Little Pink

Little Pink (Chinese: 小粉红; pinyin: xiǎo fěnhóng)^[1] is a term used to describe young Chinese nationalists on the internet.^[2][3] Some Western critics have described Little Pink as "ultranationalist".^[4][5]

The Little Pink are different from members of the 50 Cent Party or Internet Water Army, as the Little Pink are not known to be paid for their work. In terms of demographics, according to Zhuang Pinghui of South China Morning Post, 83% of the Little Pink are female, with most of them between 18 and 24 years old. More than half of the Little Pink are from third- and fourth-tier cities in China.^[6] This claim was contradicted by a research on The China Project, according to which the active participants of the movement in the notorious Di Ba Expedition (2015) were mostly males.^{[7][clarification needed]} They are primarily active on social media sites banned in China such as Twitter and Instagram.^[8]

History

The term Little Pink originated when a group of users started strongly criticizing people who published posts containing negative views and news about China.^[9][10] It was used as a derogatory term referencing the background color of website Jinjiang Literature City, from which the group was believed to come from. However, this link was mistakenly exaggerated by the Weibo user who coined the term.^[7] Within Jinjiang Literature City, this group became known as the "Jinjiang Girl Group Concerned for the Country", or the Little Pink, which was the main color of the website's front page.^[6][8] They have been compared to the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution.^[11]

According to Yu Liang, the Little Pink movement origins from complex feelings in Chinese digitalized youth. Among these: the desire to feel taken seriously, especially in comparison to the western world; the opposition to Chinese and international "universalist" intellectuals, as Little Pink feel failed by the promises of 90s universalism and "end of history"; celebration of the Chinese State and state-owned enterprises, linked to a rise of marxist views, as a reaction to the unbecoming inequalities in Chinese society; sense of individual failure and powerlessness, related to the lying flat movement.^[12]

In the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Little Pink expressed pro-Russia sentiments on the Chinese internet.^[13]

Responses

The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily and its daily tabloid Global Times have both lavished praise on the Little Pink, as has the Communist Youth League of China.^[6]

In October 2021, the Little Pink were the subject of criticism by the satirical song "Fragile" by Malaysian singer Namewee and Australian singer Kimberley Chen.^[14] A commentary in the South China Morning Post opined that in response to the song, the Little Pink should have reflected on the dangers of their fervent nationalism, instead of "pouring out vitriol at the rapper, song and supporters". The commentary compared their path and its dangers to the one taken by supporters of Donald Trump in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.^[15]

See also

• Patriotic Education Campaign
• Han chauvinism
• Fenqing
• Vatnik