Pandas and table tennis are two of China’s most beloved national symbols, but the behaviour of some of their admirers has prompted concerns about extreme online fandom.
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In a rare open letter issued last month, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in the southwestern province of Sichuan condemned what it called toxic fan culture and online abuse targeting panda keepers.
“Recently, it has been deeply disheartening to see certain individuals inciting and manipulating public opinion – both domestically and abroad – to smear China’s ‘friendship ambassadors’, the giant pandas, while relentlessly cyberbullying frontline panda caretakers,” it said.
It warned that extreme behaviours, including cyberbullying, would undermine China’s decades of professional panda conservation efforts.
“This work calls for real commitment, not emotional outbursts or fan frenzy. While public oversight is welcomed, we firmly oppose extreme or illegal acts carried out in the name of ‘love’.”
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In June, a court in Sichuan convicted two people of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for falsely claiming that researchers had abused giant pandas, and for inciting online harassment against research institutes and staff.