The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
No website may hype the story “Three-and-a-half-year-old Reads Xi Jinping’s ‘Governance of China’ Cover to Cover.” Close related comment sections. (June 25, 2015) [Chinese]
Yesterday’s Inner Mongolia Morning Post carried the story on the precocious child:
Wang Chubo of Hohhot is only three and a half, but his special abilities to read President Xi Jinping’s “Governance of China” and to add, subtract, and multiply have earned him the bronze medal in the Inner Mongolia regional division of the 2015 Good Chinese Child competition. He has also decided to give all his prize money to children in poor regions. Inspired by Wang, the three winners also gave away their prizes of 7,000 yuan and a two-person trip to Hong Kong and Macau to children in need.
During the competition, the host opened “Governance of China” to a random page. Wang seemed a bit shy, but he started to read slowly, his voice growing louder with his confidence. [Chinese]
The directive is aimed at curbing snide remarks about Wang Chubo’s literary talents, comments like these from Weibo:
Sanfanhuang (@三反黄): I can’t tell whether this is a good omen, or if it means the “Governance of China” is written for three-year-olds.
23loufangke (@23楼房客): The winds of idiocy are blowing.
Yigesaitingde (@一个赛艇的): Fantastic news: families can raise their own cutlassfish! [Chinese]
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
