NOTE: This episode was meant for a Monday release, but it was unsuccessfully loaded and by time I found out I was already on my way to bed (lame excuse). I'll make sure this doesn't happen again to y'all. 

Sorry for the late upload! Crazy Monday today. Please let me know what you think a good upload time is for this podcast! Send me an email at: theslowenglishpodcast@gmail.com

VOCAB WORDS:
- crisis
- position
- ammunition
- account
- fame

TRANSCRIPT:
Cyber-nationalism is common on Chinese social media. Thousands of angry netizens stand ready to rear their head whenever China is criticised, humiliated or subjected to some form of foreign insult. And Fang Fang is far from the first Chinese writer to face online backlash.

In this case, as the virus continued to spread across the world, people started to become more critical of China's response to the outbreak. The heavy scrutiny and criticism meant many went on the defensive.

It was in this climate that it became known that Fang Fang's works were due to be sold in the West.

According to specialist news site What's on Weibo, this was when public opinion turned against it, after it "became known that an international edition of her diary was on pre-sale through Amazon".

"In the eyes of many Chinese users, a translated version of Fang's critical account of the Wuhan outbreak would only provide opponents of China with more ammunition," says the report.

She was quickly seen not as a bearer of truth but instead a traitor to China, with some saying she was capitalising on her fame - and even possibly a tragedy.

"She's seizing this time of national crisis and taking advantage [of it]," said one user on Weibo. "This is contemptible."

The anger against her is not helped by the fact that the book was published by US publisher HarperCollins - at a time when the US and China are in the midst of a diplomatic spat.

Chinese state media have also made it very clear what their position is on Fang Fang.

"Her global rise propelled by foreign media outlets has sounded the alarm for many in China that the writer might have become just another handy tool for the West to sabotage Chinese people's efforts," said a piece by the Global Times.

"Her diary only exposes the dark side in Wuhan while ignoring the efforts that local people made and the support extended across the nation."

CREDITS:
Article: Fang Fang: The Wuhan writer whose virus diary angered China
Author: BBC News
Publisher: BBC News
Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52712358