Smuggling Into Beijing — What Are You Trying to Do!!? Shanghai Is Coming Straight to Your Door to Inspect, It'll Only Get Stricter From Here! This Is the Last Line of Defense, But It's About to Be Breached! Qiqi Baba TALK “Refresh Your Mind 800” 20261016

In this episode, host Qiqi explores the special treatment and propaganda role enjoyed by foreigners in China, law enforcement inspections in Shanghai targeting all-English store signs, and a case in Beijing's Tongzhou District checkpoint where individuals assisted others in hiding inside a truck in an attempt to sneak into Beijing. Drawing on internet video clips, the episode contrasts the reality of Chinese people's livelihoods, poverty issues, and phenomena such as public trash bins and children eating soy sauce-mixed rice, analyzing various real-life dilemmas of the stability maintenance (weiwen) system and grassroots society.

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Hello, everyone, welcome to Qiqi Baba Talk, I am Qiqi. For many foreigners living in China, when we see some of their statements, sometimes we think, isn't this Little Pink talk? Oh my god, it's because they've all been bought off, essentially serving as propaganda tools. They, uh, are actually not very clear about it themselves, or rather, they pretend not to be clear about it. Because if you truly observed in depth and then wanted to come out and tell the truth, you might get cursed at, or even face certain sanctions. Of course, foreigners probably won't suffer the same treatment as Chinese people who say the wrong things—like me, who cannot return—but if you say what shouldn't be said, there will still be punishments. Moreover, they will say you are a foreigner, so you are deliberately smearing, you are jealous of China's current good development; it's usually this kind of rhetoric. For example, like the one below.

[Video Clip] I am very, very angry. So I've been living in China for almost a year now, and there's one thing I always notice when I go walking in small cities. I always see farm workers working very, very hard. I remember one time I was walking around outside around three in the morning, and I saw a couple of local people just working in the fields. They're so hardworking. But when it comes to influencers or movie stars or TV show stars here in China, everyone says they're great, they're great, they're so awesome. But what about the local auntie making amazing food? What about the people working in the fields at three a.m.? I feel like a lot of people take these people for granted. And I'm American. I'm not even Chinese, and it makes me angry when I see people walking around. They don't even pay attention to these people. But if it's an influencer or a Hollywood star, oh my goodness, let me take a picture. Let me take a picture. They just act, they just sing, they don't do anything special. Yes, some people have amazing talent, but I personally think that those people working in the fields, that those people who are making food, that those people who are doing construction jobs, they provide more value for the country, for China, than singers, than Hollywood stars. So I think we should show more appreciation to construction workers, to people that make food, to people that work outside in the fields. Come on, guys, we need to step it up. And.

[Video Clip] I'm not even Chinese, but I see how hard they work.

[Video Clip] Without them, we would not have the amazing food that we have now. Like think about like, cause I've been to Shenzhen, I've been to a lot of big cities in China, and look at all those big buildings. It took a lot of work from a lot of people. And this is not my country, but I'm very thankful for them because of the hardworking people in China. We have amazing cities in China because of the farm workers. We have good food to eat. So what do you guys think about this?

Anyone with a sense of human rights, as long as they live deeply on that land, it's impossible for them not to see that there is something wrong with this situation. Unless they are just taking a short trip, because as long as they live there a bit longer, they will definitely know. But we have to face a realistic issue: in fact, most foreigners actually have invisible privileges inside the Great Firewall, especially during a period early on. It's slightly better now, but there are still privileges. Otherwise, why do you think they would choose to live in China? The more China needs external propaganda (da waixuan), the better the benefits it gives to foreigners, because it wants foreigners to say good things about them on some media. We only need to observe one point. If China were really that great, they would have changed to Chinese nationality long ago. You can look at it later: no matter how many years foreigners have lived in China, extremely few—I seem to have never seen one, I personally haven't seen one—have changed to Chinese nationality. Very, very few. Uh, of course, referring to developed countries. If you're talking about Africa or something, that's another story. They know perfectly well in their hearts that going there to live is just to take advantage of the system. They don't actually think it's good. You can all take a look: people who come out of China to the United States, to all parts of the world, to the UK, to Germany, to the Netherlands and the like—do they change their nationality? Basically all of them change it, basically all of them, right? So you see, this is the difference, this is the difference. They went there to enjoy the benefits given by the CCP so that they could produce propaganda. Those are privileges. For example, if you want to go to school, you can get in almost by just applying. Applying lets you get into Tsinghua or Peking University—schools where Chinese people compete to the death through involution (rat race) might be effortlessly accessible to foreigners.

