Badiucao comments on President Xi Jinping’s recent tour of state media—CCTV, People’s Daily, and Xinhua—during which he emphasized media loyalty to the Party. “All news media run by the Party must work to speak for the Party’s will and its propositions and protect the Party’s authority and unity,” Xi said, according to a Xinhua report.
The Monkey-Snake Party, by Badiucao for CDT:
In Badiucao’s image, Xi is greeted by a cast of monkeys and snakes, alluding to the media’s role as a “mouthpiece” of the Party. The Chinese term meaning mouthpiece (喉舌) literally means “throat and tongue” and is a homophone for “monkey snake” (猴蛇). During Xi’s visit to the state media outlets, he was greeted with sycophantic welcomes, including an ode in the form of a poem by a Xinhua deputy editor, while CCTV invited him to announce the day’s news.
You can support Badiucao by buying “Watching Big Brother: Political Cartoons by Badiucao,” available in EPUB and PDF formats. The book covers the early years of Xi’s presidency, from December 2013 to January 2016. No contribution is required, but all donations will go to Badiucao to support his artwork. CDT is also selling merchandise featuring Badiucao’s work in our Zazzle store. See also interviews with the artist by CDT, PRI’s The World and Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s RN. Many of his earlier cartoons are available via CDT.
