Defending the right to know in China
- By Xu Peixi
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China.org.cn, July 8, 2011
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Guo Meimei [From Tianya.cn] |
Since it broke on June 21, the Guo Meimei scandal has lit up the Chinese blogosphere, generating hundreds of thousands of posts on microblogging sites and hundreds of articles in Chinese and foreign media. At the center of the scandal is a 20-year-old microblogger called "Guo Meimei Baby," who showed off her extravagant lifestyle with photos of villas, luxury sports cars, horses, and designer handbags and claimed to be a general manager at a branch of the Red Cross Society of China.
Confessing extreme materialistic values in either mass or new media is not new in today's consumerist China. Guo Meimei wasn't the first to exhort luxury cars and name-brand purses. An outspoken guest on a popular dating show, Ma Nuo, achieved similar fame when she said she would rather cry in a BMW than sit happily on the back of a bicycle.
Shocked by Ma's remarks at the time, the public have come to feel at ease with such sensational statements, and have reflected upon the ascendance of materialistic values by looking inward, not pointing fingers. Guo Meimei, however, differed from Ma Nuo by openly claiming association with the Red Cross, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. This struck a nerve with the public, who have donated increasingly large amounts of money to such charities in recent years, particularly in the wake of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
Initially kindled on microblogging sites such as Sina Weibo, traditional media outlets such as CCTV, Tianya.cn, and Xinhua slowly began to add fuel to the blaze, reporting on the discussion and launching investigations of their own.
The Guo Meimei case acquired almost every qualification for a good media story. It is negative, personal, confrontational and full of suspense. It is compatible with the interactive, conversational, and personality-based features of microblogging. Guo's alleged job title, in addition to her fortune and willingness to show it off, made the case even more sensational, further enticing public curiosity. But the case has gone far beyond her earlier intention to gain popularity by bragging about her sudden wealth, turning her into a "public enemy." Netizens are hunting for her real identity, the source of her enormous fortune, and her links with the Red Cross Society of China.
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