"Banned" Rap Music Finds New Life in a Two Sessions Expat-Endorsed Propaganda Video

Despite reports of a nationwide ban, rap music is being prominently featured in a newly-released video that promotes this week's Two Sessions gathering of Chinese lawmakers with promises of more prosperity to come.

According to the song's lyrics, Chinese citizen each have "a wonderful life is waiting for you" due to the "bright blueprint" being drawn up at the Two Sessions. The rap lyrics also use metaphors like "road of common prosperity" and "steps of building a moderately prosperous society" to tell the Chinese public that "our lives will become even better."

In a style commonly used by other Chinese government promotional campaigns, the video uses music and cartoons as a way to explain that everything from education to health care to pensions is improving in China to the extent that "all the people, men and women, old and young, applaud it."

READ: "Banned" Rap Music is Alive and Well in China in Police Safety Video

Made by the People's Daily and Haihainet, the video stakes its argument upon such claims that China will be "revitalizing rural areas" while keeping a lid on skyrocketing housing prices, an opinion expressed in one of the interviews shown in the clip. But in the case that this promise doesn't come to light, the video also hedges its bets by shifting the responsibility onto the listeners themselves.

Near the end of the video, the lyrics to the song explain that "As there is no free lunch in the world/our dreams could only be realized through our own efforts." To drive this point home, an office employee seen working under a sign that reads "Happiness comes from struggling" suddenly improves his demeanor by displaying signs that read "Make one's way in life by one's own efforts" and "Work hard and perseveringly" (shown above).

READ: Chinese Sages Meets Flying Drones in Bizarre Promotion for Beijing Legislative Sessions

And yet, immediately after telling the listener not to rely on others for support, numerous interviewees are shown expressing their passionate support for their home country, two of whom happen to be expats. However, although their inclusion in the video's "man-on-the-street" interviews seems to be representative of a wider international perspective on China, the two expats are actually both popular media personalities who habitually have words of praise for the Celestial Kingdom.

Lila Kidson, otherwise known as 星悦 Xīng Yuè in Chinese (Weibo account here), is a frequent collaborator with the Foreigner Research Institute where she takes part in "man-on-the-street" interviews as both interviewer and interviewee. Heard in the Two Sessions video praising China's e-commerce sites, Kidson's praise for China has featured in Chinese media before as seen in this Xinhua video promoting China's cashless payment systems (shown above).

Like Kidson, Stuart Wiggin is also a popular Chinese media personality who can be commonly heard praising China in online videos like this one. As seen on his popular Weibo account, Higgins is well-known on Chinese media, a fact demonstrated by the People's Daily reblogging his International Women's Day video just yesterday. Higgins is a part of the "Laowai Kan Dongxi" online show where he is routinely brow-beaten by co-host Ali and numerous other shows such as the one last week where he helped celebrate Lei Feng Day (shown above) or his "STUpid in China" series.

READ: Plumbing the Depths of China’s Toilet History With Beijing Vlogger Stuart Wiggin

Aside from the professional praise, the video is also noteworthy for suggesting that the five-year-old anti-corruption campaign that was first implemented when current Chinese President Xi Jinping came into power will in fact continue to be acted out. The lyrics explain that in order to "[foster] a healthy political atmosphere of integrity," China will "fully and strictly implement the Party discipline" by "taking out 'tigers,' swatting 'flies,' and hunting down 'foxes.'"

Earlier this year, state censor State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television put a conditional ban on "immoral" rap and hip-hop culture from appearing in national media outlets after a celebrity scandal broke out involving rapper PG One.

READ: WATCH: "Banned" Rap Music is Alive and Well in China in Police Safety Video

But whereas PG One and other rap artists have been banned in China, Chinese authorities have stepped up to fill in the lack of rap music. Before the Two Sessions rap video (which also had a 2017 version), the Lhasa train police released a Spring Festival public safety video in which they rapped safety tips to their listener.

The Two Sessions will continue to March 15, during which constitutional changes that include revoking term limits for the country's president and vice-president will be put on the agenda.

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com

Photo: Weibo, People's Daily