The US is entangled in an emotional debate about antisemitism and free speech on college campuses. The latest speech debate in China is about a chef’s video on how to make egg fried rice. Egg fried rice is a staple of Chinese home cooking and one of the first dishes many Chinese learn to cook. That was probably why Wang Gang, one of China’s most popular food bloggers, has made multiple recipe videos about the dish in the past five years.
His “perfect” fried rice recipes attracted reviews, and reviews of those reviews. Then one of those videos drew the wrath of the official Chinese media and internet. His offence? He posted an egg fried rice video on November 27, two days after the anniversary of the death of Mao Anying, son of the founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong. Mao Anying was killed in the Korean War while, legend has it, cooking egg fried rice.
For over a decade, China’s liberal-leaning crowds have celebrated November 25 as China’s Thanksgiving Day. They believe that if the young Mao had lived, China would have become a hereditary dynasty like North Korea. China’s internet and official media have disputed the account of his death, which was based on memoirs of retired generals, and consider it an insult to both the younger and the elder Mao.
It’s a precarious time for academics, journalists, entertainers and influencers. Cooking is one of the safest topics, and Wang sticks strictly to food on his show. Still, he was dragged into a political whirlpool. On social media sites, Wang was called “a traitor,” “a troublemaker” and “the dregs of society.” Some nationalist bloggers pointed out that Wang had posted egg fried rice videos around the same time in the past. They said he also posted the recipes around October 24, Mao Anying’s birthday.
Hu Xijing, the former editor of Global Times, the Communist Party tabloid, advised everyone to avoid the topic of egg fried rice entirely. Some people pushed back at the suggestion. Banning any mention of egg fried rice in October and November, they noted, is both ridiculous and outrageous. Wang deleted the video recipe and apologized. “As a chef, I will never make egg fried rice again. Nor will I shoot videos about it,” a sour-faced Wang said in his apology video, ending it with a deep bow. But he had to delete that video, too. Commentators said his tone was reluctant and sarcastic.
