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       the new new world

       An Egg Fried Rice Recipe Shows the Absurdity of China’s Speech Limits

       A popular chef’s video was attacked as a jab at Mao Zedong’s dead son. But what if a recipe for egg fried rice was just a recipe for egg fried rice?

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       Credit...Xinmei Liu

       By Li Yuan

       Dec. 20, 2023Updated 1:15 a.m. ET

       阅读简体中文版 阅读繁体中文版

       The United States is entangled in an emotional debate about antisemitism and free speech on college campuses. The latest speech debate in China is about a chef’s video on how to make egg fried rice.

       Egg fried rice is a staple of Chinese home cooking and one of the first dishes many Chinese learn to cook. Think of mac and cheese in America. That was probably why Wang Gang, one of China’s most popular food bloggers, has made multiple recipe videos about the dish in the past five years. His “perfect” fried rice recipes attracted reviews, and reviews of those reviews.

       Then one of those videos drew the wrath of the official Chinese media and internet.

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       Li Yuan writes the New New World column, which focuses on the intersection of technology, business and politics in China and across Asia. More about Li Yuan

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