Japan-bashing Chinese unwittingly target Xi's lucky temple

Japan-bashing Chinese unwittingly target Xi's lucky temple

Hoping for good fortune in his career, Chinese President Xi Jinping used to frequent a temple in Zhejiang when he was still the province's top official more than a decade ago.
 
Not many people may know of this. Locals who witnessed Xi's visits to Jingshan temple and heard him speak about his career ambitions back then would dare not mention it in public today.
 
Chinese netizens who are now engaged in a fresh Japan-bashing movement that targets a bottled green tea product they say "promotes Japanese culture" are certainly not aware. On the bottle's label is a depiction of a temple and text explaining how a Japanese monk who trained at Jingshan temple brought back Chinese tea culture to his home country in the 13th century, giving rise to Japan's matcha powdered green tea.
 
How can this tea be flattering to Japan? The text reads more like praise for Chinese culture. Taking the temple's links with Xi into account, those who belittle the beverage are in a way belittling the promotions Xi had wished for at the temple and then went on to realize.
 
Netizens easily pile on when Japan-bashing movements begin, as that is the politically safest way to vent frustration in today's China. Social media influencers can win fans by posting related text and images, which can then translate into huge ad revenue gains for themselves.