Tacky But Effective? The Endless Creativity of China's Anti-Virus Propaganda Banners

Mandarin Monday is a weekly column where we help you improve your Chinese by detailing learning tips, fun and practical phrases, and trends.

If you can read Chinese, then you're probably already aware of China's obsession with writing in couplets. From Spring Festival well wishes on your neighbor’s door to Internet slang in its many colorful forms, the thinking seems to be that only when things come in twos is Mandarin's full expressive potential is complete.

During the battle with COVID-19, China's literati wannabes have found their calling, unleashing their endless creativity seemingly overnight with slogans hung alongside streets, in front of neighborhoods, and pinned to otherwise bare, drab walls across the country. Even though these red banner slogans (横幅标语 héngfú biāoyǔ) are ubiquitous across China, nowadays it's rare to see so many pop up within a short period of time, potentially indicating directives from above or perhaps simply reflecting a dormant passion in waiting among China's community managers.

The slogans are predominantly targeted at elderly citizens, many of whom live happily ignorant to the ways of social media and online news channels and therefore may be less aware of the dangers of COVID-19, a concern given that they are also the most at risk of complications should they become infected. To really hammer the message home, some of the banners utilize language that reads straightforward to the point of intimidating – so much so that there have been online debates as to whether or not they constitute a form of bullying – and are often peppered with references and archaic humor most likely lost on younger generations.

Is what they say effective? Who knows, but they sure are imaginative. Below are a few of our favorites cobbled together from across the interwebs.

带病回村，不肖子孙 dài bìng huí cūn, bùxiào zǐsūn
Return home with the illness, [you are] unfilial children.

今年上门，明年上坟 jīnnián shàngmén, míngnián shàngfén 
Visit your family or friends this year, visit their tombs next year.

出来聚会的是无耻之辈，一起打麻将的是亡命之徒 chūlái jùhuì de shì wúchǐ zhī bèi, yīqǐ dǎ májiàng de shì wángmìng zhī tú
People who go out to party are shameless, people who gather to play mahjong are outlaws.

我宅家，我骄傲，我为国家省口罩，我为自己省钞票！wǒ zhái jiā, wǒ jiāo'ào, wǒ wèi guójiā shěng kǒuzhào, wǒ wèi zìjǐ shěng chāopiào!
I stay at home, I am proud, I save the mask for the country, I save cash for myself!

口罩还是呼吸机，您老看着二选一 kǒuzhào háishì hūxī jī, nín lǎo kànzhe èr xuǎn yī
Mask or respirator, you choose.

今天沾一口野味，明天地府里相会 jīntiān zhān yīkǒu yěwèi, míngtiān dìfǔ lǐ xiāng huì
Take a bite of the wild animal today, see you in the hell tomorrow.

今天聚会图热闹，骨灰盒中乐逍遥 jīntiān jùhuì tú rènào, gǔhuī hé zhōng lè xiāoyáo
Whoever gathers today, will soon find fun in their cinerary urns.

And as a bonus, here's a short poem adapted from a verse written by Chinese military leader Ye Ting while he was being held prisoner by the Chinese Nationalist Party during World War II, a feeling many of us may be able to sympathize with right around now.

《自由》zìyóu "Freedom"

为人进出的门紧锁着；wéirén jìnchū de mén jǐn suǒzhe;
The door for people to pass through is locked;
想死的门敞开着；xiǎng sǐ de mén chǎngkāizhe;
While the gate to death is wide open;
有个病毒在外高喊着：yǒu gè bìngdú zàiwài gāo hǎnzhe:
There is a virus screaming outside:
“出来玩吧，给你自由！” “chūlái wán ba, gěi nǐ zìyóu!”
"Come out and play, I'll give you freedom!"
但我深深地知道— dàn wǒ shēn shēn dì zhīdào–
But I know from the bottom of my heart–
出去了，就死定了。chūqùle, jiù sǐ dìngle.
I will die if I go out.
人的生命只有一次，rén de shēngmìng zhǐyǒu yīcì,
Humans only live once,
算球了，suàn qiúle,
F**k it,
再关十几天就自由了！zài guān shí jǐ tiān jiù zìyóule!
A couple more weeks then I will be free!

READ: Quarantedium, and 16 Other Terms That Should Now Exist in Light of the Coronavirus

Images: Zutiyu, Hotbak, Weibo, Zhihu