China’s Most Unhinged President You’ve Never Heard Of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esHMciBx5jQ&t=74s

无作者

cWas that Beijing?What is his name?That was easy.How about him?Okay, maybe still too easy,but now I got you.Who is this man?Wait, you’ve never heard of the Toad King, the amphibian who ruled over China for 13 years?Well, you’re in for a ride today,baby.

(informal) to be going to experience sth soon, especially sth unpleasant
He’s in for a shock!

I’m afraid we’re in for a storm.

China has been in the news a lot lately,especially due to the ongoing tariff dispute with the US.But have you ever asked yourself,how much do you really know about this country and its leaders?A chaotic mess, stern and serious politicians?China’s current political landscape represents its desire to be taken seriously, around the world.Look at their demeanor.They are boring, and so are most government officials,except one.That’s right.With his thick glasses, high-waisted pants,and utterly unfiltered personality,

1 waist
the part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips腰, 腰部。
1.1
the circumference of this腰围：
her waist has reduced from 35 to 28 inches.

她的腰围从35英寸缩小到了28英寸。

too simple,sometimes naive,this former president of China broke the mold and became an unlikely, internet sensation, despite government sensors trying to shut it down.

break the mold (of sth)
to change what people expect from a situation, especially by acting in a dramatic and original way 改变…的模式；打破…的模式

Didn’t expect that, huh?Meet Jang Zamin.There has never been another.

Paramount leader since who has, been as authentic and open to, the world as him.Even going face to face with foreign journalists and their tough questions.I don’t need translation.I know.I know what you say.This is the story of how the, highest ranking communist leader, of an emerging superpower, became the Toad king and won, the hearts of millions online, decades after leaving office, and how despite everything,his legacy remains debated among historians to this very day.This is going to be a journey through fascinating Chinese history.So join me.The usual thing to do in China is to say, “Yes,he’s a big shot today,but he started in very humble beginnings and he was nothing but a peasant.”, That was not the case with Yangzamin.He was born in 1926 in Yangjo, a historic city known for its gardens and canals.But his early life was hardly peaceful.He grew up during the Japanese occupation and Chinese civil war.turbulent times that shaped an entire generation to this very day.

Without getting too deep into it, turn on the TV in China.90% of all shows play in that era.And unlike many other revolutionary leaders, Jang was an engineer by training.He was educated.You could almost call him an intellectual.Not a good thing to be in China at that time.He studied electrical machinery, at Changai Jaoong University, and later trained at the ZIL, in Moscow,some major Russian vehicle manufacturer.So while others were writing revolutionary communist theory,Jang was learning how things worked,a practical mindset that would serve him well in the future.Add to that that by the 1980s,Jang had worked his way up to become the mayor of Shanghai,China’s most cosmopolitan city and window to the world.But nothing in his life or career, suggested that he was destined, for the highest office.Quite the opposite, just another communist apparatchik.No one knows how many people have died in the crackdown.We may never know.It was noon time today in the, center of Beijing when a man.

walked to the middle of the avenue, of eternal peace.It wasn’t just a single tank he stopped.There were 18 tanks and armored carriers in this convoy.1989, the Tennan Square protests.This event was much more than a couple of tanks on the road,but it’s also way beyond the scope of this video.So, when the dust settled,China’s leadership was in crisis.A very important reformist general had been purged.That’s how they did it.And China’s then leader, Dang Xiaoing,you know,the guy who basically, 180 the entire country after, Mao’s decad’s long reign and, began the process of liberalization.In some ways, he’s the architect of modern day China.Anyways, he also green lit the army to shoot at protesters.China claims 241 dead.The Red Cross estimates 2,600.This was a disaster of monumental proportion.Dung at this point needed someone new,someone reliable but not threatening to any faction within the party.Introducing Jang Zamin,the technocrat, from Shanghai who had contained, his local student protests without.

