Reporter’s epic eye-roll over softball question breaks China’s internet
The journalist’s name has quickly become the most censored on Chinese social media
Today, an expressive female reporter managed to do the seemingly impossible, inspiring people to actually take an interest in China’s annual parliamentary sessions.
While China’s “Two Sessions” is a political event not generally known for its spontaneity, that was not the case earlier this morning when officials and NPC delegates took pre-approved questions at a press conference broadcast live by state media.
As one female reporter began her fawning question with an exceptionally long-winded bit of economic praise, which even included kind words for China’s prized Belt and Road Initiative, before finally lobbing a dull softball to a government director, her colleague in blue was unable hide her utter disgust — with a disapproving glare morphing into one truly epic eye-roll.
For reference, here’s how the New York Times translated the woman’s full question:
The transformation of the responsibility of supervision for state assets is a topic of universal concern. Therefore, as the director of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, what new moves will you make in 2018? This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Reform and Opening-up Policy, and our country is going to further extend its openness to foreign countries. With General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi proposing the One Belt One Road Initiative, state-owned enterprises have increased investment to countries along the route of One Belt One Road, so how can the overseas assets of state-owned enterprises be effectively supervised to prevent loss of assets? What mechanisms have we introduced so far, and what’s the result of our supervision? Please summarize for us, thank you.
The reporter’s incredible reaction to that mouthful of nothing quickly became the most popular thing on the Chinese internet before censors stepped in to restore some order. At the moment, the reporter’s name, Liang Xiangyi (梁相宜), is the second most blocked term on Weibo, surpassing even “constitutional change” and “Xi Jinping,” according to Free Weibo.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed rumors have been swirling around, claiming that Liang has had her press credentials taken away and that she has been fired by her Shanghai-based business news outlet, Yicai (第一财经), over the clip.
To make matters even worse, she’s also been exposed for picking her nose at the press conference:
Meanwhile, her reaction has instantly become an extremely popular meme with netizens already posting recreations and parodies.
Liang has also become a hero to many a foreign journalist in China.
Meanwhile, Chinese web users have been busy hunting down information on the woman who asked the question. She has been identified as Zhang Huijun (张慧君), a reporter for American Multimedia Television USA or AMTV (全美电视台), a somewhat mysterious Chinese-language news media channel that is headquartered in California and has a cooperation agreement with CCTV.
Twitter users have accused the outlet of merely being a thinly-veiled propaganda front for Chinese state media.
According to a report from the Asia Times, Zhang got her start in the media after competing in a beauty pageant. She was sent to the US after working for a few years at CCTV. Her WeChat and Weibo pages are described as being “plastered with photos and selfies with senior party cadres and by fawning reports on Chinese politics.”
Bloomberg’s Lulu Yilun Chen tweeted about a story from Zhang in which she reportedly recounts how she once “rejected the marriage proposal of a prince Putera from Indonesia.” That article has since been deleted.
