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.
APEC lán APEC蓝
“Why is APEC blue so very blue?” (Source: Weibo)
Songyingjie (@宋英杰): It’s said that Beijing only had two cases of smog this year: once before APEC, and once after. (November 19, 2014)
据说，北京今年其实只有两次雾霾：一次APEC前，一次APEC后。 [Chinese]
Caijingnüjizhebuluo (@财经女记者部落): #APECblue tells us: It’s not that the government can’t do it, it’s that you aren’t important! (November 6, 2014)
#APEC蓝# 告诉我们：不是政府做不到，是你们不重要！[Chinese]
Government efforts to temporarily clean up air pollution ahead of high-profile international events were prominently used during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and have since been increasingly used in other cities across China. In December 2016, as many Chinese cities were experiencing toxic air pollution levels, a study showing that quick fixes are often followed by the intense deterioration of air qualitywas publicized by the South China Morning Post.
See also Chai Jing blue and “smog the people.”
Can’t get enough of subversive Chinese netspeak? Check out our latest ebook, “Decoding the Chinese Internet: A Glossary of Political Slang.” Includes dozens of new terms and classic catchphrases, presented in a new, image-rich format. Available for pay-what-you-want (including nothing). All proceeds support CDT.
