Paragraph:
Zemin, the late Chinese leader, is being referred to as “Grandpa Jiang” or “Uncle Ze” by some social media users in China in an attempt to avoid censorship. The Communist Party appears to want people to see comments from users wishing Jiang Zemin “a good journey” to the afterlife, and most visible posts include a candle emoji.
Paragraph:
users to talk at a more personal level about what he meant to them, they have had to coin nicknames for Jiang Zemin, like “Uncle Toad”. While these nicknames originally were a way of mocking or criticising the leader, in recent years there has been a phenomenon of “toad worship” from Jiang fans.
Paragraph:
is unclear why the Communist Party is now tolerating this more personal level of discussion about Jiang Zemin, but it may be an attempt to co-opt the “toad worship” phenomenon and use it to legitimize the Party’s own narrative about the late leader.
