Chinese news agency says April Fools' Day is 'inconsistent' with socialist values
We're pretty sure this isn't a joke.
The Xinhua news agency has warned its followers on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging website, of the pitfalls presented by the first of April.
You May Also Like
"April Fool's Day is not in keeping with our national cultural tradition or socialist core values," the traditionally rigid agency wrote in a post. "Please do not believe, create or spread rumors."
Assuming the agency wasn't joking in its warning, Chinese Internet users lambasted it in the comments — before they were quickly disabled.
"In the West, it only happens one day a year; however, in certain Asian countries, it is every day, every year," one user posted, according to Shanghaiist.
"The media is publishing false news to fool people every single day, what difference is one more?" wrote another.
Some users, however, seemed to agree with the cultural stand.
"I strongly agree with Xinhua," one user wrote in a post translated by the Wall Street Journal. "Chinese people should have our own cultural confidence."
The Chinese government's insistence against Western values is no joke. The authorities there have taken steps in recent years to restrict American and European cultural influence.
In 2013, for instance, police arrested hundreds in a crackdown against Internet users who spread false rumors.
And in 2015, the country's education minister warned against "Western values" that might appear in its school system's textbooks.
Sometimes, its the country's own media organizations that are hoaxed by Western pranks.
Li Zhurun, an ex-Xinhua reporter, said last year that a 1981 story he wrote citing a hoax report about West Point cadets learning from the lessons of a model Chinese soldier amounted to "one of the biggest mistakes in my life."
And People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, was duped by an article in The Onion in 2012 declaring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to be the sexiest man alive.
"With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true," that article stated, which was excerpted alongside photos on People's Daily showing Kim on a beautiful white horse.
The Onion later added a note to its coverage.
"For more coverage on The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive 2012, Kim Jong-Un, please visit our friends at the People's Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc.," it wrote, adding, Exemplary reportage, comrades."
"We have realized it is satirical," one wrote, according to The Telegraph, in taking it down. "I can't say anything yet," said another, clearly unamused at the prank.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Brian Ries was Mashable’s Real-Time News Editor. In this position, Brian was the point person in developing real-time responses to breaking news and developing stories, using live-blogging tools on Mashable.com as well as Mashable’s prime social media accounts. As Real-Time News Editor he ensured that Mashable’s live news and news-based social content is immediate, urgent and engaging to its audience.
