin launched the English version of Global Times in 2009

It was interesting to find out that Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Global Times who is a well-known and vocal propagandist on Twitter, has abruptly retired at the age of 62.

Apparently there were rumours yesterday of him stepping down but Hu did not confirm them until noon today on his Weibo.

"I'm approaching 62. It's time for retirement," Hu posted on Thursday. "I have gone through the retirement formalities and no longer serve as the editor-in-chief of the Global Times."

Hu is an outspoken propagandist on social media

The Chinese version of Global Times was launched in 1993 as a staunch and unabashedly nationalist tabloid paper. Hu was the editor-in-chief in 2005 and four years later launched the English version of the newspaper, managing both editions.

"I'll continue to contribute to the party's journalism and publicity work as a special commentator of the Global Times. Thank you for your support," he wrote in the Weibo post.

It is believed he will be replaced by Wu Qimin, international section deputy director of People's Daily. It will be interesting if she gets the top job, as critics describe Global Times as "China's Fox News" for its strong patriotic slant, with Hu's interest in the People's Liberation Army as well.

Nevertheless, why is Hu leaving so suddenly? China Media Project suggests perhaps the central leadership wants to rein in loose cannons "firing against the discipline coming from above", or could it possibly have to do with his recent comments about tennis star Peng Shuai that raised eyebrows.

Did Hu make missteps in the Peng incident?

He tried to look like he'd gotten a scoop when he posted video footage of the tennis player going out to dinner and the people in in the clip emphasised many times in it the day it was recorded which was bizarre and backfired spectacularly.

Nevertheless for Hu to retire at 62 seems too early for him -- what is he going to do? 

Following his post, there were some 6,000 comments. "Old Hu, thank you for speaking for China. You have my support! Wish you a happy life after retirement," posted one internet user.

"Good for you. You don't need to tell lies anymore," wrote another.

Where is Peng Shuai?

Tennis player Peng has not been heard from since November 2

A growing chorus of people are asking, "Where is Peng Shuai?"

However, no one has personally or publicly heard from the Chinese tennis player, who, according to videos issued by state media, apparently had dinner with people on Saturday, and showed up at a junior tennis tournament today.

She apparently appeared at a tennis event today

No one in the West believes these videos for a second, pointing out it is strange that Hu Xijin, the chief editor of The Global Times would some how obtain these videos without explaining how, and adding that she would show up in public soon enough.

She did, at this junior tennis tournament, but somehow the live feed to the event got cut off...

Meanwhile people around the world are asking on social media #whereispengshuai, including former World No 1 Chris Evert, who wrote on her Twitter: "Yes, these accusations are very disturbing. I've known Peng since she was 14; we should all be concerned; this is serious; where is she? Is she safe?"

Even the Women's Tennis Association chairman and CEO Steve Simon has taken a very strong stand against China, threatening to pull the WTA's events out of China, which means almost a dozen next year, including the WTA final.

WTA's Simon threatening to pull out of China

"There's too many times in our world today when you get into issues like this that we let business, politics, money dictate what's write and what's wrong," Simon said in an interview with CNN.

"And we're definitely willing to pull our business and deal with all the complications that come with it because... this is bigger than the business."

If the WTA really did pull out of China, that would be a major loss of face for Beijing, and Simon knows it.

What is also interesting to note is that Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympics Committee has been silent on this issue the whole time. And the Beijing Winter Olympics will be starting on February 4.

Everyday on Twitter people continue to ask where Peng is, while state media tries (but fails) to convince that she is "fine" and doesn't want to see anybody, that she is just "resting".

An unverified photo of Peng with her cat

Those were the same words used when the Hong Kong booksellers were missing in 2015.

In an explosive post Peng wrote on November 2 on her Weibo that was quickly deleted, she alleged that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli coerced her into having sex.

About three years ago, after Zhang had retired, the post alleges Peng was invited him to play tennis in Beijing.

Afterwards, she wrote, Zhang and his wife brought Peng to their home, where Peng claimed she was pressured into having sex with Zhang.

Senior official Zhang Gaoli

"That afternoon I did not agree at first and was crying all the time," Peng wrote. After dinner with Zhang and his wife, and following much persuading by Zhang, she relented, according to the post.

To be sure, the West will continue to put pressure on China to answer to their concerns and allow Peng to answer freely.

The longer she is not allowed to speak of her own accord, the more skeptical the world becomes.

Where is Chen Qiushi?

A screenshot of Chen Qiushi in Wuhan to document the coronavirus there

People who have been following lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Qiushi are asking where he is.

In the last few days he has been missing and now he has been "quarantined" but no one knows where.

Some may remember the Qingdao native who came to Hong Kong in August to report on the anti-government protests. He made videos of the protests and posted them on YouTube, challenging state media reports that claimed all the protesters were rioters and separatists.

