The case of Zheng Guocheng, a representative of China’s “Fifty Cents”, is a reminder that in recent years, many “Fifty Cents” have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. After the persecution, many of these “Fifty Cents” continued to maintain their pro-communist stance. Why are “Fifty Cents” also persecuted by the CCP? Why do “fifty cents” like Zheng Guocheng maintain their pro-communist stance despite the persecution? Two informed sources told reporters their views.
Zheng Guocheng after the “Internet Rights Defense” Storm: Still Maintains Pro-CCP Stance
“Our solution, I think, is still to quickly promote the development of productivity, to open up the logistics, or especially semi-automation, so that production efficiency is more enhanced. So next, the competition between China and the United States is still very, very fierce ……”
This comment was made by Zheng Guocheng, a Chinese YouTube “fifty-cent” netizen with 105,000 subscribers, in a video posted on March 21 this year. In the video, Zheng predicts the possible evolution of U.S.-China relations in the future and puts himself in the position of the Chinese Communist Party authorities in proposing a competitive scenario with the United States.
As we previously reported, Zheng’s March 11 video, which he released in a fierce attack on the Chinese Communist Party, has sparked a public opinion war. The reason he posted the video was the conflict between the government and the people in his hometown of Antu County, Jilin Province, over the distribution of forestry resources. In the film, Zheng Guocheng says he wants to “execute the ten clans” of corrupt officials because the villagers in his village have never been allocated forest land and have petitioned for help many times, and says he is ready to “burn himself live”. Currently, Zheng’s accounts and channels on the Chinese websites Zhihu, Beili Beili and Weibo have been deleted and closed.
However, as the peak of the public opinion war is now passing, Zheng continues to post videos on his only remaining outlet, the oil pipe, expressing his pro-CCP position on current events and no longer mentioning the defense of his rights. He has also not responded to journalists’ invitations to interview him.
In addition, in recent videos, Zheng has continued to post content that opposes Taiwan and incites nationalism.
For example, in another film posted on March 21, Zheng said of Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, “I don’t know how to describe it (laughter), to be shameless to this extent is also very impressive, shameless to the extreme.”
In a video posted on March 19, Zheng commented on the U.S.-China high-level talks in Alaska, and directly titled it “120 years later, we Chinese are finally standing up.
All of the above shows that Zheng still maintains his pro-CCP stance after the “Internet rights” controversy. So, what is his reason for doing so?
Zheng Guocheng’s video released on March 19 this year
Patriotic Finance: The Gains of “Fifty Cent” Oil Pipe Podcasters
Tao, the “wall country rebel”, is a participant in the public opinion war surrounding Zheng Guocheng. On March 15, he made a video slamming Zheng Guocheng, firing the “first shot” of the pro-democracy podcasters in this opinion war.
Tao told reporters that the reason Zheng continues to maintain his “50 cents” stance on the oil tube despite being undermined by the Chinese Communist Party has to do with the revenue it brings him: “First of all, it means that the threshold for profitability on the oil tube is that you need to have more than 1,000 subscriptions, and then you need to have 4,000 hours of your own videos. First of all, it means that you need to have more than 1,000 subscriptions, and then you need to have 4,000 hours of play on your own videos, so that you can open a profit. Like Zheng Guocheng, he quickly accumulated fans, and then he made several videos a day, this threshold can actually be reached very quickly.”
As a YouTuber (oil pipe podcaster), Tao also provided further analysis of Zheng Guocheng’s profit model. Tao said that from the starting point of his own experience, and combined with the information Zheng previously revealed online, Zheng was not yet profitable when he started as a YouTuber in November 2018: “According to his own words, he was in a ‘naked’ state for the first seven months, which means there was no of profit. Then after seven months, he put QR code reward on his screen, that is, put WeChat, Alipay’s QR code reward. This is completely cut leeks, let leeks directly transfer money to him.”
According to Tao, Zheng Guocheng’s other profit channel is the advertising membership function on the oil pipe: “According to him, he opened the QR code five months later, and then opened the advertising membership function of the oil pipe. This membership on average, like for example, I am in the United States is 1,000 times played, almost in exchange for 4-5 dollars. So then like he has several videos a day, and then he now has 100,000 subscriptions, in fact, the income is still quite substantial. So he said he earns 30,000 yuan a month, this is credible.”
