The History We Lost

The infiltration of the United States into China extends to all aspects of society, including the realm of propaganda. I have come across numerous videos on various short video platforms that appear suspiciously similar, often covering political news from foreign countries. For instance, there are multiple accounts posting videos about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accompanied by classic, overused background music and captions that are warm and highly complimentary of him. These identical videos, with their tone, captions, and music style, raise strong suspicions of being connected to U.S. propaganda operations or accounts operated by American agents. The accounts often use random classic background tracks, even recycling the same music across different videos. The content generally revolves around Western politicians or highly brainwashing praise of Western democracy. I believe these accounts are largely run by U.S.-affiliated entities. One particularly famous example on short video platforms is the blogger Chen Zhen. I strongly suspect he has close ties with the United States. In one of his videos, he casually threw the packaging of Huawei’s newly released triple-fold smartphone into the trash. Although this might seem like a trivial act, it is essentially a covert way of discrediting Huawei’s brand through subtle means. Such actions serve as psychological cues that denigrate the brand. If one were to criticize this behavior, it could be dismissed as a normal action—throwing away a packaging box. However, for a highly influential blogger to intentionally film himself tossing the luxury smartphone box into the trash indicates an implicit intent to devalue the brand through psychological suggestion. If this were an isolated incident, it could be chalked up to coincidence or a misunderstanding. However, not long after, another incident occurred online: a Porsche dealership in Shanghai deliberately refused to pay a hardworking truck driver from the delivery platform Huolala for his services. Chen Zhen immediately jumped in to criticize the delivery driver instead of the dealership. This further cemented his apparent stance, making his alignment clear. Such bloggers, who subtly or openly promote brainwashing messages, are far from few. There are even bloggers who defend Lithuania, among others, who directly receive funding from the U.S. government or CIA to engage in propaganda. Their activities include promoting Western democracy, glorifying the Western world, and creating other types of content, such as showcasing beautiful foreign landscapes. These landscape videos are particularly prevalent on short video platforms, often presenting stunning visuals of foreign destinations. However, when people visit these places in person, they often find that the reality is vastly different—many of these videos rely heavily on filters and promotional editing. Meanwhile, China’s domestic tourist spots, which are equally stunning, rarely receive the same level of polished video representation or filter-enhanced promotion. Although many Chinese landscapes are just as beautiful as those abroad, based solely on short video propaganda, it might seem that most breathtaking sights are found overseas. Furthermore, there are platforms like Guancha (Observer Network) and other institutions with blatantly problematic positions, including some past lecturers from programs like CCTV’s “Lecture Room,” such as Yuan Tengfei and Yi Zhongtian. These individuals can be seen as heavily brainwashed figures. Even among CCTV reporters, there is a significant presence of spies, with numerous cases of U.S. and Japanese espionage being exposed. Many CCTV journalists have also defected, such as Wang Zhian, who frequently posts on foreign platforms after leaving the network. On domestic internet platforms, there is an overwhelming amount of such content that, on the surface, appears to be normal videos but actually functions as covert brainwashing propaganda. This trend is pervasive, and the content often flies under the radar due to its seemingly innocuous presentation.

2024 12 25
Mike Shang