From New York Times
As Washington Unveils Pandas, China Cracks Down on Their Biggest Fans
By Mara Hvistendahl
Visitors descended on Washington’s National Zoo on Friday to witness the cheery unveiling of two pandas on loan from China. Fans posted photos and videos to social media, as did the zoo under the hashtag #DCPandas.
But in China, the government has sent a chilling message to panda fans to watch what they say online. Some online influencers have been arrested or questioned over what the authorities called “rumors” and “radical fan culture...”
“These civilian ‘patriots’ were sometimes encouraged or tolerated by the government,” said Xiao Qiang, a researcher on internet freedom at the University of California, Berkeley. “But when official narratives have new needs,” he added, “panda fans can also be punished and arrested...”
Xiao Qiang is the founder and editor-in-chief of the China Digital Times and a research scientist at the School of Information.
