April Fools in China

[Randy W]

in the SCMP

 

Powdered water and student cyborgs: April Fool’s Day fails in China and Hong Kong

Pulling off a successful April 1 media spoof is doubtless harder in the ‘fake news’ era of Donald Trump. Oh for the days when Chinese state media editors, and some Hongkongers, could be counted on to fall for them

 

http://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/03/31/92c2b6b2-15d9-11e7-8424-32eaba91fe03_972x_164601.JPG

 

In 2011, malls in Changsha, Hunan, banned any April 1 tomfoolery aimed at tricking their customers, and a year later China threatened to imprison people who shared “irresponsible rumours” online.

“Media in general is always looking for a good story, so as such it’s easy to make them vulnerable to anything that seems exceptional,” said University of Hong Kong sociology professor Cho Li-fung, who researches the news media in China. “I’m not aware of any evidence or research that says Chinese [Communist] Party news media are more easily duped than their counterparts around the world.”

The Chinese government didn’t want the media spreading rumours or fake news, as that could threaten stability, she said. “Critics might say this is very paternalistic. However, they [the government] want to avoid chaos and disorder at all costs. Particularly with social media, rumours abound,” she said. “I think for the government, it’s not funny.”

 

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

https://youtu.be/vNOllWX-2aE

[Thomas Promise]

"Pope Gregory XIII, when reorganizing the old Julian calendar, established January 1st as New Year's Day in 1582 via the Papal Bull "Inter Gravissimas". Protestants who wouldn't dare follow such Popish nonsense continued marking April 1st as New Year's Day...hence, April Fool's Day."