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The culture of Panda fans was thriving in China. But Beijing is hardening his discussions about a national symbol.
By Mara Hvistisndahl
Mara Hvistendahl has spent months informing panda exchanges in China.
Visitors descended on Washington’s National Zoo on Friday to witness the cheery unveiling of two pandas on loan from China. Fans posted photos and videos to social media, as did the zoo under the hashtag #DCPandas.
But in China, the government has sent a chilling message to panda fans to watch what they say online. Some online influencers have been arrested or questioned over what the authorities called “rumors” and “radical fan culture.”
Police targeted others who advocated for animal welfare or criticized industries like the one that brought pandas to Washington. But state media has also issued warnings about a wider panda fanatic. The measures come amid Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s crackdown on fan culture on the web.
China has millions of panda fans, many of whom have taken up the cause of animal welfare in a country where aggressive breeding tactics have injured bears and led to cubs being prematurely separated from their mothers. For years, the authorities tolerated their online activism and criticism, which targeted both Chinese and foreign zoos.
No more. Last month, police in Sichuan province said they arrested another 12 people for defaming panda experts, inciting violence and spreading false information about pandas, adding two who lived at the national zoo.
The government has accused panda influencers of harassing Chinese breeding centers and enriching themselves with live-streamed donations. Police claim to have exposed “radical animal cover gangs” focused on pandas in three provinces, according to state media.
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