A patriotic Chinese Netizen
reported a YouTuber
for promoting Taiwan independence.
And that was his big mistake.
Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell.
The Great Firewall surrounds China’s very own highly censored, highly restricted, and
highly surveilled internet.
It’s one of the many ways the Chinese Communist Party keeps track of and controls the Chinese
people.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls it cyber sovereignty, which means no subversive foreign ideas allowed.
And in China, the ‘Great Firewall’ is changing a generation.
“When so few have alternative sources of information, government propaganda becomes
more believable.
Inside China, people are living in an information bubble that the government is getting better
at controlling.”
Now you’d think that some Chinese people would want to go around the Great Firewall
to access the rest of the internet, and see things that are banned in China.
Like YouTube.
And some of them do—by using VPN software.
Using a VPN in China falls into a weird legal gray area.
But a lot of people use VPNs anyway, and authorities only crack down occasionally.
Like during sensitive political anniversaries, or if they want to go after you for something
else.
But just because some Chinese netizens can use VPNs to *access* the rest of the internet,
doesn’t mean the internet opens up their minds.
In some cases, people use it to fight for the Communist Party’s agenda.
I mean, just read some of the YouTube comments below this video.
Which brings us to the story of a mainland Chinese student who goes by the username “Lonely
Fly.”
In December, Lonely Fly was using a VPN to watch YouTube.
Specifically, he was watching this channel that translates as “Photographer Diary Fun
TV”.
It’s hosted by a YouTuber in Taiwan named Ba-Jiohng.
And in one video, Ba-Jiohng was promoting a dangerous idea: Taiwan independence.
Now because of the education mainland Chinese people receive, they generally believe Taiwan
is a province of China.
So when Lonely Fly saw this video promoting the independence of Taiwan province, he did
what any good Chinese nationalist would do: He wrote an angry YouTube comment:
￼ “Ba-Jiohng is a troll for the Democratic
Progressive Party!
These videos are a tool to stir conflict.
Everybody, do not trust him.
There’s evidence all over the Chinese internet forums that he is an anti-China, anti-communist
influencer.
He’s even been officially blacklisted in China.
He’s definitely accepting bribes from the DPP to share separatist propaganda.
Everyone, do not be deceived!
There’s a whole group behind him, an anti-China group!
Please share and spread the word!”
And then Lonely Fly patriotically reported Ba-Jiohng to his local Public Security Bureau
in China.
Of course, the local Public Security Bureau couldn’t actually do anything to Ba-Jiohng—because
he lives in Taiwan, which...is not actually a province of China.
So they did the next best thing: They criticized Lonely Fly for illegally using a VPN to access
YouTube, and they demanded he write a repentance letter.
Which he did.
It says: “Dear comrade policemen,
I’m sorry.
I should not have used an illegal VPN to break the law and access the international internet.
I am deeply reflecting on my poor actions.
Starting today, I have learned and respected the law.
I will not act out of my own ignorance.
I hope the authorities will give me another chance.”
Lonely Fly then used an illegal VPN to access YouTube and post his repentance letter...on
YouTube.
And then Lonely Fly continued to use his illegal VPN to post another angry comment on Ba-Jiohng’s
channel, which says: ￼
“FunTV your mom is dead, I’m not done with you!
It’s all because of you.
It’s all your fault.
I went to the public security bureau to report you but was caught using a VPN illegally.
I even had to write a repentance letter and was lectured.
My life is ruined now because I have this on my record.”
Yes, it’s Ba-Jiohng’s fault!
If only Ba-Jiohng hadn’t exercised his free speech on the open internet, then he wouldn’t
need to be reported in the first place!
See, poor Lonely Fly just thought he was doing the right thing for the Chinese Communist
Party.
In his own eyes, Lonely Fly is but a Lonely Hero, risking his life on the outside internet
fighting for what he believes in.
We’re all the hero of our own story.
Although if Lonely Fly is still accessing YouTube then he clearly doesn’t understand
what he’s done wrong.
Anyway, from here, the story just gets worse for our hero.
I’ll tell you how after this break.
Welcome back.
So, after getting in trouble for illegally using a VPN to access YouTube, something terrible
happened to Lonely Fly’s family.
And we know about it because Lonely Fly illegally used a VPN to post this video about it on
YouTube.
Ok, the
video is mostly just him crying.
But in a pinned comment, Lonely Fly goes into greater detail about what happened.
“My family and the village cadre have a dispute over our property.
It escalated into physical violence.
One of the village cadre’s thugs took a shovel and hit my grandfather in the back.
He’s now hospitalized.
My friend on the internet asked why I don’t take this issue to court.
But that costs money and energy.
The police even said that they can’t do anything about this ‘small dispute’ and
urged us to settle the issue ourselves.
