This week, cartoonists tackle political jargon, stifled media, and police brutality with magic and martial arts. The popular video game Fruit Ninja makes a guest appearance, too.
Click any image to launch the gallery view.
-
- “Follow my watch swinging back and forth. Soon you will be able to put it on.” Cartoonist Rebel Pepper’s avatar is hypnotized by Xi Jinping’s pendulum, labelled “dream.” Xi holds a tiny shoe for the pepper’s oversized duck feet. Xi has been talking about the “Chinese Dream” for months, but as Tea Leaf Nation reports, that dream is contested. Meanwhile, in Moscow last week, Xi talked about how different countries walk in towards progress, saying, “Only the wearer knows if the shoe fits his foot.” Netizens and public intellectuals quickly chimed in that, as the shoe-wearers, they would appreciate the freedom to choose their own “footwear.” (Rebel Pepper)
-
- On March 15, CCTV went Fruit Ninja on Apple. An investigative report scolded the maker of the iPhone for treating its Chinese customers unfairly, charging to replace the back of the phone where in other countries the service is free. Then on Wednesday, the People’s Daily lampooned Apple for its “unparalleled arrogance.” The Economist posits several reasons behind state-run media’s anti-Apple campaign, ranging from protectionism to economic competition to pure revenge. (@大卫时漫25)
-
- It’s Kung Fu Panda: The Real World Version, the latest martial arts comedy out of Hong Kong (hence the Cantonese 公安 kung on). Lovable Po is recast as a Domestic Security Department (DSD, 国保 Guó Bǎo) officer. The panda, China’s “national treasure” (国宝 guó bǎo), personifies the DSD. Po is surrounded by his trusty sidekicks, clockwise from the top: a plainclothes stork, a squeaky chengguan (city management officer), an armed police monkey, and a special unit tiger. Together, they put a cute face on the Public Security Bureau (PSB), better known for terrorizing street peddlers, beating protesters, and otherwise less than endearing adventures. (Keith Kwong/Ming Pao)
-
- “Media&Politics” by @闲谈录 (Record of Idle Talk) speaks for itself. The vicious politician in front of the camera has been transformed into a wide-eyed lamb by the media. The video technician knows his place as a journalist.
-
- Kuang Biao, whose acerbic cartoons are often featured by China Media Project, illustrates the daily frustrations of Chinese netizens trying to express themselves online. Two ghostly red guards share the writer’s words with a Mao-like censor, their nets ready to catch any stray words. Kuang Biao has “reincarnated” 30 times on Weibo: every single one of his accounts has died at the hands of Sina Corp.
