Source: Bean Lab’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/462119064589403/posts/629340904533884/

Li Ziqi, the most successful Chinese YouTuber has over 8 million subscribers on her channel, and more than 50 million fans from China and other countrues.

Her popularity abroad has provided a good example to other Chinese social media activists. She has been dazzling legions of fans with her fairy-tale-like life in rural China. Her videos cover all sorts of topics, such as her farm life, cooking, handcrafting, and her cultural heritage, all of these with the backdrop of scenic mountains and ambient music. Some people have described her videos as a living Chinese landscape painting. 

The Chinese government have taken notice and have recognised her approach as an effective way to export the Chinese culture. She was awarded the "People's Choice Award" by the state media, and social media has crowned her a "cultural juggernaut".

In Li's case, the Chinese government appears to be recognising that the contribution of individual creativity in promoting a positive image of a country can be more effective than a state-run official campaign.

China is no stranger to the usage of 'soft power'. "Cultural export" has often been interpreted as "propaganda" and the responsibility of promoting China's image abroad is largely seen part of the government's efforts, as declared  by President Xi in 2014.

This non confrontational way has been funded by the government to change and influence the public's opinions and views for many decades. The government has also sponsored acrobatic troupes travelling the world, performing traditional martial art and opera. They have also established international cultural institutions all around the world.

The influence of social media celebrities like Li provides a break though the Great Fire Wall and an advancement of Chinese 'soft power' to inject China's influence into the bloodflow of the world.

#SoftPower #ChinaInfluence
 
Further more:
https://www.goldthread2.com/culture/li-ziqi-chinese-media-culture/article/3041801l

#Newspaper

Expat Families Flee Hong Kong After Double Whammy of Virus, Protests 

//“It’s just becoming an unstable environment to raise a child in,” Jacob said.

//An exodus by expats could further damage an economy already reeling from the unrest and the virus, with visitor numbers plunging and unemployment rising.

//Hong Kong residents who come from elsewhere play outsized roles in finance, law and other service industries that make the city a global business capital. About 690,000 foreigners and non-Hong Kong Chinese live in the Special Administrative Region, accounting for about 9.5% of the population, according to the 2016 census.

//The city’s population at the end of 2019 fell 0.1% from the midyear count, the first decline in almost two decades, according to government data released Tuesday. There was a net outflow of Hong Kong residents of 29,200 in 2019, compared with a net inflow of 23,000 in the 12-month period ending in the middle of 2019.

//The government’s announcement on Feb. 13 that schools would remain closed until mid-March -- at least -- will likely prompt more families to relocate

//while there’s strong demand for moves from Hong Kong, there is almost no interest in relocations to the city. Robert Chipman, Asian Tigers Group Hong Kong CEO’s been in his position for almost 20 years. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

//“If the specific needs of international schools cannot be rapidly addressed, this will very likely trigger decisions of families (not just expatriates) to leave Hong Kong in the coming weeks,”

//“A lot of people who are planning to move haven’t been in Hong Kong enough to see how resilient Hong Kong is,” she said. “If you have been here long enough, you realize Hong Kong will push through this as it has before.”

//Departures that become permanent could hurt the city’s competitiveness... “Once talent is lost from Hong Kong, it will be very hard to get it back,” she said.

Full Article: Bloomberg
https://bloom.bg/2PfazzJ

#Economy #Expat #FailedState #Coronavirus #SchoolSuspension

#FirstHand #Protest
Justice Served; Citizens March to Oppose Designated Clinic

2137 | Richland Gardens, Kowloon Bay
Today citizens (22Feb) has organised a protest at Richland Gardens to object the government's decision of using the Kowloon Bay Healthcare Centre as a designated clinic for patients with the Wuhan Pneumonia.

The protest started at 2135 by celebrating with champagne for the police officer who got the Wuhan Pneunomia.

Citizens held posters and chanted, objecting the government's unconsulted decision.

#Feb22 #KowloonBay #DesignatedClinic #JusticeServed

#FirstHand #Feb22 #HongKongProtests
2147 | Kowloon Bay
At the protest, civilians shout "No to Designated Clinic", "Close the Borders".

According to district councilor Derek Wan in a Facebook post, a young man wearing a press pass was arrested by the police at 20:48.

#FirstHand #Protest
2156 | Richland Gardens, Kowloon Bay
Officers were dispatched en masse across the nearby areas. Without warrant, some riot police and plainclothes officers have entered Richland Gardens, a private housing estate.

#Feb22 #KowloonBay #DesignatedClinic

#FirstHand #Feb22
21:58 | Richland Gardens, Kowloon Bay
Protestors have retreated back to the basketball court next to Richland Gardens, the starting point of the march.

#DailyUpdate #Feb22 #COVID19

COVID-19 Updates (22/2):

- The total number of infected is now standing at 77976 where the number of deaths is now at 2366. 76291 confirmed cases and 2345 deaths are from mainland China.

