In January, a Chinese ultranationalist video blogger spotted a red circular sticker reading “Happy 2024” on the glass door of a Nanjing shopping mall.
The video blogger claimed that what looked like a harmless New Year's decoration was actually a nationalistic Japanese motif, as the red circle resembles the red sun on the Japanese flag.
“This is Nanjing, not Tokyo!” Why are they lining up this kind of garbage? ” he yelled at the mall manager.
Local police then intervened, ordered mall staff to remove the decorations, and issued an official warning to mall management.
“This is the most ridiculous story I've ever heard,” Alice Lu, 33, a noodle shop owner from Shanghai, told Al Jazeera.
“If the red dot is not allowed, there are endless things that would have to be removed,” Lu said.
In line with standards set by local police in Nanjing, Chinese social media users will soon be required to mark all red circles that should be banned, including the logo of Chinese telecom giant Huawei and posters of China's first communist leader. He emphasized the absurdity of the object. , A sunrise is depicted with Mao Zedong in the background, and a traffic light is also depicted.
Following the debacle, China's state-run CCTV condemned the video blogger in an article on its Weibo account, calling his actions “harmful to individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.”
Xiaoyu Yuan, a China researcher at Rutgers University in the US, said the CCTV comments showed an attempt by the Chinese government to maintain state control over discourse around nationalism.
“They want to ensure that nationalism acts as a unifying force rather than being exploited,” Yuan told Al Jazeera.
Manipulate patriotism
Under the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping, fervent patriotism has been encouraged among the people for many years.
In June, President Xi said, “Feelings of love, devotion and attachment to the motherland are the duty and responsibility of every Chinese person,'' and “the essence of patriotism is to love the country, the party, and socialism.'' said. At the same time.”
The importance of state-defined patriotism was underscored in early January when a new “Patriot Education Law” aimed at instilling “love for the country and the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)” came into force in China.
During Xi's time in office, his patriotic zeal has led to “wolf warrior” diplomacy, including former Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who infamously promoted the idea that the U.S. military was responsible for the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. It has been projected outward from China by government officials.
Mr Zhao also posted a fabricated image of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of an Afghan child in 2020, when relations between Australia and China were rapidly deteriorating.
While the Chinese Communist Party promotes its own version of patriotism, it sometimes suppresses nationalist achievements.
Constantly bashing the United States online is a common pastime of active Chinese nationalists. But ahead of the long-awaited summit between Xi and US President Joe Biden in November, Chinese media and nationalist commentators suddenly dialed down their anti-American rhetoric.
According to Yuan, the Chinese government adjusts the amount of nationalist rhetoric to suit its own interests and engages in balancing acts with patriotic sentiments when necessary.
“While nationalism is promoted as a means of fostering a strong sense of national identity and loyalty, its excesses can lead to extremism and undermine international diplomacy, social harmony and security,” Yuan said.
nationalism becomes violent
Lu, a native of Shanghai, said the Nanjing incident was an example of how the promotion of intense patriotic sentiment in China created a toxic environment, especially when it came to Japan-related topics.
“I'm actually a little scared of how some people will react to anti-Japanese sentiment in China,” she says.
China's modern nationalism directed toward Japan is deeply influenced by historical conflicts, particularly the events of the Sino-Japanese War during World War II, Yuan said.
“These have left a lasting mark on China's collective memory, fueling feelings of resentment and alarm towards Japan,” he said.
In 2022, anti-Japanese sentiment was exposed in Suzhou, not far from Shanghai, when a prominent cosplayer was approached by police while wearing a Japanese kimono and taking pictures on the street. Before being taken away, a police officer said to the woman, “If you had come here wearing Hanfu (traditional Chinese costume), you would not have said this, but you are Chinese and you are wearing a kimono.'' You're wearing a kimono,'' he was recorded yelling. You are Chinese! ”
A few days after the arrest, CCTV launched a social media topic promoting the wearing of Hanfu-style clothing.
However, the Suzhou Incident occurred in 2012, when a dispute in the East China Sea over the Senkaku Islands and Diaoyu Islands, which are administered by the Japanese government and claimed by the Chinese government, sparked large-scale anti-Japanese demonstrations throughout urban China. It pales in comparison to August.
