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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
Shanghaiist.comMar 13
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 question with a long-winded bit of praise about China’s Belt and Road Initiative before finally lobbing a dull softball to a government director, her colleague in blue was unable hide her disgust — with a disapproving glare morphing into one truly epic eye-roll.
That incredible reaction 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.
Liang Xiangyi, the most censored name on China’s internet
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 over the clip.
To make matters even worse, she’s also been exposed for picking her nose.
Meanwhile, her incredible reaction has instantly become an extremely 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 (全美电视台), a tiny and somewhat mysterious news media channel that is headquartered in Seattle and has a cooperation agreement with CCTV.
Here’s a photo of AMTV’s headquarters. 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.
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
Shanghaiist.comMar 13
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 question with a long-winded bit of praise about China’s Belt and Road Initiative before finally lobbing a dull softball to a government director, her colleague in blue was unable hide her disgust — with a disapproving glare morphing into one truly epic eye-roll.
That incredible reaction 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.
Liang Xiangyi, the most censored name on China’s internet
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 over the clip.
To make matters even worse, she’s also been exposed for picking her nose.
Meanwhile, her incredible reaction has instantly become an extremely 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 (全美电视台), a tiny and somewhat mysterious news media channel that is headquartered in Seattle and has a cooperation agreement with CCTV.
Here’s a photo of AMTV’s headquarters. 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.
