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A viral video a few 66-year-old disabled rural man weathering adversity with resourcefulness and optimism has touched the hearts of a whole bunch of tens of millions of Chinese language residents—and touched off a fancy debate about poverty, incapacity, authenticity, exploitation, and the way unusual residents ought to answer depictions of struggling.
“Simply Three Days After My Return to the Village, Second Uncle Has Cured Me of ‘Psychological Burnout’”《回村三天，二舅救好了我的精神内耗》racked up over 10 million views in a single day, after being uploaded to the massively widespread streaming and video-sharing website Bilibili final Monday. Posted by Tang Hao, a vlogger and former historical past trainer who goes by the web deal with “Yige Caixiang” (@衣戈猜想), the eleven-and-a-half minute video employs Chinese language voice-over narration because it depicts Tang Hao’s “Second Uncle” (his mom’s brother) utilizing crutches, performing family chores, caring for his personal aged mom, and dealing as a handyman repairing sundry objects for the opposite villagers. What’s on Weibo printed a helpful abstract of the video content material, and famous the super response from the general public: “One hashtag for the brief movie […] obtained a staggering 630 million clicks by Tuesday. The hashtag ‘Why Did Uncle Blow Up Like That’ (#二舅为什么突然火了#) obtained over 140 million views on Weibo.”
The outpouring of preliminary commentary concerning the video was largely sympathetic, constructive, and even admiring. As SCMP famous, “Commenters on-line stated the brief movie was ‘therapeutic’ and ‘inspiring’ and referred to as the previous man an ‘unusual however nice’ particular person.” Some state media shops lauded the “constructive power” of the brief movie. An opinion piece in China Every day’s world version praised “Second Uncle” for exhibiting “the identical spirit that has supported the Chinese language nation for hundreds of years. […] These are Chinese language virtues that impress the world.”
CDT Chinese language editors compiled an preliminary choice of viewer feedback, a number of of that are translated beneath. A lot of the feedback had been constructive, whereas some expressed reservations about extolling the pockets of poverty and struggling that stay in China, regardless of historic advances in assuaging poverty, with out exploring the foundation causes:
@得过且过过不过：The writing is great, the story is partaking, and the pacing is clean however by no means uninteresting. I can’t fairly categorical it, however the way in which he makes use of humorous language to explain a lifetime of poverty, the heart-wrenching twists and turns of 1 particular person’s story in an unusual world, wrapped up in a bittersweet bundle … what an excellent story.
[…] @zwenwei: In any case, submissiveness is a quintessential a part of our nationwide character. At the very least Yu Hua and others like him dared to write down concerning the origins of struggling, however the root explanation for this second uncle’s struggling is barely talked about in passing by his “nephew.” Passive observers who’ve been trampled numerous instances by actuality don’t have any intention of delving into this extra deeply. What strikes them is the truth that Second Uncle has struggled on the backside rung of society for his whole life with nary a remorse or criticism. How lucky this nation is to have a citizenry so simply hoodwinked.
[…] @wondyelf: Second Uncle’s story is actually transferring, however I don’t need to stay like him. In one other place, he would have a greater life. [Chinese]
Because the video continued to achieve traction, social media was stuffed with posts explaining its recognition, aggregating the perfect viewer feedback, analyzing numerous reactions to the video, and looking for classes it would maintain for right this moment’s era. A widely-shared screenshot listed “The 15 Issues ‘Second Uncle’ Taught Us,” together with such suggestions because the significance of discovering sincere work, contemplating adoption for those who can’t have kids, and dwelling life with no regrets or complaints. Guangzhou-based Time Weekly even interviewed a few of Tang Hao’s former college students, who praised his educating strategies and humorousness.