In August he was in Hong Kong

Instead Chen said most of them were peaceful. "Not all of them are rioters," the 34-year-old said in one of his videos.

He was summoned back to Beijing, and after he returned, he was harassed and silenced by the authorities. His social media accounts, including Weibo that had 740,000 followers, were deleted.

But he vowed to continue to speak out.

When news of the epicentre of the coronavirus was in Wuhan, Chen got on a train on Chinese New Year eve to go there and report what was happening. He promised he would tell the truth, that he would not spread rumours, that he would try to protect himself from the coronavirus the best he could, and he would not leave Wuhan if he caught the virus.

He made videos interviewing people who were sick and desperate for a hospital bed, he interviewed nurses and doctors, one of whom confirmed there were corpses in the hospital hallways covered in sheets but they didn't know if they had died of the coronavirus. He also saw the unsanitary conditions in the hospitals with used gloves, masks and vomit everywhere.

He posted videos, talking about corpses in hospital hallways

At the same time he had to watch his back with the authorities knowing he was there and didn't want him out reporting on his own. They forced him to move out of his hostel, his WeChat account would be blocked if he posted another video on the app.

And now Chen has been missing since February 6. His friend posted a video of Chen's mother the following day, saying her son had disappeared.

"I'm here to beg everyone online, especially friends in Wuhan to help find Qiushi, find out what's going on with him," she said.

Then later that evening Xu Xiaodong, a well-known mixed martial artist, posted a video saying that Chen had been forced into quarantine.

"In the last few hours the Qingdao public security officers and state security officers... notified Qiushi's parents that Qiushi has already been detained in the name of quarantine. Qiushi's' mother immediately asked them where and when he was taken away, they declined to say," said Xu.

Chen (left) with friend and MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong

Xu stressed that in his conversations with Chen, he was in good health before he disappeared.

Chen's friends worry about him, but also that he might be infected with the virus.

Are people looking for him? Will he be found? As some have said online, we cannot have another Li Wenliang...

Freckles Challenge Chinese Beauty

Model Li Jingwen with a natural freckled face showing off Zara's makeup

The Chinese can be a sensitive lot, especially when it comes to their perception of beauty.

The latest fashion label to be on the hot seat following Dolce and Gabbana is Spanish fast-fashion brand Zara. It released a post on its Weibo account, showing model Li Jingwen wearing a new lipstick and lip glaze, though her freckles were very visible which sparked immediate controversy.

Some Chinese netizens took it to mean Zara was being racist towards Chinese people, saying the brand was "uglifying China" as they don't see freckles as a sign of beauty.

"Does it mean that us Asian women all have dull eyes and have faces full covered by freckles?" asked one netizen.

"Sorry that we Asian women don't have freckles -- or only a small proportion of us have," said another. "You spent such an effort finding a model with freckles, just like searching for a needle in the sea. How hard you've been working on this!"

A third netizen remarked, "Selling products in China had better respect Chinese people's aesthetic taste. I don't understand why Zara showed this face with a lot of freckles?"

Zara clarified the photos didn't make Li look ugly

Others felt the photos were realistic and one news platform called The Paper said: "It's common for international fashion brands to use freckled models, and some freckles are even welcomed by the public from foreign countries."

The fact that this needs to be spelled out in this day and age is a sad commentary on some Chinese people's tunnel vision definition of beauty.

Nevertheless, some appraised the photos as authentic and felt the public should be more open to different aesthetics and tolerant of imperfect facial features instead of just accepting edited pictures.

Zara had to clarify that the new makeup line was not solely targeting the Chinese market, and that the appointment of Li the model was determined by the headquarters in Spain, showing her in a natural state without any final touch-ups.

"Spanish people have different beauty standards and they did not intend to make this model look ugly," a Zara spokeswoman said. "They usually don't modify the photos of models. That's what the model looks like."

Does this mean the Chinese are going to hate on Li for her freckles? Or will they begin boycotting Zara?

Maybe they have to learn to accept that beauty is not one with a completely made-up face that looks impossibly perfect -- natural beauty is real beauty, and that includes freckles.

Unofficial Chinese Word of 2018

A newly-created word "qiou" that means "poor-ugly" is all the rage for 2018

Netizens in China have unofficially decided on the word of the year -- and it's a made-up character.

Pronounced "qiou", possibly in the third tone, the character has the word 穷 (qiong2) on top, and 丑 (chou3) below.

One netizen created a poem using the word "qiou"

The first character 穷 means "poor", while 丑 is an adjective that means "ugly". Put qiong and chou together and you get -- qiou or "poor-ugly".

