Chinese actress Xia Xinyu recently posted multiple sensitive comments on Weibo, triggering a controversy involving insults to China. Currently, her Weibo account has been banned by the authorities.
On June 3, Xia Xinyu shared her travel diary on Weibo after visiting the British Museum during her trip to the United Kingdom, saying, “No Chinese can walk out of the British Museum smiling.” She then added, “If these cultural relics were placed in our country, they would have been destroyed long ago.”
She mentioned, “During the ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ movement after the Communist Party seized power, many precious ancient buildings and cultural relics in our village were collectively destroyed by brainless people. Thanks to the British Museum for preserving them well, so that my descendants and I can see them.”
The ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ movement refers to a campaign touted by the Chinese Communist Party to eradicate old ideologies, cultures, customs, and habits, which essentially destroyed the traditional morality and historical culture of the Chinese nation over five thousand years. According to official Chinese Communist Party sources, the movement led to the destruction of over 6,000 cultural artifacts, burning of over 2,700 ancient books, more than 900 calligraphy and painting scrolls, over 1,000 ancient stone tablets, including over 70 national treasures, and more than 1,000 rare books. Due to the CCP’s habit of concealing truth, these numbers may be underestimated.
Xia Xinyu also wrote, “Most Chinese people do not see the potential disasters they may face through others’ suffering, they only celebrate their own happiness through others’ sorrow.”
In another post, she ambiguously expressed her views on “slaves and lackeys,” stating that “slaves will resist, knowing their predicament and maintaining their desire for freedom, not losing their dignity even in adversity.” On the other hand, “lackeys are willing to cater to the demands of oppressors, even actively seeking to please and flatter them.” These behaviors include flattery in words, subservient behavior, taking on responsibilities voluntarily, watching the master’s words and expressions, sacrificing personal interests, and maintaining the image of the master.
Xia Xinyu used many sensitive terms in her posts without reservation.
She also shared photos of her trip to Europe on Xiaohongshu (RED) and stated, “I do not reject Western culture; I believe many aspects of Western culture are worth learning and emulating.” She mentioned that what Chinese people lack the most is introspection, critical thinking, many do not seriously understand history, lack the ability to think, analyze, and summarize, among other things.
Xia Xinyu’s remarks sparked discussions online. Some people agreed with her opinions, believing she is someone with independent thinking. Others felt that Xia Xinyu insulted Chinese people. Following this, Xia Xinyu’s posts were reported by some users, leading to her Weibo account being silenced with a notice stating, “The user is currently in a state of being banned from posting.”