Earlier than lengthy, nevertheless, there was a small backlash to the video, as some social media customers started to query the identification and motives of the creator, the authenticity of the setting, and sure factual discrepancies within the story. A now-deleted WeChat put up from the account @青春好暖和, archived by CDT Chinese language, posed “Ten Questions on ‘Second Uncle’” and concluded that for this era, it’s extra necessary to interrogate rural distress than to lionize it:
Struggling is struggling. By no means extol distress, or say you’re “moved” by struggling, and positively don’t think about the hardships of the Chinese language individuals as a badge of honor to be handed right down to the subsequent era. Quite, we must always mirror on and be taught from struggling, in order that struggling doesn’t develop into perpetual. No quantity of hardship will make the nation prosper, and it’s only by rigorously reflecting on these hardships that we are going to discover the trail to prosperity. [Chinese]
A WeChat put up titled “There are Very Few Truths within the ‘Second Uncle’ Video, I’m Afraid” (archived right here by CDT) dissected the unique Bilibili video and identified quite a lot of inconsistencies and falsehoods. Based mostly on the brickwork and building, author Chenmo Ke (沈默客) famous, the home didn’t seem to have been constructed “earlier than the U.S. even existed,” because the narrator of the video claimed. Furthermore, given sure architectural incongruities—and the truth that Second Uncle and his mom are by no means seen getting into the home—the author posited that the home didn’t belong to them in any respect. A bit extra detective work adopted, with the author unearthing discrepancies relating to dates in Chinese language historical past, Second Uncle’s educational document, the story of his incapacity certificates, and his “Schrödinger’s” left foot, which he seems to have the ability to use to stroll, climb ladders, and drive when he’s unobserved.
“Second Uncle is Faux, So Is His Story, and the Rooster Soup for the Soul is Poisoned,” a now-deleted WeChat put up by Zuo Qinglong (左青龙), mined an analogous vein, however centered on potential plagiarism and the suspicious aftermath of the video. The writer detailed similarities between the video and “My Silent Second Uncle,” an article by Wu Biaohua, and supplied screenshots to again up allegations of plagiarism. Zuo additionally identified a purple flag in Tang Hao’s response to requests for follow-ups or interviews with Second Uncle: “Realizing that the pretend ‘Second Uncle’ character would quickly be uncovered, the pretend ‘nephew’ instantly issued a public assertion saying “I’ve requested [Uncle’s adopted daughter] Ning Ning to return choose up Second Uncle and Grandma and drive them away from the small mountain village seen within the video … to stay in a special place, the place they won’t be disturbed by anybody.”
Numerous considerate articles have criticized the video for its glorification of hardship and extreme give attention to the “aesthetic of struggling.” A WeChat put up from the account @行走的哈姆雷特, “The Essence of Second Uncle’s Story Is the ‘Aesthetic of Struggling,’” famous that what’s so “irregular” concerning the video is that it “tallies an excessive amount of with the ‘constructive power’ narratives so acquainted to the Chinese language individuals. […] Now get pleasure from this bowl of rustic rooster soup for the soul.” One other WeChat put up, “Why Are Individuals Stanning Second Uncle? As a result of They’re Ah Q,” referenced the protagonist of Lu Xun’s 1921 novella The True Story of Ah Q. Writer Yu Feng argued that there’s “no cause to bundle it as an inspirational fairy story, a ‘rooster soup for the soul,’ or a so-called ‘remedy for psychological burnout.’ For whether it is medication, then it’s simply religious opium with which to numb individuals.” Well-liked WeChat blogger Wang Wusi, by no means one to mince phrases, chided those that would voyeuristically search psychological aid by observing the struggling of others. “That is each very perverse and really typical,” he wrote in a now-deleted put up. “Chances are you’ll suppose your Second Uncle has cured you of psychological burnout, however I believe you’re going to have a relapse. Struggling just isn’t a vaccine in opposition to psychological sickness.”
Different commentators grappled with the uncomfortable incontrovertible fact that Second Uncle speaks not a phrase within the video, and that every one details about his life is supplied by the nephew’s voice-over narration. A WeChat put up by Lan Xi, titled “Sorry, However I’d Nonetheless Wish to Hear Second Uncle Converse for Himself,” described it thus: “Somebody is summing up Second Uncle’s life for him, reconciling him to his sufferings, resigning him to his destiny.” Zhang Hong, writing for the Peking Assessment of Books, provided a broader historic perspective in “Second Uncle’s Rooster Soup Nourishes Viewers’ Souls, However Obscures Historic Struggling.” This thought-provoking article detailed the historic hardships confronted by China’s farmers, and concluded that “the cinematographer’s narration doesn’t do justice to the a long time of hardship suffered by Chinese language farmers, nor to Second Uncle’s lifetime of expertise. In contrast with the bitter classes of Chinese language historical past over the previous few a long time, the movie appears superficial and frivolous.”