- China has changed its method of counting cases, “clinically confirmed” were excluded and only “positive lab results” cases would be counted.

- A patient in Hubei has an incubation period of 27 days, longer than the estimated 24 days by Chinese experts.

- The National Health Commission of China stated the possibility of “fake negative results” from nucleic acid amplification testing.

- Chinese authorities confirmed 5 prisons have prisoners confirmed infected by the coronavirus.

- A 68 years old man who briefly quarantined on Chun Yeung estate in Fo Tan was confirmed with the coronavirus after returning from Diamond Princess.

- The third chartered plane HKSAR government sent to retrieve non-direct contacts is expected to take off at 1:45 HKT on 23 Feb. 5 Hong Kong citizens are present on the flight.

- 84 Diamond Princess passengers who are Hongkongers returned to the city by the second chartered plane, they were sent to Chun Yeung Estate for quarantine.

- Chartered plane sent by Taiwan to retrieve Taiwanese nationals from Diamond Princess has arrived Taoyuan International Airport.

- Nicholas YANG Wei-hsiung, Hong Kong's Secretary for Innovation and Technology, said reusable masks would be introduced before the end of the epidemic.

- South Korea got 229 new cases confirmed in one day, giving a total of 433. 3 deaths are reported in the country. A “super infector” is suspected to present.

- 10 new cases are confirmed in Iran, 5 deaths are reported. Experts estimated there are actually more than 200 people infected.

- The WHO warned the chance to suppress the epidemic is decreasing. Its expert team headed to Wuhan for inspection today.

- Italy reports first death of coronavirus patient.

- Italian authorities ordered lockdown in northern towns after 5 doctors and 10 other individuals tested positive for the coronavirus.

Source: Now News, Cable News, CNN, World Meter, RTHK, CCTV, ANSA, Business Insider

What is more important to potentates? Public opinions or the economy?

Western Sydney University prefers economy as the first priority. Western Sydney University will pay every student arriving in Australia through a third country $1500 AUD to help cover the cost of airfares and 14 days accommodation. Abbey Shi, the representative of the student council in Western Sydney University, suggests other universities in Australia follow suit and subsidize their students who are in need. Such an arrangement is made after Department of Home Affairs of Australian Government clarifies its travel restrictions and advice on 17th February.

In other words, Western Sydney University is encouraging international students who might be Covid-19 carriers to enter Australia instead of preventing the virus from spreading out in the country. In fact, tuition fees of international students from China are a major source of income to educational institutes in Australia. There could be an estimated loss of $2 billion tuition revenue if 65,000 Chinese students cannot return to Australia. The economy may well be important to a country, but how could it take priority over the prevention of a deadly coronavirus outbreak? Will Australia become another epidemic area? In any event, it sounds selfish to encourage Chinese students to self-isolate themselves in other countries before entering Australia.


Further reading:
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/cantonese/zh-hant/western-sydney-university-pays-1500-to-chinese-students-to-help-beat-travel-ban

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/cantonese/zh-hant/western-sydney-university-encourages-students-to-consider-travelling-options

#OpinionArticle

[#LatestAntiEpidemicLogic]

1. The #WHO expert team visited China, but China did not allow American experts to join the group. WHO accepted.

2. Then China finally allowed American experts to join the WHO expert team, but they were only allowed to visit Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, not the hardest hit areas - Hubei Province and Wuhan. The Chinese reason: it was the critical period of the epidemic situation, reception capacity was limited. WHO accepted.

3. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom highly appreciated China's tremendous efforts to prevent and control the epidemic, and admired President Xi Jinping's outstanding leadership and firm political confidence, and emphasized that the visit of WHO experts to China was not because of Chinese insufficient capabilities, but to show the unity and cooperation of both parties.

Conclusion: WHO is already an indivisible part of China.

Image : Eat News
Source: Simon Shen Facebook
https://bit.ly/32n8XcE

#SimonShen #Xi #Tedros #ChinaInfluence

#Strike #HKMedics
Hong Kong Patients’ Rights Association Disagrees with Pro-Beijing Camp for Condemning Medical Staff on Strike

On 19 February 2020, some members of the pro-Beijing camp otganized a press conference for the "victims of the medical strike" where family members of some patients criticised the medical staff for going on strike and claimed that they would sue the participating medical workers.

Nevertheless, the Hong Kong Patients’ Rights Association, a group advocating the rights of patients, held a different opinion. The Association disagreed with these actions brought about by the pro-Beijing camp, they found it unreasonable to conclude without due process by putting the blame on medical workers.

In addition, the Association pointed out that if a patient’s medical accident was due to the shortage of medical staff, the problem lies with the Hospital Authority. The defendant should be “Hong Kong Hospital Authority”, not the medical staff who went on strike.

Source: Stand News