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| ‘Oh, bother’: Winnie the Pooh falls foul of Chinese internet censors | ‘Oh, bother’: Winnie the Pooh falls foul of Chinese internet censors |
| (6 months later) | |
| Search blackout may be linked to clampdown on unflattering meme comparing president Xi Jinping with AA Milne character | |
| Agence France-Presse in Beijing | |
| Mon 17 Jul 2017 07.47 BST | |
| Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 10.29 BST | |
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| Has Winnie the Pooh done something to anger China’s censors? | Has Winnie the Pooh done something to anger China’s censors? |
| Some mentions of AA Milne’s loveable but slow-witted bear with a weakness for honey have been blocked on Chinese social networks. | Some mentions of AA Milne’s loveable but slow-witted bear with a weakness for honey have been blocked on Chinese social networks. |
| Authorities did not explain the clampdown, but the self-described “bear of very little brain” has been used in past memes comparing him to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. | Authorities did not explain the clampdown, but the self-described “bear of very little brain” has been used in past memes comparing him to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. |
| Posts bearing the image and the Chinese characters for Winnie the Pooh were still permitted on the Weibo social media platform on Monday. But comments referencing “Little Bear Winnie” – Pooh’s Chinese name – turned up error messages saying the user could not proceed because “this content is illegal”. | Posts bearing the image and the Chinese characters for Winnie the Pooh were still permitted on the Weibo social media platform on Monday. But comments referencing “Little Bear Winnie” – Pooh’s Chinese name – turned up error messages saying the user could not proceed because “this content is illegal”. |
| Winnie the Pooh stickers have also been removed from WeChat’s official sticker gallery, but user-generated gifs of the bear are still available on the popular messaging app. | Winnie the Pooh stickers have also been removed from WeChat’s official sticker gallery, but user-generated gifs of the bear are still available on the popular messaging app. |
| Comparisons between Xi and Pooh first emerged in 2013, after Chinese social media users began circulating pictures of Pooh and his slender tiger friend Tigger beside a photograph of Xi walking with Barack Obama, the US president at the time. | Comparisons between Xi and Pooh first emerged in 2013, after Chinese social media users began circulating pictures of Pooh and his slender tiger friend Tigger beside a photograph of Xi walking with Barack Obama, the US president at the time. |
| In 2014, a photograph of Xi shaking hands with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was matched with an image of Pooh gripping the hoof of his gloomy donkey friend Eeyore. | In 2014, a photograph of Xi shaking hands with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was matched with an image of Pooh gripping the hoof of his gloomy donkey friend Eeyore. |
| In 2015, the political analysis portal Global Risk Insights said a picture of Xi standing up through the roof of a parade car paired with an image of a Winnie the Pooh toy car was “China’s most censored photo” of the year. | In 2015, the political analysis portal Global Risk Insights said a picture of Xi standing up through the roof of a parade car paired with an image of a Winnie the Pooh toy car was “China’s most censored photo” of the year. |
| China’s ruling Communist party is highly sensitive to comical depictions of its leader, particularly as Xi attempts to consolidate power ahead of a key party congress later this year. | China’s ruling Communist party is highly sensitive to comical depictions of its leader, particularly as Xi attempts to consolidate power ahead of a key party congress later this year. |
| On Monday, many Chinese social media users were testing the boundaries of the restrictions imposed on the bear who groans “oh, bother” when things don’t go his way. | On Monday, many Chinese social media users were testing the boundaries of the restrictions imposed on the bear who groans “oh, bother” when things don’t go his way. |
| “Poor little Winnie,” one Weibo user wrote. “What did this adorable honey-loving bear ever do to provoke anyone?” | “Poor little Winnie,” one Weibo user wrote. “What did this adorable honey-loving bear ever do to provoke anyone?” |
| China | |
| Asia Pacific | |
| AA Milne | |
| Xi Jinping | |
| news | |
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