Chinese Embassy's humorous satirical taste delights social media users

By Dong Feng Source:Global Times Published: 2020/5/16 19:43:40

Chinese Embassy’s humorous satirical taste delights social media users


The official Twitter handle of the Chinese Embassy in France released a series of cartoons on Friday, which went viral in both Twitter and Sina Weibo, which experts deem reader-friendly and an improvement in communication. 

Twitter screenshot

The cartoons intended to answer the question "Pourquoi Trump a fui?" in English, Why Trump fled? 

The cartoon illustrates "WHO" and "Medical staff" assisting the "Earth" by muscle-flexing and arm-wrestling against "novel coronavirus," while a Stars- and Stripes-donning caricature, with a hairstyle similar to that of the US President Trump, is seen behind the "Earth." He just watches everyone fight against the pandemic, without offering any help. 

The purported Trump caricature stands up and begins to speak calmly. After his "just a flu" talk, all characters, except the virus, are left confused. The virus starts to chase him on the stairs of months from February to July. Below the steps, the total number of confirmed cases in May in the US, 1,400,000, is marked.

As of press time, the tweet has attracted more than 2,000 interactions, including 568 retweets and 1,500 likes. 

Twitter screenshot

One of the netizens commented, "Fleeing and lying are the only things he [Trump] can do."

Another netizen finds the cartoon post exciting and said it would be great to see more of such content. 

Several users have commented in favor of the tweet. Although there are a few comments that questioned the so-called "political propaganda" of the Chinese embassy, more netizens believe that the content of the comic is straightforward and based on facts.

 A comment read: "He [Trump] is a coward and incompetent."

Several Sina Weibo users shared the post, including Fengwenshequ, an account under the Guancha news website. The post has attracted about 12,500 interactions. 

Many Chinese netizens deemed the Chinese Embassy in France as a powerhouse of talent. 

One of the users regarded the post as a wise take that states the facts, without necessarily mentioning the content creator's nationality. 

Most of the comments find the cartoon funny and makes sense and requested more such content.

The same twitter handle also posted another cartoon on Friday. With its astute taste of humor, it satirized the recent slander and discredit against China by the US.

Twitter screenshot

In the image, the American Democrats and Republicans (Donkey vs. Elephant) gritted their teeth and attacked the panda, which stands for China, with a few arrows hit each other's bullseye.

Sun Ru, research professor and deputy director of the Institute of World Political Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Saturday that this new mode of communication using cartoon is very easily understandable and vividly expresses the cooperation among countries, international agencies, and non-governmental organizations amid the pandemic. The post subtly satirizes the failure of the Trump administration to fight against the COVID-19. 

"[Such] innovation helps to convey China's stance in the face of the attacks unleashed by the US officials' opinion; the embassy is creative enough to fight back using cartoons in an easy way," she said. 

Ma Xiaojun, a professor at the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at the Central Party School of the CPC, told the Global Times China's diplomatic institutions are now using universal ways, such as cartoons, to communicate with the Western world in an acceptable approach, and this is one of the case studies. 

"Pandemic is a serious topic, but the cartoon has expressed the in-depth message in a way that everyone will get it, without requiring much of education," Ma noted. 

He also noted that Twitter's reach might be limited, and it might work even better with some mainstream media in France and Europe. 



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