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Beginning in July 2017, the government of China has been censoring imagery of the anthropomorphic teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, particularly Disney's version of the character.^[1] The censorship is believed to be a result of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping being compared to the character in internet memes, which the Chinese Communist Party perceived as a disrespectful mockery of Xi. Despite the censorship, there is no general ban on books and toys depicting Winnie-the-Pooh in China; two Winnie-the-Pooh-themed rides still operate in Shanghai Disneyland.^[2]^[3]

Background

Censorship in China

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses extensive censorship. For instance, the Chinese government has censored topics regarding the Cultural Revolution and CCP Chairman Mao Zedong, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, human rights in Tibet, persecution of Uyghurs, and Taiwan independence.^[4]

The Chinese government's censorship, which was initially limited to the mainland, is now spreading to other regions, such as Taiwan. For instance, in 2017 Taiwanese universities were asked to refrain from discussing sensitive issues in class, including unification/independence or "One China, One Taiwan". Due to the financial benefits of fee-paying mainland students, over 80 of 157 universities agreed to the demands, which compromised their academic independence.^[4]

Comparisons between Xi Jinping and Winnie the Pooh

Chinese Internet users have frequently compared Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh: the comparisons serve to satirize Xi's publicly projected image. Xi attempts to portray himself as serious, whereas Winnie-the-Pooh is a comedic cartoon character for children.^[5]

Comparisons between the cartoon character and Xi Jinping date back to 2013, when the Chinese leader visited Barack Obama in the United States. An image of the two leaders walking was immediately compared to that of the bear and his friend Tigger. The humorous tone on social media that day was repeated on other occasions with other leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom Internet users saw as having a reasonable resemblance to Eeyore, the sad donkey that is also part of Winnie-the-Pooh's adventures. Very reluctant to permit any humorous comment about Xi, authorities ended up condemning the bear when some political activists and dissidents used it to express their discontent.^[6]

The Chinese government has blocked images and mentions of Winnie the Pooh on social media because Internet users have been using the character to mock CCP general secretary Xi Jinping. This is part of a larger effort to restrict bloggers from getting around censorship in China.^[5] Notably, the 2018 film Christopher Robin was banned in China due to said comparisons.^[7] The government is not only concerned with avoiding the ridicule of its leaders but also with preventing the character from becoming an online euphemism for the CCP general secretary.^[5]

Cultural impact

On February 21, 2019, the Taiwanese video game Devotion was found to have contained an Easter egg comparing Xi Jinping to Pooh two days after the game's release. As a result, Devotion was heavily review bombed by Chinese gamers on Steam, and the game went from having "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews overall to being "Mostly Negative".^[8] The game was removed from Steam in China on February 23.^[9] In July 2019, the Chinese government revoked the business license of Indievent, the original publisher of the game in China. The official statement from the government stated that the revoking was due to violating relevant laws.^[10]

In October 2019, Pooh was featured in the South Park episode "Band in China", because of his alleged resemblance with Xi. In the episode, Pooh is brutally killed by Randy Marsh. South Park was banned in China as a result of the episode.^[11]^[12]

On March 21, 2023, movie distributor VII Pillars Entertainment announced on Facebook that Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, originally scheduled to be released on March 23, would be cancelled for release in the Hong Kong and Macau regions. This move is suspected to be influenced by the amendment of Hong Kong's film censorship regulations in 2021, which prohibits the public screening of movies that are deemed "potentially harmful to national security". However, VII Pillars Entertainment did not provide any explanation for the decision.^[13]

On 8 April 2023, the Taiwanese Air Force released an image of a Taiwanese pilot. The pilot was wearing a shoulder patch depicting a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh. The badge was designed by Alec Hsu in 2022. After the photo went viral, Mr. Hsu ordered more patches due to its popularity with civilians and the military alike. "I wanted to boost the morale of our troops through designing this patch," he told the media. The patch is not an official part of the Taiwanese Air Force's uniform, although the military "will maintain an open attitude" to things that raise morale.^[14]