Published on November 8, 2019. From Sekihei’s essay “The Dilemma of Chinese-Style ‘Patriotism,’” published in the Sankei Shimbun. The article examines the contradiction in which Chinese celebrities loudly proclaim “patriotism” while choosing foreign nationality or overseas futures for their own children, revealing the gap between public slogans and private intentions in Chinese society, as well as distrust in the future of China itself.

November 8, 2019.
It is very hard to believe that there is a “future” for a country to which even “patriots” do not want to entrust the future of their children.
The following is from an essay by Sekihei, published in yesterday’s Sankei Shimbun under the title “The Dilemma of Chinese-Style ‘Patriotism.’”
Late last month, the words and actions of Zou Shiming, a champion of the Chinese boxing world, caused controversy on the internet inside China.
The beginning was on October 19, when, in connection with the current situation in Hong Kong, he expressed on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, his support for the Hong Kong police suppressing the demonstrations, while at the same time appealing to his own patriotism by saying, “I love my motherland. Not even for a moment can I be separated from my motherland.”
However, unexpectedly, this statement drew a backlash on the internet, where “patriots” gather.
The reason was that all three of Mr. Zou’s sons were born abroad, and one of them has American nationality.
Online, there was a flood of retorts such as, “Does a person who gives birth to his children abroad and has them acquire American nationality have the right to talk about ‘patriotism’?” and Mr. Zou’s passionate “patriotic statement” completely backfired.
In September of this year as well, there was a celebrity who was criticized in the same pattern.
It was Dong Qing, the famous host of China Central Television.
On September 1, at the beginning of China’s new school term, she appeared on China Central Television’s customary program “The First Lesson of the New Term.”
Ms. Dong spoke to children throughout the country about the importance of “patriotism” and called on them, saying, “When you grow up, I want you to become bearers of the construction of the motherland.”
And this statement, too, invited fierce criticism on the internet.
The reason was that several years earlier, she had deliberately taken a one-year leave from her work at China Central Television, gone to America, given birth to her child there, and had the child acquire American nationality.
Online, there was a flood of retorts and ridicule such as the following.
“Where you give birth to your child is your freedom, but while you have your own child born in America and acquire that country’s nationality, teaching other people’s children to ‘love the motherland’ is cowardly and hypocritical.”
“Your child will surely become an American in the future and a bearer of the construction of America, but must our children become ‘bearers of the construction of the motherland’?”
“You make money in China, and with that money you raise your child to become a fine American. That, in other words, is Ms. Dong’s ‘patriotism,’” and so on.
Amid widespread criticism, internet users even gave Ms. Dong the sarcastic nickname “Dong Aiguo,” meaning “Dong Patriot.”
Most likely, Ms. Dong will never again be able to speak of “patriotism” on television or elsewhere.
The above is the ripple effect caused by the “patriotic statements” of two celebrities.
Such examples will likely appear one after another in the future.
In China’s case, whether in the entertainment world, the sports world, the business world, or the academic world, many successful celebrities give birth to their children in America, or acquire foreign nationality themselves.
This has long since become something like a trend.
On the other hand, because of their positions, these Chinese celebrities must always speak loudly of “patriotism” whenever something happens.
Whether the “patriotism” they speak of is sincere or merely for show is another question, but many Chinese elites, somewhere in their hearts, admire civilized and highly developed countries such as those of Europe, America, and Japan.
And they absolutely do not intend to entrust the future of their own children to “our beloved motherland.”
They earnestly wish to entrust it to foreign countries such as those of Europe, America, and Japan.
While speaking constantly of “patriotism,” they have no hope or confidence in the future of their own country.
They may think that they themselves are “patriotic,” but they do not try to make their children “patriotic.”
That is precisely the great dilemma of Chinese-style “patriotism.”
It is very hard to believe that there is a “future” for a country to which even “patriots” do not want to entrust the future of their children.