The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Chinese Vlogger Labeled a Traitor for Sharing Ukraine Videos

2022-03-19T15:32:23.555Z


Wang Jixian, a young vlogger, did not set out to become the Chinese voice of the resistance in Ukraine. The 36-year-old Odessa resident, a key target in the Russian invasion of the country, simply wanted to show his parents that he was okay.


Civilians in Ukraine arm themselves to protect themselves from war 3:50

(CNN) --

Wang Jixian, a young vlogger, did not set out to become the Chinese voice of the resistance in Ukraine.

The 36-year-old Odessa resident, a key target in the Russian invasion of the country, simply wanted to show his parents that he was okay.

"I'm back from grocery shopping," he said in a video posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on February 24, the first day of the invasion.

Wang, a programmer from Beijing, described buying meat and fruit in the video, noting that some food stores were still open.

But his mood darkened as the days passed and the Russian assault intensified.

When he logged into Douyin, he said that he watched Chinese videos praising the Russian troops or supporting the invasion.

"I was very angry, so I thought I'd shoot videos for them and tell them what the real battlefield is," he told CNN.

His daily videos, posted on various platforms including YouTube and the Chinese messaging app WeChat, quickly gained popularity as a rare voice offering Chinese audiences a glimpse into war-torn Ukraine, a stark contrast to Chinese state media. , which have promoted Russian disinformation such as unsubstantiated claims that Ukrainian soldiers are using "Nazi" tactics.

advertising

In a widely viewed video, Wang held up his Chinese passport and said: "These Ukrainian guards are not Nazis, they are IT programmers, ordinary people, hairdressers, these are the people."

But in doing so, he has gotten himself into the middle of a messy controversy, with China facing international pressure for refusing to condemn Russia's invasion, and an outpouring of pro-Russian sentiment on China's highly restricted and censored social media, something Wang is hoping to change. .

Critics reaction

Will the US move forward with sanctions on China?

3:56

Wang had studied art at university and enjoyed dance, music and painting, so when he moved to Odessa four years ago for work, the city's "artistic atmosphere" immediately attracted him.

A video on his Douyin account last year showed a man playing the piano in a colorful room filled with books and paintings.

Your videos look very different now.

Several are filmed late at night, with the sound of explosions and air-raid sirens in the background.

Other clips show snapshots of everyday life: quiet streets, Ukrainian flags hung outside buildings and painted on walls.

"Are those anti-aircraft alarms? Those bastards are coming again," he said in a video.

"People are doing their own business, my neighbor is walking his dog again. This is our Odessa."

Other times, it's more passionate.

"Someone told me today that society has the laws of the jungle, where power comes from the barrel of a gun," he said, referencing a famous quote from Communist leader Mao Zedong.

"Where's the sense in that?"

As these videos began to gain attention, sometimes racking up more than 140,000 views, the number of critics also increased, with comments calling him a national traitor.

"You don't need this Chinese passport anymore, you already forgot what country you're from," went a popular comment about Douyin.

"The official position of the country should be the position of the entire Chinese people."

Wang Jixian holding her Chinese passport in a video posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

China has tried to maintain a neutral position, choosing not to condemn Russia or even call it an invasion, while frequently saying "legitimate security concerns of all countries" must be addressed.

In a call with US President Joe Biden on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that both countries have a responsibility to ensure peace.

But the White House said afterward that it was still concerned that China might provide assistance to Russia.

"I don't understand how I 'betrayed' the country," Wang told CNN.

With limited access to broadcast news and widespread disinformation online, he said he doesn't understand the position of China or Russia;

all he knew was that "every day the city is under fire, many are killed".

Comments from anonymous strangers online don't bother him, but they do when they're from people he cares about, like a Chinese embassy staffer he knew from his previous residence in North Macedonia.

He said the staff member approached him recently, implying that Wang was being paid to post his videos, and asked, "Who sent you?"

When Wang insisted that he was not doing it for money, the staff member replied, "Your current behavior is not in line with national interests. I want to cut off relations with you, let's block each other."

That "really hurt my heart," Wang said.

determined to stay

Biden says there will be implications if China provides support to Russia 5:13

Chinese censors have also cracked down on his online videos, he said.

While all videos of him have been kept on YouTube, which is blocked in China, except those with VPNs, only about 80% of his videos have been left on WeChat and less than 20% on Douyin.

He doesn't know what rules he has broken.

He became so frustrated that in a video from March 7, he stuck black tape in the shape of an X over his mouth, making a silent gesture to the camera to convey that he was safe and quiet in Odessa.

After speaking to CNN, her Chinese social media accounts were banned, preventing her from contacting her family back home.

He has received "countless" messages from contacts, pressuring him to stop posting, he said.

But he has no intention of doing it.

"I want to (give) some voice to the people of Ukraine, to the heroes, to my neighbors. Because in my eyes they are all heroes," he said.

"I see calm people, I see brave people... I want to remind them to see who is dying, who has been killed."

There are signs that your message may be landing.

Beneath the videos of him, hateful comments are interspersed with well wishes from viewers, urging him to stay safe and evacuate.

A handful of comments express support for Ukraine.

He became so frustrated that in a video from March 7, he taped black tape in the shape of an X over his mouth, making a silent gesture to the camera to convey that he was safe and still in Odessa.

But for now, Wang has no intention of leaving, not until "Odessa is too destroyed for humans to stay," he said.

Aside from his fondness for the city, it was a matter of principle, he added, "I can't stand the act of bullying people in front of me."

When not shooting videos, Wang volunteers to repair people's cell phones and help the displaced.

"(If) I came back and left, it would be enough to regret it for the rest of my life," he said.

"I have no interest or desire to leave Ukraine until the war is over and Ukraine has won."

war in ukraine

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-03-19

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.