Millions of Chinese people who have been subjected to the feared lockdowns have turned to Hindi film legend Bappi Lahiri‘s smash hit song “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja” from the 1982 film “Disco Dancer” to vent their rage and aggravation over the strict zero-COVID policy of their nation.
“Jie mi, jie mi,” translates to “Give me rice, give me rice”
In the Chinese social media platform Douyin, which is the Chinese name for TikTok, people in the videos mockingly hold empty vessels to show how they are deprived of necessary food items during the lockdowns. The song, which was written by Lahiri and sung by Parvati Khan, is sung in Mandarin as “Jie mi, jie mi,” which translates to “Give me rice, give me rice.”
The videos have so far managed to avoid being taken down by Chinese censors, who take swift action to take down any post deemed unfavorable to the government there.
Indian movies have always had enormous popularity in China
From Raj Kapoor’s heyday in the 1950s and 1960s to more recent years, when movies like “3 Idiots,” “Secret Superstar,” “Hindi Medium,” “Dangal,” and “Andhadhun” earned remarkably well at the Chinese box office, Indian movies have always had enormous popularity in China.
According to observers, the Chinese have developed a clever method of employing “Jie mi, jie mi” to stage subdued protests in an effort to draw attention to the public’s suffering caused by the zero-COVID policy, which has effectively walled off China from the outside world.
The zero-COVID policy has ensnared China and put dozens of cities, including Shanghai, which has a population of over 25 million, on lockdown for weeks with residents confined to their apartments.
Numerous videos have surfaced showing security personnel harshly reprimanding protesters of the lockdowns.
Following a virus outbreak and allegations of unsafe working conditions, workers hired to assemble Apple Inc.’s newest iPhone staged a walkout from a facility in central China’s Zhengzhou.
According to reports, employees began leaving the Foxconn factory after several of them became unwell in the middle of October but received no medical attention.
China reported 2,675 cases on Sunday
China reported 2,675 cases on Sunday, up from 802 the day before.
In accordance with President Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID policy, cities and communities are required to implement rigorous lockdowns, and if any confirmed cases are recorded, local residents are sent to quarantine facilities.