Also, the combination of the characters creates the Chinese character 土 (tu3) which means "earth", "soil" or "dust". So put the three together, they could mean "dirt poor and ugly".

Many on Weibo find this new word qiou quite apt, with housing prices so out of reach of the average individual, and the pressures of looking absolutely perfect and beautiful are getting out of hand.

"The time of our youth was a happy one," one netizen poetically writes. "Because it was not yet clear to us at the time how ugly and poor we were."

Chinese media outlet Modern Express has declared qiou as "the character of 2018".

Time to practice writing your qious

Many people use it colloquially to describe themselves in a self-deprecating way by saying, "I'm qiou" or "我qiou" or "I'm so qiou".

While you can't type out the newly-created word qiou, if it's written out, people know exactly what it means. 

n a time of staggering house prices and unrealistic beauty ideals, ‘qiou’ is a character that “suits our time,” according to many on Weibo, who say the character ‘describes their current situation.’

This is original content by What's on Weibo that requires investment. You are free to link to this article. Please identify this website or author when you base content on this source or quote from it. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com to buy additional rights. Copyright (C) https://www.whatsonweibo.com. Read more at: https://www.whatsonweibo.com/the-new-chinese-character-of-the-year-is-dirt-poor-ugly/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioschina&stream=top

n a time of staggering house prices and unrealistic beauty ideals, ‘qiou’ is a character that “suits our time,” according to many on Weibo, who say the character ‘describes their current situation.’

This is original content by What's on Weibo that requires investment. You are free to link to this article. Please identify this website or author when you base content on this source or quote from it. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com to buy additional rights. Copyright (C) https://www.whatsonweibo.com. Read more at: https://www.whatsonweibo.com/the-new-chinese-character-of-the-year-is-dirt-poor-ugly/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioschina&stream=top

n a time of staggering house prices and unrealistic beauty ideals, ‘qiou’ is a character that “suits our time,” according to many on Weibo, who say the character ‘describes their current situation.’

This is original content by What's on Weibo that requires investment. You are free to link to this article. Please identify this website or author when you base content on this source or quote from it. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com to buy additional rights. Copyright (C) https://www.whatsonweibo.com. Read more at: https://www.whatsonweibo.com/the-new-chinese-character-of-the-year-is-dirt-poor-ugly/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioschina&stream=top

258 Cheaters Discovered in Shenzhen Half Marathon

The Shenzhen Half Marathon was held last Sunday

More Chinese are getting fit by running and as a result there are a number of races including marathons that are organised around the country.

According to the Chinese Athletics Association, 1,072 marathon and road running races have been held this year. This compares to only 22 races held seven years ago.

But not all the participants are competing fairly.

Some runners cheated by crossing to the other lane

Last Sunday was the Shenzhen Half Marathon, but officials have since discovered 258 runners cheated.

There were 18 with fake bib numbers, three imposters and 237 others of whom a number of them took short cuts along the route.

A video shot by a traffic camera at one section of the course showed some runners crossing from one side of the road to the other instead of running another kilometre before making a U-turn.

That means they cut off two to three kilometres from the total 21 kilometres they should have run.

In another case, a local photographer took pictures of two people with identical bib numbers.

"We deeply regret the violations that occurred during the event. Marathon running is not simply exercise, it is a metaphor for life, and every runner is responsible for him or herself," said the announcement by the organizing committee.

Organizers found 258 people cheated during the race

Obviously there were not enough volunteers to keep watch along the route, though paying other people to run the race for you is absolutely outrageous.

Runners with fake bib numbers and those who hired people to run for them will be banned for two years, according to the announcement.

Even People's Daily wrote an editorial about the incident, saying, "Please respect the Marathon, and respect sporting spirit!"

Meanwhile on Weibo, one user lamented, "There are too many marathons in China nowadays, and too many so-called runners, but runners who really love running are still in short supply."

Running a race is for one's personal achievement. So if you really want to do a half or full marathon, you would be determined to run every kilometre. But then again in China, should we be surprised people would cheat the race?

Fan Bingbing's Big Fine

Actress Fan Bingbing must pay a hefty fine for tax evasion

The big news today is that finally after months of no word from actress Fan Bingbing, it has now been revealed that she has been fined nearly 884 million yuan (US$129 million) for tax evasion.

In the office we were speculating if she could even pay that amount.

According to Forbes she made 300 million yuan from July 2016-July 2017, and 1.4 billion yuan between 2003 and 2016. But surely she spent a chunk of that money. She will probably be cleaned out after paying the fine and will have to lay low for a while before re-starting her career again.

She was an ambassador for Louis Vuitton

It's unfortunate she was singled out as an example of what happens if you evade paying your taxes.

It was found that she had two contracts, one at a lower amount to pay less taxes, and another that was her actual income. Her production companies were also fined 117 million yuan for also omitting income and not paying tax on it.

