The original logo of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) was likened to an “interlocking trap,” implying a sense of being ensnared. Recently, the organization changed its logo, only to be mocked by netizens as resembling a “small sickle for harvesting leeks.”
On June 30, the CSRC updated its institutional logo, replacing the previous “interlocking trap” design with three V-shaped symbols embraced by rings.
The previous logo consisted of three red triangles forming a closed pattern, first introduced in May 2012. It was frequently ridiculed by netizens during the continuous downturn of the Chinese stock market as symbolizing an “unsolvable cycle of losses,” a deadlock that felt like being “trapped.”
Additionally, the original CSRC logo bore a resemblance to the logo of a Polish company named MOOSEART, leading some netizens to suspect plagiarism.
The new logo of the CSRC now features three interlocking “V” symbols that do not intersect. Following this update, some Chinese media outlets reported that investors felt they had “escaped the trap, now time to make money!” However, some netizens still joked that the new logo resembled a “trap” or a “sickle for harvesting retail investors.”
One netizen remarked, “The ultimate explanation can be summarized in eight words: everything is confiscated, unable to break free.”
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It is worth noting that on June 30, the Securities Times published an article stating that cracking down on “mystical stock trading” is urgent, sparking discussions.
Some netizens questioned why the CSRC dabbled in mysticism by changing its logo. The transition from the original “triple interlocking trap” to three V-shaped symbols left many retail investors thinking it signified an “escape from the trap.”
An overseas netizen commented on X platform, saying, “Is the CSRC conflicting with the Securities Times now? Does this logo indicate that the CCP’s ‘scam stock market’ is collapsing, unable to trap anymore! If people can break free, doesn’t it mean the party is done for?”
The Chinese stock market is seen not as a mature investment market but as a “harvesting tool” manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Professor Xie Tian from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in the United States mentioned that unlike Western stock markets, the majority of investors in China’s A-share market are hardworking laborers. The middle and upper-class individuals and families in China who can afford to buy stocks have become the primary targets of the CCP’s “leek-harvesting” in the stock market.
He pointed out that ordinary Chinese investors lack information while the CCP and elites control the media narrative, enticing and misleading the public repeatedly. Each market upswing results in more retail investors being seduced and entering the market. China’s public mutual funds are also immature, with inadequate training and supervision of professional managers. This leads to investors easily being manipulated and engaging in unhealthy trading behaviors.
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun mentioned in a video program that the Chinese stock market is inherently distorted and cannot be viewed through the lens of international capital market rules. From the beginning, the Chinese stock market did not serve the interests of investors but rather aimed to assist state-owned enterprises in overcoming difficulties. Many companies managed to go public through packaging and asset replacement, neglecting their responsibilities to shareholders.
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Chinese-American economist Chen Zhiwu previously stated that mainland China is reverting to a planned economy and suggested shutting down the A-share market, avoiding the pretense of maintaining a “capital market unlike any other.” This viewpoint sparked discussions.