Egg fried rice, a light and tasty dish, is a favourite in China and a well-known symbol of Chinese cuisine globally but it has become a touchy topic for China’s online nationalists, particularly during October and November.
This week, emotions have escalated to the point where a renowned chef felt compelled to apologise for creating a video on how to prepare the dish.
“As a chef, I will never make egg fried rice again,” declared Wang Gang, a celebrity chef with over 10 million online followers, in a video message on Monday.
Wang’s “serious apology” was an attempt to calm the storm of criticism about his video, which he shared on the Chinese social media site Weibo on November 27.
Nationalists accused Wang of using the video to ridicule the death of Mao Zedong’s eldest son, Mao Anying, who died in an American air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.
Although Wang’s video was purely about making egg fried rice, some Chinese nationalists view any reference to the dish around the anniversary of Mao Anying’s death or birthday on October 24 as a deliberate insult.
Ironically, by attacking mentions of egg fried rice by famous chefs and other influencers, these nationalist users have unintentionally spread the very rumour their government wants to suppress.
The disputed story suggests that Mao Anying, an officer in the People’s Liberation Army, ignored orders to take cover during an air raid. Instead, he lit a stove to cook egg fried rice, sending smoke into the sky and revealing his location to enemy planes.
However, Chinese authorities have consistently dismissed it as hearsay.
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Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has clamped down on those who criticise national heroes or challenge the official narrative about them.
In 2018, China introduced a law prohibiting the defamation of national “heroes and martyrs,” an offence punishable by up to three years in jail.
Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has clamped down on those who criticise national heroes or challenge the official narrative about them.
In 2018, China introduced a law prohibiting the defamation of national “heroes and martyrs,” an offence punishable by up to three years in jail.
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In 2020, Wang posted a video of himself making Yangzhou fried rice – a fancy version with ham, shrimp, peas and carrots as well as eggs on October 24, which caused a national uproar. In response, Wang quickly apologised.
“I only found out about this situation after I posted the video today and saw everyone’s comments,” he wrote under the video. “I’m only sharing the delicious food and have no other motives.”
After another backlash on Monday, Wang explained in his apology that his team had posted the video without him knowing. He later took it down.
Some people have called for Wang to be banned from Chinese social media, while others have asked for him to be punished for insulting national “heroes and martyrs,” referring to a law from 2018.
But others have stood up for Wang citing that he has made egg fried rice videos throughout other months in the year as well.
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