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The People of the Dragon

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"The People of the Dragon"
Song by Namewee
LanguageChinese
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2024
Length3:56
Songwriter(s)Namewee
Producer(s)Namewee, pooh for you(小熊为你, The Puns of Winnie the Pooh in Chinese)[1]

The People of the Dragon (龍的傳人) is a Lunar New Year song released by Malaysian singer Namewee on January 26, 2024, to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. The song has been interpreted as satirizing China's "Little Pinks," "Wolf Warriors," Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, political issues in mainland China, and Greater China nationalism.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][excessive citations]

The music video (MV) was filmed at the Baihe Great Wall in Tainan, Taiwan.[9]。

Content

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The opening of the video features a spoof of the "Public Screening Permit" from the "pooh for you State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television,"(小熊為你新聞出版廣電總局) mimicking the review system that all film and TV productions in mainland China must undergo. In the video, the character pooh for you(小熊为你, The Puns of Winnie the Pooh in Chinese), who performs with Namewee, wears a yellow dragon robe and a Winnie-the-Pooh mask, with the face pixelated.[5] In the credits, some crew members’ names are also pixelated. The actor playing "pooh for you" is credited as "Jinping (禁評, it means "no comments")," a homophone for Xi Jinping.

The lyrics reference major political and social events in China from 2023, including topics like "Myanmar Telecom Network Fraud [zh]" "lip-syncing," "insulting China [zh]," "effeminate men," and "zero-COVID policy."[4] They also mention terms such as "Little Pink" and "Heart in the motherland, body in London."

The song's introduction states that it is "dedicated to Chinese people from all around the world, including Singapore and Malaysia," a likely allusion to pan-Chinese nationalism [zh].[2][3]

Reception and commentary

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Brendan Kavanagh(Dr K), a British pianist known for his performance at London’s St. Pancras railway station [zh], commented on YouTube that he loved the song and even invited Namewee to shoot a video in the UK.[10][11][12]。

Trivia

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A user on Chinese social media platform TikTok (Mainland China version) claimed their account was permanently banned after sharing the song, believing it to be a harmless Lunar New Year tune. The user later warned others on Xiaohongshu about the song's anti-China nature.[13] Upon hearing this, Namewee responded on Facebook with an apology to the user, sarcastically reiterating that The People of the Dragon is indeed a "patriotic and pro-party" song.[14]。

Impact

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On August 24, 2024, Namewee revealed that he had received a threatening phone call from Cambodia in April, demanding the removal of The People of the Dragon and Fragile. After refusing, his business partners in China were reportedly harassed and intimidated, forcing them to cancel collaborations. As a result, 15 upcoming shows in his "Big Plane World Tour"(大飛機世界巡迴演唱會) had to be canceled.[15][16] On September 10, Namewee held another press conference to announce the relaunch of his world tour and described how the tour, which began in April 2023 at Taipei Arena(台北小巨蛋, was suppressed by Chinese authorities.[17] On China's National Day later that year, Namewee posted that Fragile had surpassed 73 million views on YouTube and The People of the Dragon was nearing 11 million views, jokingly adding that he was "just sharing," with "no other intention."[18]。

References

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  1. ^ 黃明志. "龙的传人 (feat. 小熊为你)". KKBOX. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  2. ^ a b NameweeOfficial. "常常听说马来西亚到处都是 "中华胶"，同事們不信！所以去做了采访。结果发现..." X. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  3. ^ a b 黄金祥 (3 February 2024). "黄金祥：筷子与龙的传人". 詩華日報. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  4. ^ a b 唐缘媛; 何平; 瑞哲 (29 January 2024). "黄明志新歌《龙的传人》嘲讽中国时政引关注". 自由亞洲電臺. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  5. ^ a b 葉冠吟 (29 January 2024). "黃明志揪維尼黃袍加身唱龍的傳人 大跳科目三喊「不悔入華夏」". 中央社. Archived from the original on 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  6. ^ 《追新聞》記者. "「辱華」聯盟｜黃明志賀年新歌《龍的傳人》諷習近平 獲Dr K留言邀請合作：「感謝英國粉紅的神助攻」". 追新聞. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  7. ^ 莊薇妮 (30 January 2024). "黃明志《龍的傳人》暗諷習近平 時評員揭彩蛋：辱華程度遠超《玻璃心》". 民視新聞網. Archived from the original on 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  8. ^ 溫曉平 (27 January 2024). "黃明志「龍的傳人」熱爆網絡 穿著龍袍的小熊維尼". 自由亞洲電臺. Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  9. ^ 莊曜聰. "黃明志《龍的傳人》MV爆紅 萬里長城場景在這裡拍的". 聯合新聞網. Archived from the original on 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  10. ^ 噓！星聞 編輯bian (30 January 2024). "黃明志新歌「龍的傳人」又惹怒小粉紅 英鋼琴家朝聖留言". 聯合新聞網. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  11. ^ 星洲網 (30 January 2024). "获英钢琴家邀拍片黄明志神回网笑翻（内附视频）". 星洲網. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  12. ^ 吕熙; 申铧; 洪伟 (February 2024). "专访伦敦钢琴家Dr K：他们告我就太棒了！". 自由亞洲電台. Archived from the original on 2024-02-04. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  13. ^ Anis, Nik Mazwin Binti Nik (2024-02-14). "Users catch lifetime bans over Namewee tune". The Star. Archived from the original on 2025-01-02.
  14. ^ "《龍的傳人》害中國網友抖音帳號被封禁…黃明志親回：抱歉了粉紅小姐姐". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2024-02-15. Archived from the original on 2025-01-02.
  15. ^ "黄明志爆巡演被取消内幕 生命受威胁 "害怕极了"". 中國報 China Press (in Chinese (China)). 2024-08-24.
  16. ^ "黃明志遭「威脅有生命危險」 逼他下架2首歌、15站巡演全取消". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2024-08-24. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10.
  17. ^ "被中國盯上？黃明志爆「生命受威脅」首露面 不願報警原因曝". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2024-09-10. Archived from the original on 2024-09-24.
  18. ^ TVBS. "跟風吳慷仁？黃明志大陸國慶日也發文 好消息全說了". TVBS (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2024-10-02.
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