The Word of the Week comes from the Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and encountered in online political discussions. These are the words of China’s online “resistance discourse,” used to mock and subvert the official language around censorship and political correctness.
电婊 (Diàn Biǎo): Power Whore
Li Xiaolin, the “power whore.” (Artist: Badiucao)
Nickname for Li Xiaolin, daughter of former premier Li Peng.
Li followed in her father’s footsteps to study power generation, serving until 2015 as CEO of China Power International Development Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed arm of China’s state-owned power monopoly and subsidiary of the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI). She was transferred to vice presidency of the China Datang Corporation in June 2015.
Li is also a deputy of National People’s Congress, where in 2012 she was ridiculed for appearing in a luxury suit, jewelry, and handbag. She has attributed her success to her own efforts, rather than her family background. But her attire and general ostentation continue to draw netizen ridicule.
Examples:
Wangqisheyingshi (@王麒摄影师): Big Power Whore, lower the electricity price now! (July 4, 2014)
大电婊，快降价！ [Chinese]
Zuoyeke (@作业课): It is not a real anti-corruption campaign without investigating into the Power Whore. (June 25, 2014)
不查电婊，不叫反腐。 [Chinese]
Want to learn more subversive netspeak? Check out Decoding the Chinese Internet: A Glossary of Political Slang. Available for $2.99 in the Kindle, Google Play, and iTunes stores. All proceeds from the sale of this eBook support China Digital Times.