Apparently Fan will escape criminal charges if she pays the hefty bill by December 31.

While she was invited by several luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, De Beers, Montblanc, and Guerlain to be an ambassador, probably no money or not much changed hands, but now it'll make fashion, jewellery and cosmetic brands think twice about using Chinese artists as brand ambassadors.

It puts these companies in a tough position because they want to target mainland Chinese consumers, but don't want to be caught using the wrong celebrity for promotional purposes.

The whole fiasco started in May, when outspoken state television presenter, Cui Yongyuan posted pictures on Weibo of two contracts that appeared to be for Fan's upcoming film. One showed a salary of US$1.6 million to be reported to the tax authorities, and another with US$7.8 million.

This is a common practice called yin-yang contracts. It is also not unusual for companies to have two books, one for the tax department to look at, the other containing actual figures.

Fan also promoted De Beers

After there was public outcry about his whistle-blowing, Cui later apologized to Fan and in June he withdrew his claims altogether. But that didn't stop the State Administration of Taxation from launching an investigation, which led to her disappearance the same month.

Fan was held under "residential surveillance at a designated location", where the police can detain anyone suspected of endangering state security, terrorism, or significant corruption at an undisclosed location for up to six months. It is a practice widely condemned by human rights groups.

Today Fan released a letter apologizing to fans and the Communist Party for her transgressions, saying she would "overcome all difficulties" to pay what she owed.

"One could say that every bit of the achievement I have made cannot be separated from the support of the state and the people," she wrote. "Without the good policies of the Communist Party and the state, without the people's love and care, there would be no Fan Bingbing."

Who knows what she went through when she was in detention for several months. Regardless of what people think of her, we can only hope she will get through this terrible period and eventually move on.

The Ultimate Eye-Roll

Liang Xiangyi (left) encapsulated how reporters feel about the Two Sessions

For journalists covering the Two Sessions (NPC and CPPCC) in Beijing these two weeks, it's a tedious event to cover. Even though important decisions are being made as to how China will be run, ie Chinese President Xi Jinping can theoretically rule for life now, and how departments are being merged for efficiency, they are mostly bureaucratic measures.

And to ensure everything goes smoothly, the government plants questions printed on pieces of paper that are given to specific state media reporters. They are expected to raise their hands in the hopes of being chosen to ask the question so that the official knows exactly what to say and have license to drone on because he loves listening to his own voice.

So this is what happened the other day -- Zhang Huijun of American Multimedia Television USA asked a question to state assets chief Xiao Yaqing about the Belt and Road initiative and it seemed to go on for a while -- over 40 seconds in fact.

Next to her was China Business News journalist Liang Xiangyi, who couldn't help herself and did a major eye-roll. She forgot all the cameras were trained on not only Zhang but her too.

Liang's eye-roll and exasperated looks encapsulated what all journalists felt covering the Two Sessions in seconds.

"Nicely done! You gave an eye-roll on our behalf!" one commenter said.

"I am clapping for your honesty! Such questions are annoying and do not have any meaning," said another.

Her eye-roll immediately sparked memes, people copying her, or superimposing her on top of Xi giving a speech while she does her eye-roll. 

Memes like this cartoon picture of her cropped up online

Despite being praised by many, Liang was soon swiftly punished -- her accreditation to cover the NPC was revoked.

Not only that, but her personal Weibo page was taken down and search results for her name were censored.

Like that she was wiped out of Chinese cyberspace. Liang will probably have to change careers now that she's a persona non grata in the state media industry.

It's a sad and pathetic the Chinese government has to be so controlling of this event in particular, but that only reveals its deep insecurities and its weakness.

Regardless of what happens to Liang, she will be remembered for a long time, as the one who, with her eye-roll, summed up what it's like to cover the Two Sessions.

Property Tycoon Questions Migrant Worker Crackdown

Property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang questions why China uses hukou system

Property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang has been known for speaking his mind, and last year he got into trouble when he criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping's call for the media to show loyalty to the Communist Party.

He was back voicing his opinion on Wednesday, comparing China to North Korea over its rigid household registration system called hukou.

A migrant worker takes last look at where he lived in Beijing

At an annual conference of financial magazine Caijing in Beijing, Ren, 66, said the registration system was "adopted only by a limited number of countries, including China and North Korea", and that Beijing's ongoing eviction of migrant workers was a deluded way to solve the city's problems.

The government is currently getting rid of thousands of migrant workers in mostly the outskirts of the capital, either knocking on doors late at night and giving people 15 minutes to clear out all their stuff before demolishing their homes, or cutting off water and electricity as a sign to move on, just as the cold winter sets in.