massive bloodshed.The abuse in the chat.Almost overnight,this relatively unknown regional, nobody became the general secretary, of the world’s largest political, party and the leader of 1/5if, of humanity.But many saw him as a mere placeholder, a transitional figure who wouldn’t last.Big mistake.Few could have predicted that this unlikely, leader would not only survive politically,but go on to rule China during its most dramatic economic rise.Or that many, many years later,he would become a meme.Little side note here,his rise and stay in China’s, political machinery is worthy, of a video on its own,full of factions in the CCP strangling each other with brutal ruse and tricks.But that’s too political and uh Game of Thronesy for me to explain.Moving on.When you think of China’s political leaders,you probably imagine men in dark suits giving carefully rehearsed speeches.And for the most part, you’d be right.But then there is Jangzaming.In 2000, during an official state visit to Israel,

Jang didn’t just attend diplomatic meetings.That’s boring.Who wants to do that?Road trip.Road trip.He floated on his back in the Dead Sea, embracing his amphibious, toadlike nature,beaming at the camera in his now iconic high-waisted, swim trunks

a piece of clothing covering the lower part of the body and sometimes the top part of the legs, worn by men and boys for swimming
a pair of swimming trunks

and oversized goggles.It was just Jang being Jang.In 1996, while meeting with the king of Spain,Jang casually pulled out a comb and fixed his hair mid-reception.It is quite an unprecedented, move for such an occasion and made it into the newspaper.Unlike all other Chinese leaders before or since,Jang wasn’t just fluent in English.

Are you not afraid that your son will be subjected to bourgeois liberalism?

I never afraid about this because my son is very good boy.I’m convinced that if in that time I went to MIT maybe I’m also doctor degree.What has China recently done concerning panda conservation?I’m sorry, I I’m electric power engineer.He loved to show off his linguistic skills.He speaks Russian, Romanian,and several other languages as well.

During meetings with foreign officials,he’d often break into their native language or even sing their songs.[Music] So, how did this former president become an online sensation?It all started in 2014 when Chinese internet users noticed something peculiar.With his wide mouth, thick glasses,and somewhat rounded physique, some thought Jang resembled a Toad.

What started as gentle mockery soon evolved into something, unexpected, affection.

Online communities formed around sharing Jang memes, quotes,and videos.They called themselves hassle, which means Toad fans,and the phenomenon became known as moa, meaning Toad worship.What’s remarkable is that this happened in China,where poking fun at political figures isn’t exactly encouraged.It’s not allowed.Yet, the Jang memes persisted,evolving from simple jokes to a complex subculture, with its own language and rituals.As Chinese social media evolved, so did the Toad worship.What began on forums spread on WeChat groups, Waybo hashtags,

and even curated archives.Young Chinese nizens who were, just children during Jang’s presidency, came to know him not through, history books,but through viral videos and memes.Toad fans created emoticons, remixes,and elaborate tributes.My favorite one is, My favorite one is the claim, that every meme you post is going, to prolong his life by another, second.When Jang turned 90 in 2016,Chinese social media erupted with birthday celebrations, despite official attempts to limit the phenomenon.It is such an absurd case of people creating propaganda, and a cult of personality, on their own against the will of the state and without political messaging.It is bizarre.Terms like Toad, elder,and even Jang’s name would periodically be blocked on Chinese search engines.But people always found creative, workarounds and coded language, to continue their Toad worship.If there’s one moment that defines his internet legacy,it’s his response to a Hong Kong journalist in 2000.

When reporter Sharon Chong asked whether Beijing had pre-selected, Hong Kong’s chief executive,a serious concern and fair question,Jang didn’t appreciate the implication and had a bit of a Meltdown.Fore too young.too simple.Sometimes naive Foreign speech. Foreign speech.This is the show.naive, in China’s world of carefully, scripted politics maximum control this unhinged moment was unprecedented, and un un what’s the opposite of like into the future un unfollowed, which reminds me subscribe for, more China videos and epic gaming, his words have been remixed, me’d and quoted countless times, online in Chinese internet culture, calling someone too young too, simple became a way to playfully, dismiss someone without being, too harsh the phrase took on, a life on its own far beyond, its original, context.So why has Jang’s internet fame endured while other memes fade away?The answer is more complex than you think.First, there’s the nostalgia factor.For many Chinese millennials,