[Video Clip] It's just that if you're not of Chinese nationality, you just...

Human rights, you will be respected, because they need you to speak up for them internationally. This is part of their trade-off. And how absurd is this in the world! They would rather spend money on having foreigners say fake, promotional good words than use this money to truly benefit the people of their own country. The target this country's government bullies the hardest is the people of its own country. It makes zero effort to win a slightly better life for them; instead, it exploits them and then compensates foreigners to have them make up lies for the outside world. Doesn't this sound like a joke? In addition, this foreign friend also felt what it's like to be gagged! First of all, uh, his comment section is gone now. So, friends, how much longer do you think his video can survive?

[Video Clip] Uh, hello. Okay, let's ask Yang Jun to come in, please come in. Let's record a video first.

[Video Clip · Law Enforcement Personnel] We found that your shop sign is completely in English. It must have Chinese annotations. Yes, according to Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the Shanghai Measures for Implementing the 'Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language', where public service industries require the use of foreign language characters on service signs based on standardized Chinese characters, standardized Chinese characters shall be annotated.

[Video Clip · Store Manager] After receiving legal education, the store manager stated that he previously had insufficient understanding of the relevant regulations and will actively cooperate with the rectification, completing the addition of Chinese language identifiers on the shop sign within the specified time limit.

This requirement has actually always been there, which is that Chinese characters must be included. But I guess after this, enforcement on this point will likely get stricter and stricter. Uh, everyone should actually know, right? All kinds of regulations in China are very flexible. Don't look at how it's written in the rules; whether they enforce it, how they enforce it—yeah, right?—it's all very flexible. So it can be strict or loose, and it will change depending on the era and the tone from above. I reckon later on they might not even let you learn English that much, because they're frantically blabbering about "cultural confidence" and such. But we all know that cultural confidence has never meant not letting you learn from other people's cultures, because true confidence is: Everyone, come along! Everyone, come along! In my heart, I believe I must be the best one.

[Video Clip - Police Report] Du, male, 47 years old, well aware that Ruan, male, 46 years old, did not meet the policies for entering Beijing, assisted Ruan in hiding inside a truck compartment while passing through the Xiaotun Checkpoint in Tongzhou District in an attempt to evade inspection and enter Beijing. The aforementioned individuals have both been placed under administrative detention by the Beijing police in accordance with the law.

Wanting to enter a city in your own country requiring a permit first is already ridiculous enough. And if you don't have a permit, you have to smuggle yourself in. This kind of illegal crossing is even harder than crossing international borders. And the most absurd part is that entering a city in your own country like this might carry a harsher punishment than if you illegally crossed into another country and that foreign country punished an illegal foreigner. When the CCP locks you up, it really is no joke. First of all, they are already extremely brutal toward petitioners, let alone those who disobey and insist on entering Beijing. You might lose your freedom for the rest of your life, or even be placed under full surveillance; how you live would be a whole other matter, and the psychiatric hospital might even welcome you. Haven't many friends always wondered, "Ah, where does all this stability maintenance (weiwen) money go? How could so much be spent?" Can everyone understand now? You see, for example, with these petitioners, one petitioner might require ten people to watch them. So where do you think the wages for these ten people watching them come from? Ah, this is all counted as stability maintenance fees, because it is a stability maintenance expenditure. The very existence of the Petition Bureau is actually a slap in the face to Chinese law, because if there were truly law, there could be no Petition Bureau, nor would there be any need for a Petition Bureau. This department was established merely to give those Chinese who have been severely bullied a ray of hope. But in reality, it is nothing more than a mirage that will never succeed and will never give you justice.

