Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures
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The Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures (simplified Chinese: 百度十大神兽; traditional Chinese: 百度十大神獸; pinyin: bǎidù shí dà shénshòu), alternatively Ten Baidu Deities, was a humorous hoax from the interactive encyclopedia Baidu Baike which became a popular and widespread Internet meme in China in early 2009.[1][2]
These ten hoaxes are regarded by Western media as a response to online censorship in China of profanity, and considered as an example of citizens' clever circumvention of censorship.[3][4]
Details
Arising in early 2009,
The memes became widely discussed on Chinese Internet forums, and most users concluded that the initial aim of the hoaxes was to satirise and ridicule the pointlessness of the new keyword filters. The meme is interpreted by most Chinese online as a form of direct protest rather than motiveless intentional disruption to Baidu services.[11] After the hoaxes were posted, news of the articles spread quickly online on joke websites, popular web portals and forums[12][13] such as Baidu Tieba, while a large number of posts were sent on the Tencent QQ Groups chat service. There have also been various parodies of the meme created (such as the "Baidu 10 Legendary Weapons"[14] and "Baidu 10 Secret Delicacies"[15][16]). Meme references can be found throughout Chinese websites.[17]
The 10 Mythical Creatures
The mythical creatures have names which are innocuous in written Chinese, but sound similar to and recognizable as profanities when spoken. References to the creatures, particularly the Grass Mud Horse, are widely used as symbolic defiance of the widespread
Cao Ni Ma
Cao Ni Ma (草泥马, Cǎo Ní Mǎ), literally 'Grass Mud Horse', was supposedly a species of
Videos of songs,[18][19] as well as "documentaries" about "Grass Mud Horse" started appearing on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet.[20][21] The video scored some 1.4 million hits; a cartoon attracted a quarter million more views; a nature documentary on its habits received 180,000 more.[3]
The "Grass Mud Horse" became widely known on the English-language web following the 11 March 2009 publication of a
Fa Ke You
Fa Ke You (法克鱿, Fǎ Kè Yóu), literally 'French-Croatian Squid' (with the name derived from the direct Chinese transliteration of fuck you in English), was supposedly a species of squid discovered simultaneously by France (法国) and Croatia (克罗地亚), hence the name. The Baidu Baike article claims[24] that "Fa Ke You" is a species of invertebrate, aggressive squid found in Europe. When agitated, it is said that they release a form of "white-coloured liquid", i.e. semen. These squids are said to cause great harm to humans when attacked. When some of these squids reached East Asia, it is said that they became hunted, and eaten with corn. Such a dish is known as yù mǐ fǎ kè yóu (玉米法克鱿, "Corn French-Croatian Squid", referring to the fans of Li Yuchun, dubbed "corns"), being one of the world's top five greatest delicacies. An alternate name for the dish in question is 非主流 [zh]的法克鱿 (fēi zhǔ liú de fǎ kè yóu, 'Non-mainstream French-Croatian Squid'). This is apparently due to the behaviour of these squids, which do not inhabit major rivers, or the "main stream" of a river system, thus scientists dubbing them as squids with "deviant behaviour".
Ya Mie Die
Ya Mie Die (雅蠛蝶, Yǎ Miè Dié), literally 'Small Elegant Butterfly', is derived from Japanese yamete (止めて), meaning 'stop', a reference to the
Ju Hua Can
Ju Hua Can (菊花蚕, Jú Huā Cán), literally '
Chun Ge
The term Big Brother Chun (春哥) has been used to refer to the female singer Li Yuchun due to her apparent androgynous appearance. Yemen comes from the catchphrase chūn gē chún yé men (春哥纯爷们), meaning 'Brother Chun is a real man' — 爷, meaning 'grandfather', can also be read as 'masculine' (young males in Northeast China use the slang term 爷 as a personal pronoun in an impolite context). The 春 Chun can also refer to fa chun (发春), which is slang for sexual arousal – literally 'Spring has come'.