The evictions are part of a campaign to address safety threats in the aftermath of a residential fire that killed 19 people last month.

Thousands of migrant workers evicted from Beijing

While the government may think this is an effective way to quickly get rid of people it doesn't want in the city, these migrant workers are crucial cheap labour doing menial jobs that need to be done. Most recently hundreds were evicted from an area near Beijing Capital International Airport where they work.

"The Beijing government once boasted that there was no family with housing problems in the city -- but it was only talking about locals," said Ren, the former chairman of Huayuan Property, a company owned by the Beijing government.

"The biggest problem with China's [housing] market adjustment and control policies is that they are illegitimate," he said.

Ren said there was no law giving the authorities the right to interfere in property prices, but in reality all local governments could cap these prices at a level they deemed appropriate.

A fire in Daxing prompted evictions of migrant workers

However, he added, land sales -- a key source of revenue for local governments -- were left alone, even though they were the main reason property prices had skyrocketed.

"If China doesn't solve the land problem and change the household registration system, all of its so-called long-term [market] mechanisms will be built on sand," he warned.

For years Ren has openly criticized the government's policies to control the property market and other political and social issues. He had 37 million followers on Weibo before his account was deleted in February last year when he questioned why the media should be loyal to the party when news outlets were funded by taxpayer money and so they should serve the public, not the party.

"When did the people's government turn into the party's government? [Are the media] funded by party membership dues?" he wrote at the time.

Following his comments, Ren came under attack by state media, and a news site linked to the Beijing municipal party committee declared he was spreading "anti-Communist Party" thought, and he represented capitalists who sought to topple the party's rule. He was then placed under a year's probation by the party in May and has kept a low profile -- until now.

Will he get in trouble for his criticism of the country's hukou system? Looks like so far so good...

Yang's Life Lesson

Yang Shuping talks about learning new things, like fresh air, freedom of speech

Mainland Chinese student Yang Shuping gave a graduation speech on Sunday at the University of Maryland praising the United States, which instead of receiving praise from her fellow countrymen, was scathingly scorned at.

During her speech, she recalled how she felt when she arrived in the US.

"When I took my first breath of American air, I put my mask away," she said. "The air was so sweet and fresh, and oddly luxurious. Democracy and freedom are the fresh air that is worth fighting for."

She is a psychology and theatre graduate from Yunnan province and came to study at the university five years ago.

Yang quickly learned to appreciate the air quality in the US

From her experience of living in the US she appreciated being able to speak freely.

"I have learned [that] the right to freely express oneself is sacred in America... I could even rate my professors online," she said. "My voice matters. Your voice matters. Our voices matter."

Yang also talked about watching her fellow students vote in elections, take part in political protests, and even watch a play about the 1992 LA riots that talked about the issues of racism, sexism and politics.

"I was shocked, I never thought such topics could be discussed openly... I have always had the burning desire to tell these kinds of stories, but I was convinced that only authorities owned the narrative, only authorities could define the truth," she said.

"Freedom is oxygen. Freedom is passion. Freedom is love. As the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said: 'Freedom is a choice'."

One might think it was wonderful that a Chinese student not only received a good education, but also learned some values and culture that helped her to further understand the differences between the US and China.

The University of Maryland sticks by what Yang said

However, people back home were not impressed, criticizing her speech, saying she was kowtowing to the US, or that she already came from Yunnan, a relatively clean province in terms of air quality. The backlash resulted in tarring Yang as a traitor, that she did not love her country.

A group of Chinese students at the university were offended by Yang's speech and set up a social media campaign showing their support for their country.

The students behind the #ProudofChina effort said they hoped to correct "wrong stereotypes" of the country and show their "courage to speak up".

But patriots, particularly The Global Times claimed the university should never have given Yang the opportunity to speak at such event, and for sticking by her.

Even the foreign ministry weighed in.

I believe China will encourage and welcome the students as long as they love their motherland from the heart and are willing to make a contribution," ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, without directly criticizing what Yang said in her speech.

"Any comparable Chinese citizen should make responsible comments on any issue, not only about China but everything."

Yang is in her early 20s and has learned so much in the past five years that she couldn't wait to tell others what she had observed. But she mistakenly thought everyone else was on the same page as her.

Meanwhile her critics were so overly sensitive about her observations, but for the most part they are true. It just reveals yet again how the Chinese are so insecure about their country and its faults, but don't have the courage to face them because their government insists that everything is fine.

Eventually Yang had to back down, apologizing on Monday.

"The speech is just to share my overseas experience and comes with no intention to negate or belittle my country," she said on Weibo.

China needs more people like Yang to help develop the country from within; ostracizing her is not the way. And from now on, no Chinese student will dare speak out again, for fear of the wrath of the online patriotic police. It's all too easy to destroy someone when there is strength in numbers.

