Apparently, Winnie the Pooh, starkly resembles the Chinese President Xi Jinping. The comparison started in 2013 when the meme above compared a photo of Xi and Obama to Pooh and his friend Tigger
Gifs of Winnie the Pooh have been deleted off China’s instant messaging app WeChat, and attempts at composing a message with mention of the bear will grant you an error message.
In 2014 split-screen pictures of the two making similar poses, including one with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shaking hands with Xi were shared. Abe’s sad eyes and hairstyle even look like Eeyore, too
RT @benyunmowang I really should read Winnie the Pooh… #Xi #Abe #APEC2014 #China #Japan @EleanorFreund @mwings17 pic.twitter.com/W9nr0Hx1XA
— Nancy 韵 (@NancyYunTang) November 10, 2014
The resemblance is uncanny in this picture ,which was the most censored image in China in 2015, with Xi in a car.
Censorship is rampant in China, especially when attempts are made at ridiculing Chinese leaders – be it on the internet. In response to censorship, Chinese internet users have developed hidden messages and slang in an attempt to circumvent authorities.
In July 2017, when opposition figure Liu Xiaobo died. the phrase “RIP” was banned from the Weibo social media network. The question arises, what will China ban next?
