Huiran is a 21-year-old shepherdess from Xinjiang, China, which happens to be the home of the Uighur people who are mostly Muslims and whose religion, language and way of life is being suppressed by Beijing. In fact, the UN say that there have been genocidal actions by Beijing against the Uighur people but that is another (but linked) story. This is about the petite shepherdess who can kill and skin a sheep in less than eight minutes.
She decided to video her rural lifestyle on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert (or did the government have the idea?). As hinted at, her most popular video is the one in which she kills and skins a sheep in less than eight minutes. What makes her videos viral is her good looks juxtaposed against the brutality of what she does.
Although, the tabloid Global Times observed in its report: “Her cute appearance and skillful technique of butchering sheep give the audience a strong sense of contrast”. Yes, that’s what I have said, and I agree with it.
She, however, has a different take on her popularity. She said: “I never imagined my videos about my daily life would become popular. I believe it’s more the local natural beauty and the shepherd’s life that attract the public”.
Perhaps, she is being deliberately modest because it’s obvious that she knows that she is attractive and that what she does is very raw and as I described it brutal but I guess farming sometimes can be brutal because it includes slaughter.
I don’t want to be derogatory about the Chinese but they are very good at slaughtering animals, particularly wild ones in wet markets which is how the Covid pandemic started. And they are particularly good at slaughtering cats and dogs in the meat markets and fur markets in the south despite the fact that the dogs and cats are stolen pets and they are slaughtered in an entirely unregulated manner with great brutality.
I digress. This is about this sweet-looking lady. Huiran is one of many Chinese you have emigrated into Xinjiang from other parts of the country. She is a Han Chinese and this race of Chinese have come to dominate government, business and agriculture in the region. It appears that the policy is to squeeze out the Uighur people as they are Muslims and, as I recall, Muslims are regarded as terrorists only to be suppressed and I guess, ideally, eradicated.
So, there is a backdrop or back story to this viral story about this young woman which is quite black. And it appears that she is supporting the Chinese government’s agenda because she portrays her lifestyle as somewhat idyllic and the place where she lives as harmonious when there are many alleged violations of human rights in the area. This then is Beijing propaganda. I wonder how she feels about being a propaganda tool. I have no idea, but she may have been planted there to provide this propaganda and the funding of her videos may be supported by the government.
Below are some more articles on China.