But Yang is the strong one who has the courage to speak for herself and her own thoughts.

Lin Dan Threatens to Sue for Wages

Lin Dan publicly revealed he and six players have not been paid for months

It was shocking to read today that badminton superstar Lin Dan had to resort to social media to complain that he and his fellow players on his team have not been paid 4 million yuan in over five months.

He and six other players competed in the lucrative China Badminton Super League, the prime national team competition for badminton players on the mainland. It was held from December 6, 2016 to January 14th this year and is run by the China Badminton Association.

On Weibo, Lin complained to his three million followers that his team Guangzhou Yueyu had yet to pay them.

"It is chilling that so far all the athletes have not received salaries. We athletes in order not to affect the collective honour, still insisted on completing matches despite not being paid.

"We have communicated many times with the club to pay the salaries and so far their attitude is really frustrating and disappointing. For the club to win honour while we get nothing, please do not let our sweat flow white!

Lin was in hot water when he wasn't seen with his wife (left)

"We solemnly declare that the Guangzhou Yueyu Badminton Club's Mr Gao Jun and Mr Fu Xun respect the athletes and pay the full salaries... or we will take legal means to defend our rights and interests!"

Apparently Guangzhou's chairman Gao said even he himself was owed wages, and that he would rush to the city of Heyuan in Guangdong province, where the club's main sponsors are based, to have the wage matter settled as soon as possible.

While Lin is a very popular athlete, his image took a big hit when he was photographed with another woman while his wife Xie Xingfan was pregnant. The couple reconciled and his wife also took to social media, asking that the athletes be paid.

It turns out the club is registered in the national league under the name Heyuan Agricultural and Commercial Bank Guangzhou Team, and Gao said the bank was one of the club's major sponsors but had yet to pay up.

"This incident has nothing to do with Yueyu," says Gao. "We have been made scapegoats."

So will Lin and his fellow players be paid eventually? Does the bank have enough funds? Sounds strange for it to not pay the athletes... or is their money stuck in some soured loan no one is supposed to know about?

Tsai Bashing Backfires

Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen (centre) on inauguration day last Friday

The mainland really has problems accepting Tsai Ing-wen as the new president of Taiwan.

Less than a week after she took office, Wang Weixing, a member of the Association of Relations across the Taiwan Straits (Arats), were published in the International Herald Leader, a paper under Xinhua news agency.

"From the human point of view, as a single woman politician, [Tsai] does not have the emotional burden of love, of 'family', of children, [so her] political style and executive strategy tends to be emotional, personal and extreme," Wang said, who is also a senior military officer and director of foreign studies with the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Sciences.

He also added her "erratic behaviour" influenced her political style.

Tsai's office had no comment on the article.

The new Taiwanese president has a penchant for felines

The opinion is so baseless that one wonders how Wang could even be qualified to write something as sexist and misogynist as this.

She won a clear victory at the polls, so there must be a reason why the Taiwanese chose her over other candidates.

And having a leader who is single is a good thing.

That shows he or she is focused on his or her job, that family issues will not be getting in the way or a distraction from leading Taiwan.

Wouldn't you want a leader who was mostly focused on the best interests of your country/state/city/province?

If anything, Wang's opinion is so inane and ridiculous that his own countrymen bashed him on social media for his ignorance.

One Weibo user in Beijing wrote: "This was the stupidest and most offensive thing I have read in ages. Many women abroad admire Ms Tsai's tenacity and drive, especially the fact she is strong and independent and does not need a man to rule."

"If the tables were turned and Ms Tsai was a man, she would be celebrated for being single," said another. "This is typical discriminatory behaviour but it still disgusts me."

Perhaps the best response was from Su Mei Cho, a teacher from Shanghai: "If Xinhua wanted to criticize Tsai Ing-wen, do it on fair grounds and look at her ability to lead Taiwan and revitalize areas like defense and the economy.

"What does her private life have to do with the way she governs Taiwan? Taiwanese celebrate her and her strong achievements and I doubt they will care as much about who she decides to date, such trivial writing and opinions expressed in this report."

We expect Wang to metaphorically have egg on his face and he should better rethink his strategy on how to better bash Tsai on more weightier issues than her sex.

It is, after all, 2016.

A Public Resignation

Xi Jinping visited CCTV in February and headlined the news that evening

An editor at Southern Metropolis Daily has quit in a very public fashion. He took a picture of his resignation letter and posted it on his Weibo account.

Needless to say it was taken down soon afterwards, thought it was cached by other websites.

Yu Shaolei had worked at the Guangzhou-based newspaper since 2000 and was editor of the culture department.

However, he apparently had enough.