Ji Ba Mao
Ji Ba Mao (吉跋猫, Jí Bá Māo), literally 'Lucky Journey Cat' (a homophone with 鸡巴毛, referring to pubic hair, as the homophone jība (鸡巴) is a vulgar term for 'penis', while the definition of 毛 máo is 'hair' or 'fur'). The original article states that this cat lives in dark, damp environments and competes for food with the White Tiger (white tiger is a slang term for a hairless/shaved vulva). Additionally, the Ji Ba Mao flourished during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.[28]
Wei Shen Jing
Wei Shen Jing (尾申鲸, Wěi Shēn Jīng), literally 'Stretch-Tailed Whale' (a
Yin Dao Yan
Yin Dao Yan (吟稻雁, Yīn Dào Yán), literally 'Singing Rice Goose' (a homophone with 阴道炎 Yīn Dào Yán, meaning a vaginitis infection). From the article on Yīn Dào Yán, in the Kangxi era, a large goose dived into a certain field, damaging it and causing the local farmers to come down with a strange sickness.[30]
Da Fei Ji
Da Fei Ji (达菲鸡, Dá Fēi Jī), literally 'Intelligent Fragrant Chicken' (a homophone with 打飞机 Dǎ Fēi Jī, slang for masturbation while literally meaning 'shooting at the airplane'). According to the original article, Da Fei Ji is a species of bird that likes exercise, and the males use neck spasms to spit out a white secretion to impress females during mating seasons.[31]
Qian Lie Xie
Qian Lie Xie (潜烈蟹, Qián Liè Xiè), literally 'Hidden Fiery Crab', closely resembles qián liè xiàn (前列腺), which translates to 'prostate glands'. According to the article, this is a legendary crab that once stopped up the Grand Canal (referring to the urinary tract).[32]
Official reactions
The
See also
- Chun Ge
- Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China
- Internet in China
- Internet meme
- Chinese Internet slang
- List of Internet phenomena in China
- Jia Junpeng
- Mandarin Chinese profanity
- River crab (Internet slang)
- Uncyclopedia
- Very erotic very violent
- Yax Lizard
References
Notes
- ^ 【贴图】百度十大神兽_水能载舟亦能煮粥
- ^ "Hoax dictionary entries about legendary obscene beasts". February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Wines, Michael (March 11, 2009). "A Dirty Pun Tweaks China's Online Censors". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ Bobbie Johnson, ETech: The truth about China and its filthy puns, The Guardian, 13 March 2009
- Phoenix TVofficial website)
- ^ cnBeta. "cnBeta.COM_中文业界资讯站". Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "CCTV.com". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "违法和不良信息举报中心". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "谴责与曝光_违法和不良信息举报中心". Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "Chinese Bloggers' Respond to the Internet Crackdown - China Digital Times (CDT)". China Digital Times (CDT). January 30, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "福步外贸论坛(FOB Business Forum) -中国第一外贸论坛". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "百度贴吧". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "百度--您的访问出错了". im.baidu.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Leesum.com". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ 卧槽,又来一个!百度十大神秘美食~~
- manipulated images of the Beijing Television Cultural Center fire)
- ^ "- 超级苹果网". Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ 动物世界特别篇 马勒戈壁上的草泥马!. YouTube. January 28, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ 什么是草泥马. YouTube. February 1, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Andrew Kirk (October 25, 2012). "World's Most Obscene Stuffed Animal: Grass Mud Horse Is Meme in China". 97 Rock. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "The 'grass-mud horses' battling internet censors". The France 24 Observers. March 13, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "法克鱿 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
- ^ "雅蠛蝶 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
- ^ "菊花蚕 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
- ^ "鹑鸽 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
- ^ "吉跋猫 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
- ^ 尾申鲸 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)[permanent dead link]
- ^ 吟稻雁 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)[permanent dead link]
- ^ 达菲鸡 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)[permanent dead link]
- ^ 潜烈蟹 - Baidu Baike (Past Screenshot)[permanent dead link]
- ^ Vivian Wu (April 3, 2009). "Censors strike at internet content after parody hit". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
Further reading
- CNN explains the grass-mud horse on YouTube
- Grass-mud horse song with English subtitles on YouTube
- Chinese bloggers protest blocking of YouTube, AsiaNews.it, 25 March 2009
- Jean Meulenot, Un poney face à la censure chinoise, L'Express, 18 March 2009 (in French)
- Le clip animalier chinois qui critique le régime, France Info, 14 March 2009 (in French)
- Pascale Nivelle, « Caonima », le clip qui fait la nique à Pékin, Ecrans, Libération, 16 March 2009 (in French)
- Le lama andin se déchaîne contre la censure chinoise sur Internet, Le Monde, 17 March 2009 (in French)
- Wen Yunchao, Les "lamas boueux" contre les censeurs du Net, France 24, 13 March 2009 (in French)