Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Editor's Note:

Chinese actress and director Zhao Wei has been under fire recently for casting Taiwanese actor Leon Dai, accused of supporting Taiwan independence, in her new movie No Other Love. After protests, Zhao recast the role. This has triggered a heated discussion on patriotism online. The Global Times has collected three opinions over this matter.

Mainstream society gets more mature

Under huge pressure, Zhao's team announced the decision to recast the leading role away from the controversial Dai. With this, the public attitude to this case has started to see subtle changes. Mainstream Chinese media began to criticize the so-called patriots for their overreaction. At the same time, the video of protests against KFC has gone viral online, inviting more criticism against these "patriots."

The South China Sea arbitration has posed challenges to China's sovereignty, and thus is firmly opposed by the Chinese government and citizens. This is the general background of the new wave of patriotic movements. It is a global rule that patriotism is particularly intense in the face of exterior challenges. When patriotism becomes the keynote in public opinion, all behavior will be simply labeled as "patriotic" or "not patriotic."

For instance, the protest against the KFC is obviously irrational. Whether it is a spontaneous demonstration or one manipulated by other forces is still unknown. However, it is also over-reactive to criticize the whole society for being too "patriotic."

Some radicals even criticize the government for tolerating "nationalism," and as a result, the whole China is losing rationality. Others blame so-called patriots for their "fatuity," as it seems these "patriots" are always prepared to burn foreign products to show their love for the country.

We should regard patriotism rationally. Citizens are justified in protesting to safeguard territorial sovereignty. The Chinese mainland has not launched any large-scaled protest since the South China Sea award was announced. The personal and property safety of the Philippine, Japanese and US residents have been well protected as well. This means that Chinese society, as a whole, is mature on patriotic issues. China has shown much more restraints than before.

Netizens have the right to voice their opposition to Dai, which Zhao's team could have chosen to ignore. However, it is more the market than politics that has pressured Zhao to recast Dai. Compared with mainlanders' opposition to an actor, Taiwan's "Apologize to China" contest in which Taiwan residents show off their advantages over the mainland is much more radical. Public opinion in the mainland is enthusiastic about "reflection," taking a minor mistake as a societal phenomenon to criticize. Evidently, extreme nationalism does not reflect the mainstream attitude in Chinese society.

The Global Times

Conspiracy theorists imagine false foes

With big events hitting the headlines every day, this era is a carnival for the press.  Among the Nice terror attack, the Turkish coup attempt, flooding in China's southern provinces and the South China Sea arbitration, Zhao's case, which is far less important, made headlines in the Chinese mainland. Zhao touched a raw nerve with China's nationalism.

In the past, it was nationalism that encouraged "patriots" to smash Japan-made cars and attack their innocent Chinese drivers. For these "patriots," those who hold opposite views are their enemies.

We are all "nationalists" to some extent. The difference from real nationalists, who hold hostile attitudes against foreign countries, is that we focus more attention on consolidating and strengthening China's status in the world. History suggests that the period of violently addressing disputes has passed and should remain in the past. China is a great nation, but is not the only great nation in the world.

In this interconnected and ever-changing world, there is no clear line between domestic and foreign affairs. Admittedly, Zhao's new movie may be linked to some severe issues such as Taiwan's pro-independence campaign, which should be taken seriously.

However, for conspiracy theorists, anyone who holds an opposing view is the enemy. Axing the inappropriate actor from the movie should be a simple way to address the dispute, but conspiracy theorists have made up a mysterious story for Zhao. In fact, none of the startling "secrets covered up by the government" had actually happened. Unsurprisingly, conspiracy theorists never felt ashamed of their stories.

Resisting compatriots in the name of boycotting foreign invasions is no wiser than the idiot who smashed an innocent Chinese driver's head during the 2012 anti-Japan protests.

Conspiracy theorists never provide evidences for their claims after complicating the situation. A professor once claimed that online and mainstream media outlets, infiltrated by the power of capital, share the same stance on major political issues, and as a result, different voices cannot be heard.

This is deceptive logic, however much it matches the "right" political stance. In fact, mainstream media outlets have never been pressured by the special forces the professor claimed, but it is hard for us to prove our innocence.

It is interesting that journalists, with our simple heads, are living in such a complicated world.

Xiakedao

Love, not hatred, creates a nation

Zhao Wei and the South China Sea arbitration grabbed headlines this month. The two irrelevant events were connected together in the public opinion sphere by the term "patriotism." The South China Sea arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines on July 12. As a result, a heated wave of patriotic actions, led by the media, swept across social media platforms. Some netizens vented their anger on Zhao, groundlessly accusing her of betraying the people and colluding with the US. Against this background, Zhao became the imaginary enemy of the "patriotic" netizens. Zhao's apology and the decision to recast Dai have not stopped the rumors from spreading.

The nature of patriotism is to love your fellow citizens. However, many netizens, under the cloak of patriotism, verbally attack their innocent compatriots without any evidence on social media platforms. Their acts go against their claimed intentions. Admittedly, netizens' concerns about China's future are understandable, but accusing an actress of wrecking a country is crazy.

Psychologically, patriotism meets citizens' demands for social identity and self-esteem. However, patriotism has its dark side. In face of political or economic crisis, the banner of patriotism is always raised to satisfy people's self-esteem. People have to be "radical" in their patriotic actions and speeches to show their love for the country, so as not to be misunderstood as "traitors."

It is irrational to boycott products imported from South Korea, the US, Japan and the Philippines to show patriotism. Conflicts in values and thinking patterns are common in China, a nation with 1.3 billion people. However, divergences should not be simply explained away by being patriotic or not. Judging from Dai's statement, mainland netizens are not familiar with the operation of Taiwan mechanisms, attributing political acts that do not conform to mainlanders' understanding to pro-independence campaigns. Radical patriotic acts and words are not advisable. Instead of protesting or spreading rumors to harm innocent Chinese citizens, the South China Sea arbitration-prompted patriotism should be rationally and peacefully digested by the whole of society.

Kuaipingshe