Kelly Nichole Presley
Chung Vu Thang, 13 and Muc Kha Hinh, 10, were all reprimanded for not "transmitting positive energy", but their fates were completely different.
Chung lost the videos I posted on the internet, and Section died.
The dark side follows China's positive energy slogan Photo: SCMP
When the slogan "positive energy" began appearing on Chinese social media a few years ago, it was a trendy term to describe good movies or trends of healthy living.
This phrase is also increasingly influential in the education industry.
These videos helped Chung attract 1.5 million followers, many praised her acting skills and said the role reminded them of her teacher.
But the educational authorities in Heilongjiang do not like these videos.
The videos were later taken down, angering internet users, arguing that the boy and his family were forced to do so.
In the end, Chung was only slightly rebuked.
But Muc, a fifth-grader in Changzhou, Jiangsu, is less fortunate.
In an essay of more than 300 words about the excerpt Three times fighting White Essence in the novel Journey to the West, Section draws the conclusion: "The moral lesson of the story is not to be fooled by appearance and hypocrisy.
The parent of the banner tapped please give me my daughter at a school in Jiangsu earlier this month Photo: Baidu
If other teachers read this essay, they would have praised Muc for his deep thinking.
After Muc died, many criticized the teacher.
Mu's death has led some observers to believe that there is a dark side behind China's obsession with the slogan "positive energy".
Xu Qinduo, senior researcher at Pangoal Institute, a group of public policy experts, says that while this concept is somewhat ambiguous, it is often used to emphasize the progress and positive side of any.
"On important occasions, people often talk about achievements rather than negative challenges or aspects, to create a bright and optimistic atmosphere," Xu said.
"On Chinese media or social networks, there are always more positive stories than negative ones, because negative stories will make people feel depressed, frustrated or dissatisfied.
However, continually requiring "positive energy" can have a bad impact in the real world.
Sun said the environment "requires positive energy to become increasingly rigid and harsh. Such an atmosphere is not only 'muffled' but also 'crushed' Muc."