Although protests are often quickly suppressed by Chinese authorities, anti-Japanese demonstrations in several cities have gone unchecked and have since become more violent.
A Chinese man riding in a Japanese car was dragged from his car and severely beaten in the central Chinese city of Xi'an, suffering life-altering injuries.
Later, the government-controlled People's Daily said in an editorial that it did not condone the violence but tried to explain it as an expression of Chinese patriotism.
By the time police intervened and order was restored in late September, Japanese shops, businesses, and restaurants were destroyed and Sino-Japanese relations were damaged.
Simon Wang, 36, a sales representative, remembers how protests in Beijing at the time turned violent.
“From our apartment window, I could see people smashing my father's Toyota (Japanese car brand), which was parked on the street below,” he told Al Jazeera.
“At that time, my family and I spent most of our time indoors to avoid trouble. It was pretty scary.”
Wang believes that the government does not want a repeat of the 2012 anti-Japanese riots.
“So I think they reacted to the nationalist video bloggers in Nanjing because they wanted to avoid any escalation,” he says.
According to Yuan, when ultranationalist fervor results in damage to property or is counterproductive to China's diplomatic goals, it goes too far, at which point Chinese authorities will take action against it, as in the Nanjing incident. They say they will try to contain it.
make patriotism pay off
But the Nanjing video bloggers were not only criticized for being too nationalistic. He was accused of using his patriotism to profit from his video blog.
“Patriotism is not a business,” CCTV accused the video blogger.
But patriotism can actually be a lucrative business for many nationalistic bloggers and vloggers on Chinese social media.
Yuan said there are many ways people like Hu Xijin, a public figure and commentator who uses his nationalist stance to gain large followings on social media, monetize patriotism.
“The business side of patriotism includes direct profits from social media platforms through advertising and sponsored content, as well as endorsements and partnerships with brands that wish to align with patriotism,” he said.
Owners of Chinese social media accounts with more than 1 million followers can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, while nationalist commentators like Hu Xijin have tens of millions of followers. However, as the Nanjing video blogger discovered, the attention garnered by nationalist tropes does not guarantee fame and fortune, but rather can lead to notoriety and misfortune.
In 2022, blogger Sima Nan had her social media accounts blocked across Chinese platforms after a war of words with Chinese tech company Lenovo, despite her outright anti-U.S. It was revealed that he is a homeowner in California. -Americanism.
Another nationalist, Kong Qingdong, was banned from Weibo in 2022 for undisclosed reasons. Kong sparked a public backlash after making derogatory comments about Hong Kong people, including calling them “dogs,” and was temporarily suspended in 2012.
“Navigating the waters of nationalistic content production in China can be both lucrative and dangerous,” Yuan said.
“While the Chinese government often supports and promotes nationalist sentiments that are consistent with its policies and image, there is a red line that cannot be crossed, and content creators must “Even if they go too far and misunderstand the government's position or criticize its policies, nationalism can face rapid repercussions,” he said.
Adding to the danger, China's red lines are fluid and can change quickly depending on the situation.
The sudden shift in nationalist rhetoric leading up to the Biden-Xi summit in November is an example of such rapid change.
“A nationalistic stance consistent with the government's current diplomatic stance may be temporarily encouraged, but if diplomatic priorities change and that stance is no longer appropriate,” Yuan said. It could be a problem.”
Such fluidity is an element of the Chinese Communist Party's balancing act on nationalism.
“The Chinese Communist Party aims to promote a strong sense of national identity and pride among its people, while avoiding the pitfalls of ultranationalism that can lead to xenophobia, regional tensions, and domestic dissent.” ” Yuan added.
“Furthermore, the Chinese government has always sought to prevent any single voice or group from gaining significant influence over nationalist discourse, challenging the authority of the Communist Party or forming factions within society. .”
Reflecting on his experience during the 2012 anti-Japanese riots, Wang, a sales representative in Beijing, said he was concerned that the government's promotion of patriotism and tolerance of nationalism could endanger Chinese society in the long run. Told.
“I think a few years ago, President Xi told President Biden that those who play with fire will get burned,” he said.
“I think that applies to anyone in China who toys with the flames of nationalism.”