An eye-roll can say a lot, or even too much, according to mainland China’s online censors.
A financial journalist has become a banned search term on Chinese social media after a video of her rolling her eyes at another journalist’s soft ball question to Chinese authorities became a viral meme.
Financial journalist Liang Xiangyi found herself at the centre of the social media storm after she was caught on camera looking less than impressed at the long-winded inquiry by fellow reporter Zhang Huijun during a press conference at the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing.
During the press briefing, Zhang asked the chairman of the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission a pre-screened question about China’s state-owned assets abroad and what can be done to protect them. On paper, this seems like a simple enough question, only Zhang took 45 seconds to ask it.
The eye-roll was filmed by state-run broadcaster CCTV and was even filmed on mobile phones by mainland netizens and shared online.
According to What’s On Weibo, a website that monitors social media trends on the mainland, Liang works for Shanghai-based financial news outlet Yicai, while Zhang works for American Multimedia Television USA (AMTV), which broadcasts Chinese state television programs in the US and claims to be the first local American television on the US West Coast to have signed a cooperation deal with China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
While some netizens proclaimed Liang “my new hero,” others slammed the reporter for her lack of professionalism and not realising she was being filmed.
The eye-roll has spawned gifs, memes, and has been named, somewhat crudely, “question asking bitch.”
Netizens have also been re-enacting the famous eye-roll and posting it on video app Dou Yin — which some of you may remember from the “karma is a bitch” meme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI6wXX26hcM
Some even superimposed Liang onto a video of Alibaba’s Jack Ma giving a speech.
https://twitter.com/Manyi2017/status/973547607220920320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fmeghara%2Fchina-journalist-eye-roll
And there is even merchandise inspired by the magical moment.
Found my cell phone cover for the spring season on Taobao pic.twitter.com/wTjgndsfDx
— Lulu Yilun Chen (@luluyilun) March 13, 2018
According to freeweibo.com, a website that tracks posts and search terms that have been censored on the mainland version of Twitter, “Liang Xiangyi” has even overtaken “constitutional amendments,” “constitutions” and even “Xi Jinping” as the most censored word on Weibo.
In a screenshot of a WeChat conversation, China’s version of WhatsApp, Liang is told by colleagues that her eye-roll is now viral, to which she responded “because the woman next to me was being an idiot.” (Prompting some netizens to comment “YAAAASSSS QUEEN.”)
Meanwhile, Zhang’s name also joins the list of most censored words on Weibo at number eight, and a screenshot of a conversation involving Zhang saying “what is she doing looking at me like that?” also went viral.
While the story has been picked up by a number of international news outlets covering the conference, some China correspondents used the opportunity to highlight how tightly controlled covering the NPC is.
The congress this year saw delegates make a controversial change to China’s constitution that could see President Xi Jinping stay in power indefinitely.
In a blog post for the BBC, China correspondent Stephen McDonnell writes: “This is exactly the type of meltdown the Communist Party doesn’t want to have because it shows what a farce the Congress press conferences can be.”
My prayer for this NPC: Please reporters stop the game of negotiating to ask tame questions, including at the premier's news conference. There are profound issues before this congress, and a charade of accountability will do nobody any good and does us discredit.
— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) March 1, 2018
Liang’s Weibo account cannot be found and it is not clear if she has lost her job over her newfound internet fame.
According to the SCMP, Liang’s media accreditation to cover the NPC was revoked, according to one of her colleagues.
Whatever she chooses to do after the conference however, at least one person thinks she should maybe try her hand at acting.
Introducing CBN reporter 梁相宜 Liang Xiangyi, who looks like she has a career in acting ahead of her, with this clip blowing up on Chinese social media. https://t.co/94mhMQp199
— Mark Dreyer (@DreyerChina) March 13, 2018
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