Jang represents an era of rapid economic growth and relative openness.I say relative because yes,it remained a one party state and he didn’t turn China into a democracy,nor did he try.But when compared to his contemporaries,Jang was the most open president to ever take office in policy and attitude.He presided over China’s entry into the World Trade Organization.He oversaw the return of Hong Kong that went over fairly smoothly,smoother than Tennmen Square and a period of international engagement.He’s a symbol of China’s attitude towards the world at that time.An unstoppable train of optimism.Second, there’s the contrast with more recent leadership styles.Compared to the meticulously, choreographed public appearances of current leaders,Jang’s unscripted moments and visible personality feel refreshingly authentic.He could not be more different, from what China’s political elite, has to offer today.And what I find much more interesting is that in my humble opinion,and this is probably going to.

be the most political I’ll ever, get on this channel,most discussions around China on the internet in the West are utterly branded.

to describe sb/sth as being sth bad or unpleasant, especially unfairly （尤指不公正地）丑化（某人），败坏（某人）名声
~ sb/sth as sth
They were branded as liars and cheats.
他们被说成是说谎者和骗子。
~ sb/sth + noun/adj.
The newspapers branded her a hypocrite.
报章污蔑她是伪君子

On one hand, people are completely oblivious to the extent of China’s influence,you know, soft power,how it subverts freedoms domestically and abroad,and how frequently it threatens its neighbors.And on the other hand, people have a demented paranoia.There’s no other way to put it.Is the CCP in the room with you right now?Say one positive thing about China.Chinese propaganda.I ate some really tasty noodles yesterday in Beijing.No.No.CCP spy confirmed.China breaks people’s brains.China is not a free country.You cannot publicly criticize the leader or the party.They are very sensitive.You can’t even compare the current president to a beloved cartoon character.To quote Hideio Kojima, they might be fragile,but yes, they’re fragile.But this whole weird Jangzamin, Toad phenomenon opened up a loophole through which Chinese nizens funneled,

albeit in a playful way with memes, political expression,a way to discuss leadership styles and preferences without crossing red lines.If you find your president to be too antagonistic towards the world,you can simply share a meme of, the Toad king dancing and singing, with foreign leaders and proclaim, how much you love and miss him.That is subtle, but it is critique.And finally, there’s Jang himself,a genuinely interesting character who played the Hawaiian guitar,quoted the Gettsburg address from memory.Our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation,conceiving liberty and dedicated to proposition that all men are created equal.sang Elvis Presley songs and displayed a range of emotions, never seen in Chinese politics.[Applause] Madame President, I’m sorry to say that.Despite his colorful personality,Jang Zamin led China during periods of significant controversy.When faced with challenging questions from foreign journalists,his responses often revealed both the happy golucky goofball.

and the pragmatic politician.In 2000,Jang sat down with veteran CBS, journalist Mike Wallace for a, rare extended interview with, Western media.This conversation, is the longest and most candid, exchange between a Chinese politician, and an American reporter ever.Jang faced tough questions about the Beijing crackdown and the fallong, spiritual movement.You haven’t answered the question, Mr.President.Did a part of Jang Zamin admire his courage?I know what you are driving at,but what I want to emphasize, is that we fully respect every citizen’s right to freely express his wishes and, desires,but I do not favor any flagrant, opposition to government actions during an emergency.The tank stopped, and did not run the young man down and even got called a dictator, right in his face.A dictator?An authoritarian?No, but but I I very frank speaking,I don’t agree with your point.um dictator.Compare that to this clip of Xinping when asked a question he doesn’t like.After Mr.

Obama answered his part, Xi removed his headset to signal he was moving on.Mr.Obama smiled and shrugged.While his positions mostly adhere to the party line,he was always willing to engage rather than retreat behind scripted responses.You were a student protester in Shanghai.That’s right.We want freedom.We want democracy.That was you.That’s right.That’s what those people in Tienman Square were saying.We want freedom.We want democracy.Whether you see him as a serious statesman, an autocrat,an internet meme, or somewhere in between,Jangzamin’s, unlikely second life as a pop, culture icon reminds us that, even in the most controlled environments,authenticity has a way of breaking through and appealing to people.And in the end, perhaps that’s the lesson of the Toad King.Be yourself.Okay, anyways,that’s about it.See you.If you enjoy these videos that give you insights into Chinese pop culture,check out the one I made on Jackie, Chan and how he cursed every, brand he ever worked with.It’s a good one.

[Music].

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