[Video Clip] The Communist Party is the party of the people, ah, it is meant to do these things for the people. Seeing that the people's lives have improved, that they've gotten prosperous, have money to spend, the children receive good education, and the elderly, ah, have medical care guaranteed, we are happy.

[Video Clip] Every time I meet with African friends, I feel an extra sense of warmth. The Chinese government is willing to provide financial support up to an amount of 360 billion RMB.

[Video Clip] China is modernization, people's livelihood.

[Video Clip] Great.

[Video Clip] What the Chinese Communist Party wants to do is to let the common people live happier lives. I hope you live here...

[Video Clip] Uh. Joyful, happy. On behalf of the Party and the people...

[Video Clip] ...solemnly declare that the problem of absolute poverty on the land of China has been historically resolved. On behalf of the Party and the people, I solemnly declare that the problem of absolute poverty on the land of China has been historically resolved. Did you, did you get lost? Where in Anhui are you from?

[Video Clip] Coming back.

[Video Clip] A benefactor!

[Video Clip] You begged three times.

[Video Clip] Then if there's work at home, why did you come out instead of doing it?

[Video Clip] I know, Auntie, it's him, he came over here and sneaked away. What was he doing?

[Video Clip] Maybe missing the way far, maybe still able to move forward again.

[Video Clip] I just picked up trash to write for him! That... do you want to play Keep Running?

[Video Clip] The cooking smoke and laughter of ordinary households always bring peace of mind. At this time, the shadows of plum blossoms sway in the wind that turns warm yet chilly; the plum blossoms are blooming just right. A noble person judges actions rather than intentions, seeking only to be worthy of the nation and society.

Some friends may have seen videos filmed by influencers overseas, specifically showing them picking things out of trash cans. They'd say, "Wow, look at how rich and abundant the food in these foreign trash cans is." But first, as everyone can see, many of the items in those foreign trash cans are actually still in fine packaging, with unexpired food and products. Whenever it's the kind mixed together—you know, the type with a fermenting stench—they wouldn't go digging through that either, right? Moreover, most of what they search through are private trash cans. But this one here is a trash can in a public place, and everyone should know that anything and everything goes in there. Anyone who has been to China probably knows that the moment you open this kind of trash can, the stench hits you straight in the face—it stings your eyes. So unless someone is desperately starving, nobody would go digging for food in a trash can like that. What happened to the promised comprehensive poverty alleviation? Now that we've seen the elderly person, let's take a look at a child like this.

[Video clip] I'm eating.

There.

[Video clip] There's really no choice left.

Rice mixed with soy sauce. I know some people might say this must be staged. But you can take a look at this child's hair, clothes, and hands—this is something that only accumulates through long-term hard labor or a complete lack of hygiene. Once you actually see it, you won't be able to say it's staged. Besides, human beings cannot imagine things they have never seen before! When people see something new appear, it is actually just a combination and rearrangement of things they have already seen, creating a new form. Humans can never imagine something that has never been seen or never existed. So, even if this video were truly staged—though it doesn't look like it at all—even if it were, this scene must be something he saw with his own eyes, or heard described by someone who saw it, for him to be able to film it. That means there are definitely people living this kind of life, and their numbers are far, far greater than anyone imagines.

Alright, that is all for this episode. If you would like to support me, please join the channel membership. I should be doing a member-exclusive livestream tomorrow. Um, friends can check out the preview in my community tab. Uh, yes, it's tomorrow for me, while for friends in Taiwan and Beijing it should be tonight. Um, and for friends in other regions, please check your local time—there are too many time zones for me to calculate them all. Okay, that's all for this episode, see you next time.