On February 2, 2024, Hai Wenna, a girl who married from Germany to Shandong, China, posted: "So far, I have written a total of 2,244 tweets, almost one a day before coming to China, and 2,219 are concerned about content that describes China positively" , but on China's online platform, she has been criticized and abused, and even after she was invited, she carefully prepared to participate in the Spring Festival Gala of Shandong TV, but she was also killed because she was reported by some people, so she announced: I want to leave China's online platform and stop commenting on China like in the past!
After seeing this news, the well-known Chinese science blogger "Occam's Razor" commented below:
"A German woman who defended China, a foreign daughter-in-law from Shandong, China, was sprayed away. I support her choice and stop trying to communicate."
In this long article, Helena said:
"I was reminded by many friends today that I can't say this, I can't say that. I am tired...... I'm going back to my own peaceful world...... I want to be comfortable dressing up. I don't have to worry about my appearance anymore, being criticized for being immoral. I'm just a random person."
"Weibo is a place where a large number of anti-intellectuals and people with ulterior motives control the style of public opinion. When I say something, I have to think about how to protect myself and my family. I'm often shocked that 'you can still be sprayed with such words'?
"I will no longer use Weibo to post any more issues related to politics and society."
"I've probably spent too much time with the most literate people in the country, which makes me overestimate everything."
"From now on, you are right. I don't understand anything, I'm really arrogant and rude, as long as you're happy. I can't think of anything I can do to protect myself but that."
"When I participate in any social activity, someone will report it to my school. I participated in the Shandong Spring Festival Gala, and someone actually reported it to the TV station, saying that I offended China. The TV station actually edited out the program I participated in when the other party completely fabricated the facts, and our university had already guaranteed me. I worked hard for a month on this show, and I worked harder than all the actors."
"My university is still in talks with their TV station, and I'm grateful to my school for doing everything they can to protect and support me. However, I am very sad about the results that the Internet has brought me."
Helena went on to add:
"This tweet was sent to me today by a former Chinese diplomat...... In the morning, I was interested in tweeting it for her and sharing some of my thoughts."
"Since 2020, China has been the most vilified in the West...... are full of slander and falsehood. So far, I have written a total of 2,244 tweets, one almost a day before coming to China, and 2,219 of them are focused on content that depicts China in a positive way......"
"In this online world, there are many people who don't live for the purpose of traffic."
"I am an ordinary woman who yearns for peace and harmony. I'm not afraid to quarrel with people at all, but my quarrels have to be meaningful, and I have to quarrel for the sake of a legitimate cause. I don't see any point in arguing on Weibo, and I don't understand why many people don't let me go, so I choose to leave."
"I tweeted a post in support of China, and when I came back to Weibo, I saw that something was wrong and a bunch of people accused me of being disrespectful to China. Again and again, I was filled with confusion and mixed feelings, and I often wanted to leave."
"But this time, I really reached my limit. I have not taken a penny from the Chinese government for such a thing. Maybe it's because I'm willing that I'm not understood by those who scold me."
"We just want our children to live in a world where there is no deception and hatred between people in the future, and we want to make a possible contribution to that world. I really don't want to arrogantly despise China, not once."
……
This Chinese daughter-in-law, Hai Wenna, who is from Germany and married to a man from Shandong, studied at a university in Qingdao and is also proficient in Chinese expression, not only on overseas online platforms, but also on Chinese mainland online media, publishing a lot of content about China, as she said, the vast majority of the content she posted is a positive voice for China.
Because of this, she was also "conspiracy theory" by foreigners as "speaking for receiving money from China", obviously, Helena publicly refuted this smear statement in this article, which also shows that Helena is a foreign friend who voluntarily speaks for China!
However, the problem lies in the fact that she also has some posts describing and criticizing certain problems in China, which have been frantically attacked by some domestic netizens and self-media, and even carried out personal attacks in turn.
And in the end, what made Hai Wenna completely chilled was that the Shandong Spring Festival Gala program that she was invited to and carefully prepared for a month also died because of the reports of these people, which also became the final turning point that prompted her to announce her departure from Chinese online media!
For such an overseas friend who has good intentions, mainly to promote China in a positive way, and even tries her best to speak for China, is she not at all able able to criticize China's issues?—— even if these criticisms are not necessarily accurate or correct, should we also be tolerant?
We can discuss or argue with such critics with reasoned and well-founded arguments, but it is necessary to engage in some kind of "reporting" at every turn, thinking that only by blocking such critics can we feel that we will be able to feel the future? Is this really beneficial to the progress of our country and society?
The answer is clearly no!
China, which has already entered the reform and opening up, can say that China is absolutely "opening the bow and not turning back" for the road of progress that can only be taken with the world in mind! Therefore, a China that is no longer complacent obviously needs to tell the world a good "Chinese story" -- of course, this is very much in need of foreign friends like Hai Wenna to sincerely take the initiative to speak for us, but does this mean that our country only needs praise and cannot face any criticism?
In fact, no person, no country, can live only in praise - unless the country is completely closed, but even so, the voice of criticism will still sprout and live in the hearts of the people!
Therefore, when we have been holding high the banner of "criticism and self-criticism", some people can't listen to any strange voices, and when they see criticism, instead of discussing, understanding and solving problems rationally and well-intentionedly, they have to use disgraceful means - such as the disgusting "whistleblowing culture" spreading, but first solve the person who raised the problem!
Such a closed speech will only make us live in our own ignorance and obscenity, such people are not actually "patriots", they are in essence "harming the country and hindering the country"!
"If the sharp criticism disappears completely, the mild criticism will become harsh. If mild criticism is not allowed, silence will be considered ill-intentioned. If silence is no longer allowed, it will be a crime to not praise enough. If only one voice is allowed to exist, then the only voice that exists is a lie!" - do we really want such a situation to happen in our civilized and great land?
An open society must be and will be pluralistic, such as positive praise, praise of merit is of course there should be, and it is also indispensable, but if we really want to progress, we must not lack good-faith criticism - praise and criticism, the two complement each other, complement each other, in order to form a society that tends to be perfect and progressive.
"Criticism is a person's alternative hymn"! And when there is always a disagreement with different opinions, they will tear each other apart, and that is the greatest sorrow of society!
Therefore, even if some criticisms are not entirely correct, as long as they are not deliberately or maliciously creating rumors or lies, as long as the starting point and purpose are to face up to the problem, discuss the problem, and solve the problem, even if it is a wrong voice and cognition, we should have the measure of tolerance and allow the existence of different voices and opinions.
What's more, the Chinese daughter-in-law from Germany, Helena, can be said to praise China's voice in the majority, and her criticism is also full of goodwill starting point and purpose, even if some of us can't agree with her views, we shouldn't go to the point of forcing such foreign friends away from China's online platform, right?
If we can no longer hear or listen to any criticism from the outside world, and just live in our own world and cannot extricate ourselves, in fact, most of the sources that will drown ourselves in the end will probably be our own spitting......
Therefore, please Chinese people with a heart of justice and tolerance to speak out sincerely and work together to retain foreign friends like Hai Wenna who have goodwill and love for China!
The remarks of some netizens who make Hai Wenna sad and regretful are definitely not the vast majority of Chinese public opinion, nor can they be the consensus of the real greatest common divisor of Chinese public opinion - Hai Wenna friends, please believe: the real China and Chinese people will definitely have an open mind, please stay, let us move forward hand in hand for a better China and the world: facing the sea under the sun, there will be a common spring blossom!