Oct 09, 2021, 15:17
（Xinhua）Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on October 6 shared with Americans seven buzzwords that are currently popular in China to illustrate what is going on in his country.
"The buzzwords I shared with you today reflect the changing and unchanging elements in our values when China experiences rapid economic growth and profound social transformation," said Qin in his keynote speech at the online Forum on Tourism, Hospitality and Cultural Exchange co-hosted by the U.S.-Asia Institute and Las Vegas Sands Corp.
The first buzzword Qin mentioned was "People First, Life First," which was widespread during China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflects a deep concern for humanity.
Likewise, "Heroes in Harm's Way" has also gone viral in China, which refers to the everyday heroes who put their mission before their lives and made fearless sacrifices to fight the pandemic, Qin said.
To "Lie Flat" is a term to describe the youngsters who give up ambitions and do the bare minimum to get by, Qin said, adding "lie-flatters" are either people from well-off families or those who believe in whatever comes their way.
"Versailles," originally from the "Palace of Versailles" in French, was borrowed to describe the self-claimed aristocratic spirit. On social media, it is used to label humble-braggers, he said.
"Involution," one of the latest buzzwords in China, indicates irrational or involuntary competitions, while "Double Reduction" is a recent policy formulated by the government to address involution in education, which aims to restore the original purpose of education by restricting capital in the sector, Qin said.
The last buzzword, "Celebrity Fan Clubs," refers to the phenomenon that some celebrities use internet to hype up themselves and cause their fans to admire them in an irrational manner, while such abnormalities stem from a chain of interests dominated by online platforms and the capital that supports them, he said.
In his speech, Qin said that socialism with Chinese characteristics requires material progress and cultural-ethical advancement, adding, "We need to keep fine traditional values, uphold fairness and justice, and not get lost in a market economy."
"(Being) rooted in traditional Chinese values is a concern for the common good of humanity," he added.
Westerners don't have patience for oriental metaphors. When Ren of Huawei said a few recently, one comment questioned whether he knew corporatespeak.
Not communicating directly to an audience already predisposed to negative perception will only be counterproductive.
They will argue the communicator doesn't know what's the real problem, or worse, pretends it doesn't exist in the minds of the audience, warped by propaganda as those might be.
Speak directly and clearly with commonly used words so that more can understand.
Have an easily discernible and flowing structure for each presentation.
Get to the point. Don't fluff.
And never use socialist or communist terminology.
Spoken words should be short and punchy. Written words can be long but only if they are intended to carry specific connotations.
Use facts and logic to counter accusations and prejudices. If necessary, apply whataboutism but do it short and sharp, laced with facts and numbers to scale the argument.
Enumerate with lists of points why the country is different, how the ideology is globally common in essence once seen from the angle of objectives, and share some of the problems faced in trying to improve matters while meeting unexpected challenges.
Be more sophisticated in thinking but not by sacrificing precision and clarity at the altar of nuances beyond the attention span of too many.
Project sincerity and earnestness from beginning to end. Show that talk has been walked. Except on matter of national sovereignty, don't be too adamant to demand recognition of representation.
Be prepared to be disappointed. It will happen. Move on. It's just life.
"Involution," one of the latest buzzwords in China, indicates irrational or involuntary competitions, while "Double Reduction"... These so-called buzz words don't exactly trip off the tongue easily and are not to be found in common usage ( at least for native English speakers ). Perhaps there needs to be some clearer understanding of what the phrase ''buzz word'' really means.
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