The Chinese term “chu-xi,” meaning Chinese New Year’s Eve, is censored on China’s social media platforms, according to a post on X, and confirmed by Chinese netizens. This comes as Beijing dropped Lunar New Year’s Eve from its 2024 public holidays.
Xi’s Nicknames
According to the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year’s Eve typically falls between late January and early February annually.In 2007, Beijing incorporated Lunar New Year’s Eve into the official holidays, but it was removed in 2013 when Xi assumed office. In 2014, there was no day off on New Year’s Eve. Nevertheless, starting in 2015, New Year’s Eve was once again recognized as a statutory holiday. From 2016 to 2023, the Chinese New Year holidays consistently covered Lunar New Year’s Eve.
In October last year, Beijing again dropped Lunar New Year’s Eve as a national holiday. This decision drew criticism because, traditionally, it’s a time for family gatherings. Public speculation arose, linking the CCP’s holiday cancellation to the phonetic resemblance between “Chinese New Year’s Eve” and “removing Xi.”
A post on X, formerly Twitter, revealed on Jan. 21: “Following instructions from higher authorities, on February 9, 2024, it is strictly forbidden to publish any works or comments using the term ‘chu-xi’ on major media and online platforms. From this year onward, there is no holiday on chu-xi, which should be referred to as ‘the last day of the year.’”
Many followers of the X post reported their findings.
A netizen with the user name “@niutu9” wrote, “I’ve tested it, can’t use the term ‘chu-xi’ in NetEase [Chinese internet provider] comments.”
Another post by “@kkw1047888” said, “Just tried on Weibo [Chinese microblogging website], the post ‘happy chu-xi’ was deleted.”
User “@lbindelisng1” wrote, “Tested it on Douyin [Chinese version of TikTok]; the comment with ‘chu-xi’ is invisible to others.”
In recent years, Xi has acquired various nicknames, including “Winnie the Pooh,” “Xi Baozi (Xi the steamed bun),” “Zero-COVID Sect,” “Xi Censorship,” “Accelerator-in-Chief,” “Xitler,” and “200 jin” along with related homophones and images. These have become taboo under the regime.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Xi and his family members were among the victims of Mao Zedong’s political movements. In 1962, when Xi was in elementary school, his father, Xi Zhongxun, was imprisoned on the charge of going against the CCP and subjected to persecution. Xi Jinping’s sister, Xi Heping, was allegedly persecuted to death. In 1968, at age 15, Xi was sent to the countryside for seven years.
‘Chu-xi Festival’ Gains Momentum
There is an overseas online post calling on people to join the “chu-xi festival” to celebrate and welcome the Chinese New Year.“This year, we shall celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Eve with the removal of Xi Jinping so that China will truly enjoy the new spring,” stated Mr. Lin. His proposal won several popular influencers’ endorsements and retweets.
Lai Jianping, a former lawyer in Beijing and a current affairs commentator, recently told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times that “chu-xi festival” is a political performance art in which “people express their dissatisfaction, and even hope to gather strength to overthrow the CCP dictatorship.”
“It’s a satire and metaphor that people aspire to communicate and vent their sentiments, encouraging more individuals to courageously step forward and join the collective movement to get rid of Xi and the CCP,” he said.
Mr. Lai believes it is very likely that “something big will happen in 2024 when the conditions—timing, place, and people—are right.”