He explained in the resignation form that he could no longer "follow your surname", a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping's directive that the state and party media must "be surnamed party" -- or answer to the Party first.

Yu Shaolei's resignation that he posted on Weibo

It follows Xi's visit to major state media outlets in February, saying staff -- oops -- media workers -- must follow directions from the Party first and foremost.

Yu's explanation for his decision to quit was translated by China Digital Times:

This spring, let's make a clean break. I'm getting old; after bowing for so long, I can't stand it anymore. I want to see if I can adopt a new posture. To the person responsible for monitoring my Weibo and notifying his superiors about what I should be made to delete: You can heave a sigh of relief. Sorry for the stress I've caused you these last few years, and I sincerely hope your career can take a new direction. And to those friends who care about me, I won't even say goodbye, Southern Media Group.

Xi gets applause after visiting another state media outlet

Southern Media Group is one of the more liberal media outlets mostly because it is located in southern China, near Hong Kong. However in recent years, there have been attempts to muzzle it and other Guangdong-based media outlets, despite their attempts to cover sensitive topics like deaths in police custody and the SARS outbreak.

In 2013, journalists at Southern Weekend, a sister publication to Southern Metropolis Daily, protested after a local official rewrote the editorial. Originally the paper called for proper implementation of the constitution, but instead at the last minute it was pulled and in its place was a piece praising the Communist Party of China.

Poor Yu couldn't take the censorship anymore and can anyone blame him?

And he's in the culture department! What indignities did he suffer through to announce his resignation so publicly with the creative flourish of a pen?

Xi Defines State Media Role

Xi Jinping is "anchoring" the news, saying state media must work for the Party

When I worked in state media in Beijing, my colleagues who were Communist Party members would disappear once in a while for an entire afternoon for a "meeting". It was actually a study session to decipher then President Hu Jintao's "Three Represents" (三个代表).

They would also be reminded that the state media was the medium in which the Party's doctrine would be communicated, that everyone must be in line with the Party for the sake of unity and ensure everyone got the same message.

This was said behind closed doors.

And periodically Hu or the Premier Wen Jiabao would visit state media outlets and re-emphasize these points that were published in newspapers, read out in news casts and such.

But the exercise was stepped up by President Xi Jinping last Friday when he visited Xinhua, People's Daily and CCTV and insisted state media must show absolute loyalty to the Party.

Ren Zhiqiang says the media should serve the people

There were no vagaries here -- it was straight to the point. According to a report in People's Daily:

The Party's news and public opinion work must adhere to the principle of the Party character, cleaving fundamentally to the Party's leadership of news and public opinion work. Media run by the Party and government are propaganda positions of the Party and the government, and they must reflect the Party. All work of the Party's news and public opinion media must reflect the will of the Party, mirror the views of the Party, preserve the authority of the Party, preserve the unity of the Party, and achieve love of the Party, protection of the Party and acting for the Party; they must all increase their consciousness of falling in line, maintaining a high level of uniformity with the Party in ideology, politics and action.

It's pretty clear how Xi is instructing how the media should operate. What happened to the so-called "vibrant media" in China, where there were different shades of red?

Seems like that is no more, as everyone must disseminate the same message.

But perhaps even more interesting is that an outspoken tycoon has criticized Xi's pronouncement about state media's role in society.

Ren Zhiqiang said on Weibo on Friday that the media should serve the people, that news operations were funded by taxpayer money and so should serve the public rather than the leadership.

"When does the people's government turn into the party's government? [Are the media] funded by party membership dues? Don't waste taxpayers' money on things that do not provide them with services," he wrote.

Needless to say Ren was immediately attacked by a news site affiliated with the Beijing municipal party committee, accusing him of "anti-Communist Party" thought.

Qianlong.com claimed Ren represented capitalism that sought to topple the Party's rule and establish Western-style constitutionalism on the mainland, and even accused him of having "completely" lost his Party spirit.

It'll be interesting to see how Ren gets himself out of this fiasco unscathed if possible, but he is technically right. Taxpayer money does go to state enterprises like state media and it is the job of media to inform its readers.

But, things are done differently on the mainland, and with Xi in charge, it's near impossible to beat the President.

Nevertheless, with 37 million followers, Ren could win in the court of public opinion, though politically and financially he may lose big time.

A Heavy Price for Free Speech

Pu Zhiqiang will be released soon, but cannot practice law again

Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was handed a three-year suspended jail sentence for posting online comments that were critical of the Communist Party. While he will be released in days, he will not be allowed to practice law again.

The Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court found Pu, 50, guilty of "inciting ethnic hatred" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", according to a report by Xinhua news agency.

According to legal experts, the suspended jail sentence means Pu will be put on probation for three years and if he violates the terms or commits offenses in the next three years, he will have to serve his original sentence.