There have been additionally articles expressing concern that these kinds of “constructive power” items encourage passivity, impede activism, and crowd out actual requires change. “Who’s Liable for Second Uncle’s Struggling?” from WeChat account @有马体育 raises quite a lot of questions on why Second Uncle seems to have obtained such insufficient help from his authorities, his neighborhood, and his household. It’s irresponsible, the writer argues, to not confront these questions head-on:
Nobody is born completely happy or born struggling, a lot much less born to be detached to struggling. What we have to ponder is that this: who brought on Second Uncle’s struggling? And much more importantly, at each step of the way in which—as life was backing Second Uncle right into a nook, as his struggling took root, as he passively accepted that struggling—who was extolling his passivity? The “Second Uncle” video isn’t some type of nationwide cure-all; it’s extra like a nationwide anesthesia. Neither the creator of the video nor the viewers confront the issue immediately: they actively dodge the problem. [Chinese]
The “Second Uncle” phenomenon appeared to ask comparisons to different movies, individuals, and occasions in latest information. WeChat account @Philosophia 哲学社 printed an intriguing (and extensively footnoted) four-part article titled “The best way to Describe ‘Second Uncle’: A Narrative of Struggling and Emotional Mobilization.” In it, the writer in contrast tropes discovered within the “Second Uncle” video with these in different movies and documentaries about incapacity and rural poverty, in media reviews on related themes, and in public service bulletins about rural poverty-alleviation packages:
The methods used will not be significantly intelligent, however the cinematic language invariably communicates a benign and tranquil atmosphere. In the long run, the conspicuous message is, “Be resolute, don’t be afraid of constructing sacrifices, conquer all obstacles, and attempt for fulfillment,” thus imparting a “therapeutic worth” to the video. This type of writing just isn’t unusual, and it reproduces long-standing, stereotypical “narratives of struggling.” [Chinese]
Numerous posts made the maybe much less apparent connection between “Second Uncle” and “second-generation-official-scion” Zhou Jie, a younger man who just lately turned notorious for flaunting his wealth and official connections on-line. After members of his pals’ group shared screenshots of Zhou Jie bragging about sporting Omega watches, consuming $60,000-per-kilogram tea, and receiving costly cartons of cigarettes from native officers, Zhou was dismissed from his job at state-owned Capital Operation Holding Group in Jiangxi province. Tougher to elucidate was how he and his mother and father managed to accumulate six residences and two industrial properties on their modest, mid-level authorities salaries. Netizens and state media shops alike had been incensed, seeing it as proof of corrupt officialdom passing down ill-gotten good points to the subsequent era. Finance Professor Zhao Jian printed a bit framing China’s rural/city financial divide as a “twin religious construction,” with Second Uncle representing a era born into rural poverty, and Zhou Jie representing city, second-generation wealth. “It’s this religious construction,” the writer notes sadly, “that’s impeding our progress towards a contemporary society.”
Lastly, a sharply satirical brief story from WeChat account @闪光的哈萨维 adopted the language and tone of the “Second Uncle” video to spotlight the case of a mother-of-eight stored shackled by her husband in a village in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. Early this 12 months, a viral video of the girl, sporting a metallic collar round her neck and shivering in a shed in winter climate, provoked a public outcry and led to an investigation into her mistreatment and trafficking. The now-deleted story, archived by CDT and partially translated beneath, is titled “Quick Story: Three Days After My Return to the Village, My Shackled Third Aunt Nonetheless Hasn’t Cured Me of ‘Psychological Burnout’”:
It is a satirical brief story. Any similarities to real-life occasions are purely coincidental. Don’t take it as reality.
That is my Third Aunt, a previously gifted younger woman who married into Xuzhou from afar. And that’s my Third Uncle, who in his youth was each bit as good-looking, inside and outside, as Kris Wu.
They stay on this previous home in Fengxian. When it was constructed, Biden and Trump had been nonetheless pooping their diapers.
Nobody is aware of the place Third Aunt got here from, however rumor has it that she might have gone to highschool in Dazhou, Sichuan. Nor does anybody know her surname, solely that it may be “Li,” and that it undoubtedly isn’t “Zhao.” Individuals say that Third Aunt was the number-one pupil at her elementary faculty, and the highest pupil at her junior highschool, as effectively. Within the nationwide “unified examination,” solely three exams from rural college students in Dazhou had been accepted, certainly one of which was Third Aunt’s.
I’ve additionally heard that my Third Aunt disappeared sooner or later on her technique to faculty, after having had a giant struggle along with her mother and father. Not lengthy after that, she reappeared in Xuzhou, hundreds of miles away, and when she was 17 or 18, she married my Third Uncle.
