When Nancy Pelosi’s Landing Sent China’s Netizens into a Frenzy
Picture this: Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. Speaker who’s usually blowing her own trumpet, looks clueless over the Taiwanese sky‑port, while millions in mainland China are on a nicotine‑high, picturing the next big military strike.
“She‑Devil” Meets the Ever‑Growing Grief Meter
One internet user, known on Weibo as Xiaoyuantoutiao, posted late Tuesday:
- “I hit the pillow last night, but I couldn’t sleep because I was seething.”
- “It’s not the online clamor screaming ‘start a fight’, it’s the fact that this old she‑devil actually dared to step onto Taiwanese soil!”
China’s View from the Top
Remember the old chapter where China insists on Taiwan being a piece of its own tofu? Yep, that’s still the case. But Taiwan? It says, “This is our game, we get to decide.”
Hashtags That Hit the Graveyard of Censors
Within hours, hashtags like “the resolve to realise national reunification is rock solid” exploded across Weibo, racking up billions of views by Wednesday.
- Some fans shouted “One China only!” – a clear push for an immediate invasion.
- Others demanded the PLA stop the plane, mocking a PLA post that was as bland as a stale baguette: “Prepare for war!”
- One voice warned: “If you’re not ready to strike, stop deceiving the public.”
military drill, courtesy of a “bit sudden” storm
China dumped all its smoke on the water surrounding Taiwan: more warplanes, drones, and a brash block‑on‑block call with the U.S. ambassador, plus an abrupt ban on Taiwanese agricultural imports.
Why? Because the U.S. giving a high‑level visit to Taiwan after a 25‑year silence is the headline equivalent of “we’re not being careful.” The state‑controlled Chinese media doubled down, ensuring that the public stays glued to the same narrative of national unity.
WeChat & Weibo: the “loud” channels
A Chinese state media livestream tracked Pelosi’s flight to Taipei, amassing 22 million viewers on WeChat. Meanwhile, Weibo crashed for about half an hour around the landing moment—so the real-time debate came to a halt for a few minutes.
- No live updates about the incident.
- Weibo said the downtime was simply “broadband capacity” issues.
- But outraged netizens weren’t appeased. Calls for stronger military might and economic counter‑measures poured in.
Behind the Hate
With the world wars rumbling, there are some urging patience. One user wrote for a calm approach: “If a war does happen, we’ll absorb the pain. The world powers don’t really have our back; we might be fighting alone—just like Russia.”
Unfortunately, Weibo does not let people discuss peace or criticize Russia’s tactics after Ukraine’s invasion, meaning hashtag backlash against the influx of nationalist zeal is lacking.
Lost in Time: The “Liberation” Nostalgia
Beijing’s blogger Qin Quanyao added an essay on WeChat about how the current online jingoism reminds him of the Old Mao‑Zedong era. He compared the situation to how primary school children once sang “We must liberate Taiwan.”
In short, when Pelosi landed in Taipei, mainland Internet was 100% “Hey, that’s our domain! ” and 0% “Sorry, what’s going on?” except for the few who called for calm and a long‑term view.