His lawyer, Shang Baojun says lawyers who have been convicted have their lawyer's license revoked. "To be incriminated over one's speech in seven microblog messages -- this is a very heavy price indeed," Shang said.

Amnesty International said the suspended jail sentence was "a deliberate attempt by the Chinese authorities to shackle a champion of freedom of expression".

However, Xinhua said the court handed down a light sentence because Pu "pro-actively confessed to his crimes and showed remorse". It added Pu would not appeal.

We do not know exactly what happened in the court room, but we do know last week that he was adamant about rejecting the charges against him. So what happened between then and now is unclear.

He was convicted on the basis of the content of seven microblog messages that were critical of the government's handling of an ethnic conflict in Kunming, Yunnan province last year, and sarcastic comments about two officials.

Xinhua reported the court said between January 2012 and May 2014, Pu posted messages eight times on various Weibo accounts "to stir ethnic relations and incite ethnic hatred". It said his messages were retweeted 2,500 times and had 1,300 comments, and thus had "provoked internet users' strong ethnic hatred and confrontation feelings", and his behaviour had "posed social danger that has reached a serious level".

As a result, this had caused "psychological damage", and had "lowered [people's] opinions of society", and created "chaos in cyberspace" and a "bad influence in society", and his behaviour had "gravely disrupted social order".

The court makes it sound like Pu was someone disseminating hate literature. While reposting his message 2,500 times is a lot, when compared relative to the number of people in China, it's not a big exposure.

Nevertheless, Xinhua said Pu apologized and showed his willingness to accept punishment during the trial. It added that Pu told the court that through his ordeal, "he has experienced the progress of rule of law, the improvement of the law, and progress of society"...

Was his trial a sign of progress of rule of law in China? The lawyer who suffers from diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, was detained for 19 months without trial and no access to his family.

Beijing has effectively silenced yet another of its critics in a harsh way. He will be made into an example for others to conform even more to the Party line.

But China needs people like him to point out the country's flaws that must be addressed and dealt with. He and others like him want to hold the government accountable so that it will be a more effective one.

How will China's civil society ever be able to flourish when it is so badly needed now?

Guo Meimei Trades Luxury for Prison Cell

Guo Meimei living the life -- back then on Weibo

Some girls just want to have fun.

That was the case of Guo Meimei, 23, who took lots of selfies or had others take pictures of her scantily clad in bikinis, or short dresses. She has a cherubic face, but Guo seems to have seduced herself into the world of luxury.

She took pictures of herself with luxury brand name bags like Hermes and Louis Vuitton, even striking poses in front of a Maserati that were uploaded onto her Weibo account, where she had almost two million followers.

She liked to pose with luxury cars and handbags

Then in 2011 netizens started digging up information about her online and found that she claimed to be a "commercial general manager" at the Red Cross Society of China, which the charity vehemently denied, but the damage was done -- donations plunged because the public was outraged at Guo and didn't trust the Red Cross anymore.

It turns out Guo's partner Wang Jun, 46, was a Shenzhen-based businessman who funded her shopping thrills. He planned to use the Red Cross brand for an advertising campaign, and Guo asked to head the new business venture.

One would have thought that fiasco would have ended the young woman's career, but she plunged headlong into higher stakes -- casinos.

Someone enjoyed money... a lot

She admitted operating an illegal gambling venue in Beijing as well as having sex with several unnamed men for money. She even fabricated a story that she had a 260 million yuan gambling debt in Macau to get herself back into the limelight.

Guo's antics were over when she and Wang were detained in July last year. Dressed in an orange prison garb, she made a tearful "confession" on state media, saying she concocted the affiliation with the Red Cross purely out of vanity.

"I like to show off," she said. "I have the vain mindset of a little girl."

Over a year after she was detained, Guo was sentenced to five years in jail and a 50,000 yuan fine yesterday in Beijing for running an illegal casino. Her associate Zhao Xiaolai pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and fined 20,000 yuan.

While Guo admitted in court to taking part in illegal gambling and invited people to play high-stakes poker at a Beijing apartment, she denied running an illegal casino.

In court she looked plain, with no makeup on, wearing eyeglasses, a white shirt and frumpy black pants, a far cry from the sexy image she used to portray of herself.

Guo was sentenced in court yesterday for five years in jail

There are scant details of her life growing up except that she lived with her mother in Yiyang, Hunan province and then Shenzhen. Guo later studied at Beijing Film Academy in 2008.

Thus ends the fabulous life of Guo that was terribly short lived and desperate at the end. Her insatiable love of money that led her downfall. After she gets out of prison at the age of 28, what is she going to do then? And for the rest of her life?

We hope this is a lesson to all those young (pretty) girls in China who mistakenly believe life in the fast lane is fun...