Voeed Chao Wang

This work addresses the issue of China’s poverty in freedom of speech and expression, by focusing on China’s political sensitivity on a trivial meme on the Internet. 

The current president of the China Xi Jinping has an image of a gracious and amiable man. Some memes from the internet emerged, with no malice, connecting his character to the image of Winnie the Pooh. In 2018, under Xi’s lead, China’s second Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee passed an institutional change, removing the compulsory expiration of the term of the president and vice president after
two sessions. More images of Winnie the Pooh appeared on China’s online social platforms, some with no obvious intention of the uploaders, and some with subtle expression of political discontent. Images of the Winnie the Pooh were then disappeared online for months, edited or original. There was no written policy on this ban posted on any online social platform.