I believe this should be love, for even when lovers are separated by hundreds of miles, they may run towards each other, and discover a technique to be collectively.
And sure, despite the fact that Third Aunt is twenty years youthful than Third Uncle, they love one another a lot that they’ve had eight kids collectively, every certainly one of whom is very intelligent and lovable.
When Third Aunt first arrived at Third Uncle’s home as a teen, she kicked up a giant fuss, screaming and smashing issues.
[…] Afterward, Third Aunt stopped talking, refused to eat or drink, and stored her door locked securely. Third Uncle pleaded along with her, and introduced meals proper to her door, however Third Aunt simply lay in mattress along with her eyes closed and wouldn’t say a phrase. The way in which Third Uncle described it, when he would peep at her via the window, Third Aunt appeared as stunning as an angel with a damaged leg.
Later, and I don’t know the way it took place, Third Aunt lastly gave in and commenced to work together with the opposite villagers. She stopped sobbing and fussing and smashing issues, and though her face was typically black and blue, she turned much less withdrawn, and even discovered how one can snort.
And though she would usually cry, Third Aunt was keen to work onerous when she noticed the expression on Third Uncle’s face. At one look from Third Uncle, Third Aunt would get straight to cleansing his home, with out even being requested.
Third Uncle is an uneducated man, however Third Aunt at all times talks to herself when she is out basking within the solar. She’ll level to the solar and say “sang,” level to the village’s filth path and name it “roude,” and typically mumble to herself, “Ai wang te gou huomu.”
As a result of the villagers couldn’t perceive Third Aunt’s overseas gibberish, the previous women and men within the village would at all times snort at Third Uncle behind his again, saying how embarrassing it was that he’d married a loopy girl.
However Third Uncle would at all times rush to Third Aunt’s protection, saying, “She’s good, she’s a superb girl, and he or she rushes out the door as quick as that Olympian Wang Junxia from the TV. There have been a couple of instances when Bo Guang and I barely managed to catch her.”
Bo Guang is a big wolfhound that Third Uncle retains to protect the home and the yard. He’s as fierce and highly effective as Hu Xijin.
Then, one afternoon, Third Aunt all of a sudden vomited. She was pregnant.
[…] And so it went for a number of years, till sooner or later Third Aunt turned lame. There have been rumors within the village that she had been crushed, however Third Uncle denied it, saying that she had slipped and fallen.
One of many village busybodies requested Third Aunt how she had develop into lame. Third Aunt glanced at her mother-in-law, then glanced at Third Uncle, then lowered her head and meekly admitted she’d fallen right into a ditch one evening strolling down a darkish street.
And Third Uncle patted Third Aunt on the again and stated, “That’s proper, isn’t it.”
Third Aunt is lame, and might’t get off the bottom, and might’t run quick, however she will be able to nonetheless have kids.
So she turned pregnant once more, and a second youngster was born, one other boy.
[…] At this level, the couple was nonetheless in love, so a 12 months later, a 3rd youngster was born.
Though they had been poor, they had been loving.
After that got here a fourth youngster,
and a fifth,
and a sixth,
and a seventh, born in fast succession.
[…] Maybe Third Aunt’s life hasn’t turned out to be as pretty as she had imagined. She has bled, and scabbed over, however the scabs can’t be ripped off, lest they tear the flesh away. However she has seven kids, and a mother-in-law and husband who love her, and this tranquil, pretty countryside. You spectators on the market—are you able to not see how completely happy her life is?
[…] Not solely does Third Aunt have an issue along with her legs, her psychological issues have resurfaced. She has began muttering to herself as if bewitched, whispering issues like “You all are rapists” in a overseas tongue the villagers can’t perceive, just like the traveler in that story about Cthulhu, muttering into the abyss.
[…] Third Aunt can hardly care for herself anymore, and he or she doesn’t have a lot will to stay. As soon as, she even hung a rope from the door body.
[…] To stop Third Aunt from relapsing, or from harming their seven harmless kids, or from attempting to chunk off her personal tongue or commit suicide, Third Uncle has—for a number of years now—been ensuring to chain her up within the shed beside the home when he goes out to work the fields, or when he leaves to do carpentry work for the opposite villagers.
What’s sure by chains is love, that intoxicating distress. [Chinese]
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