Chinese nationalism online is now targeting the Netflix distributed show, “Girl From Nowhere.’ There were comments complaining about the series’ Facebook page, which showed Taiwan flags. Additionally, they’re after Hong Kong, where they want to demolish pro-Democracy activism. “Girl From Nowhere” is just another one on the list of foreign retailers, airlines, hotels, and other brands that have been attacked on the net in China due to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights, and other politically charged issues. Some of the comments claim that the flags are dividing China. Taiwan is a region that’s self-ruled, so to many people, this might be a call for formal independence. However, the flags represented a sense of gratitude with a “Thank You” message in local languages for the growing popularity of the Thai drama. It doesn’t mention anything about representing countries.
Others disagree. A comment signed as Tang Sugar Sugar Tang 123 on social media service Sina Weibo said that China didn’t need to say “Thank You”, and that it was a blatant split. Another comment on the service shared the same sentiment with the user loving the character Nanno but saying she took it too far and to think about the type of China gets before reaping the benefits of the role played. Netflix, Inc (headquartered in Los Gatos, California), decline to make comments on the situation. It’s an interesting ordeal because this backlash touches on China’s weird mix of nationalism and pervasive censorship. The ruling party demands global companies conform to Beijing’s political positions. This also includes websites abroad, which the ruling party tends to block most people in China from seeing. In fact, Facebook can only be seen in China by people with a virtual private network to help pass through filters.
These are the same filters that block access to Netlfix and various foreign entertainment and news outlets. However, there’s a video-sharing service called Bilibili, which allows users to upload videos. There are episodes of “Girl From Nowhere” uploaded on Bilibili. People still get their fix in China even when it’s not shown on entertainment channels because they have to approve of different TV shows and movies. While it’s not clear how many people have watched “Girl From Nowhere”, there are 90,000 comments on Douban.com, where people leave reviews. Additionally, you can tell people really enjoy the show because of its 8.4/10 average rating.
A lot of things are going on between Taiwan and mainland China. The ruling party has constantly threatened Taiwan by saying they’d invade if it declares formal independence. They want Taiwan to unite with the mainland once and for all.