Tao believes that, in the face of the huge “pink” audience to bring considerable income, Zheng Guocheng in fact has difficulty transforming his “persona” on the oil tube: “So then he is ‘patriotic wealth’. The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you’re doing. He did attract a lot of viewers, and he also made a lot of money through this, at the very least to live a much better Life than the locals.”
Chen Zhekang recounting his Family‘s persecution by village cadres on the Oil Tube in January 2021. (From the Oil Pipe website)
Why are they still pro-CCP after experiencing persecution?
It is noteworthy that Zheng Guocheng continued to post statements against the U.S. and Taiwan after the “Internet Rights Defense” controversy. And this is not an isolated case on the oil pipe.
In January of this year, a “50-cent” oil tube host named Chen Zhekang (screen name “Lonely Fly”) uploaded a video. In the video, Chen Zhekang cried and said: “Village cadres maliciously occupied my Home base, and my grandfather was hospitalized by them (sobbing), and I don’t know what to do, I’m really powerless. Why would such a thing happen to me ah.”
After this video appeared, it got spread by many democratic podcasters on the oil tube. Shortly after, Chen Zhekang posted another comment on the oil tube saying, “I didn’t have any political intention when I posted this video. But this video of mine has been used by some ulterior motives of Taiwan independence activists and ‘abolitionist youth’ forces. I hereby declare that I draw a clear line with them.”
Chen Zhekang added: “This matter is just an ordinary civil dispute, which does not affect the patriotic and party-loving sentiments of every Chinese.”
Currently, Chen Zhekang has deleted his oil tube channel.
As a witness to the two public opinion wars surrounding Zheng Guocheng and Chen Zhekang, Taiwan’s oil tube broadcaster “Regent Diary” Bajiong gave an interview to reporters and analyzed the mindset of Zheng Guocheng and Chen Zhekang: “I think they know they can’t change the situation, and then at the same Time envy other people overseas, for example, envy the sea immigrants overseas Chinese or Taiwanese: what qualifies you to enjoy what I do not have? Why is your income or all kinds of freedom better than ours?”
Bajong also said, “I do think they have a mentality: I can’t see you well, so I’m going to drag you down to the same level as me, so that everyone is bad together. Because I don’t have the power to change the CCP, but what I can possibly change is to let the CCP unify you, to rule you, to make your life as bad as mine. This way since then, you will not ‘feel superior’ or come to ‘discriminate against me’.”
For Zheng Guosheng’s behavior in recent days, Bajong also has his own opinion: “Zheng Guosheng, basically you have to say he is bad, he is also bad. But he did so, but also for his own village encountered injustice, he went to pretend to be a patriotic youth. I think he can’t think of any other better way to do so in such an environment in China.”
“The Iron Fist of Socialism: Even the “Fifty Cents” are not immune
In the midst of ongoing political persecution by the Chinese Communist Party and massive abuse of power by Chinese officials, even many “fifty cents” have been subjected to brutal treatment by the authorities in recent years.
In April 2019, Yuan Xiaoliang (screen name Yanyang Xiang), a well-known Chinese pro-communist, cried to the Australian media about her husband Yang Hengjun being taken away by the authorities. In July of the same year, Yuan was refused permission to leave the country by the Chinese Communist authorities.
In recent years, there has been a Twitter team that collects and reports on such incidents, called the “Iron Fist of the Wall Country”, and publishes hundreds of reports of Chinese “fifty cents” and Hong Kong “blue silk” activists who have been subjected to the “wall”. They have published hundreds of cases of persecution of Chinese “50 cents” and Hong Kong “blue silk” people by the authorities.
For the reason of this phenomenon, “wall country anti-thief” Tao believes: “This ‘socialist iron fist’ is to beat the Chinese people, each person is beaten this probability is a very random thing …… The reason they will be beaten is because these officials of the Communist Party, these ‘Zhao family members’, they need to make benefits for themselves. Where do their interests come from? On the ordinary people to extract it. And these people, and they happen to speak for the party, doesn’t change the probability that they will be beaten, or the fact that they will be beaten.”
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