The thug paid us 2000 yuan for the hospital fees, but the property dispute still hasn’t
been resolved.
But since we were all worried that they would come back for more trouble, we could only
write a forgiveness letter and hope they don’t return.
I’ve been crying all night, my emotions are unstable, but the Chinese people are heroic,
I will not back down from any difficulties.
I also hope everyone can persevere through their own hardships.
So let me get this straight.
The thugs working for a local official barged in to seize Lonely Fly’s family property,
and injured his grandfather.
And the police did nothing.
That sounds really serious.
I’m glad Lonely Fly posted this online so he could raise awareness about the issue.
But of course, he couldn’t post his story on the heavily censored *Chinese* internet.
It would just get him in trouble.
That’s why he used an illegal VPN to post it on YouTube!
And in his next post, he explains.
“I’ve been warned by the police department.
I’m not allowed to post about this incident on Weibo or other social media.
I made it clear in my forgiveness letter to them that I wouldn’t escalate this issue.
If word gets out and causes consequences to the local government, then it will be all
my fault.
I can only post about this on YouTube.
I’m afraid of them, they have a lot of thugs.
I’m worried for my elderly relatives.
But I cannot sit here and accept this.
They hit people, steal land, and only throw me 2000 yuan and that’s that.”
Right.
Maybe you shouldn’t have posted this on YouTube either.
It gives the local authorities in China kind of a bad image.
And they, too, can use a VPN to see what you write on YouTube.
Meanwhile, over in the renegade province of Taiwan, Ba-jiong and his audience have had
a field day, with very open dialogue about whether or not the Communist Party is to blame
for the village cadre’s actions.
“What does a village cadre’s criminal acts of stealing property have to do with
the Chinese Communist Party?”
“A village cadre’s criminal acts have no relation to the CCP?
An elder has been hospitalized, the police did nothing to resolve the issue.
What’s the point of having a government then?”
￼ “I wish for his grandpa to get better so
he could give his grandson a good smack.”
￼ “Fake Chinese nationalist: Hit with Socialism’s
Iron Fist, he’s no longer patriotic.
True Chinese nationalist: Hit with Socialism’s Iron Fist, he’s even more patriotic.”
Well, Lonely Fly saw some of these online comments, and realized that he’d accidentally
started a discussion about the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party.
And so he tried to clear himself...by illegally using a VPN to post about it on YouTube!
I shared this video with absolutely no political intentions, please don’t believe the people
who are using my situation as a political tool!
Also, that pro-Taiwan Independence YouTuber, Photographer Diary FunTV, Let me tell you,
Let me tell you, This is just a typical civil dispute, it has nothing to do with our patriotism
and love for China and the CCP.
Stop purposely adding your separatist narrative, you’re just a buffoon.
What a joke!
But eventually, Lonely Fly realized his mistake.
So he used an illegal VPN to go online and...delete his entire YouTube account.
Better late than never.
That was two weeks ago.
And we haven’t heard from Lonely Fly since.
I hope he and his grandpa are doing ok.
Because if there’s any lesson here, it’s not that Chinese people shouldn’t use a
VPN to access YouTube.
They should!
But I hope when they do, they can use it for what the internet was originally intended
for: Cat videos.
And also, to learn the truth.
I hope people in China can learn about what happens to patriotic people like Lonely Fly—who
was persecuted despite trying to push the Party line.
No matter whether you’re a Chinese dissident or a patriotic Chinese citizen who loves the
Communist Party, as long as the Party rules China, you will eventually be persecuted.
And on that inspiring note, I’ll now answer a question from a China Uncensored fan on
Patreon.
Patreon is the best way to support us—because so many of our videos get demonetized by YouTube,
and we have a whole team to support.
Chris Gracie asks: “Chris, any thoughts on the possibility that CCP may have knowingly
released Covid19?
Not such a crazy conspiracy, considering the effect its had on USA UK etc etc!
And supposedly little in China.”
Good question, Chris.
I think it’s unlikely to have been done on purpose.
The CCP is obsessed with controlling everything.
The internet.
Religion.
Even foreign officials.
There’s no logical reason the CCP would intentionally release a virus they can’t
control.
They haven’t controlled it in China, either.
Any reports you read about how China has done such a great job controlling the virus are
based on lies.
We don’t know the true situation there.
There are some reports that it could have *accidentally* leaked from a lab.
And if that’s the case, you can only blame poor safety standards and human incompetence.
But we don’t know if that’s what happened, because if it was, the CCP would just cover
it up with more lies.
Thanks for your question, Chris.
And thank you all for your support.
China Uncensored is only possible because of direct support from viewers.
Go to Patreon.com/ChinaUncensored and contribute a dollar or more per episode if you can.
It can make all the difference.
Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.
See you next time.