China Blacklists 'Winnie The Pooh' On Various Social Media Platforms

Social media users first compared the likeness between Xi and the character in 2013, noting that an image of Xi and Barack Obama walking side by side had a resemblance to Winnie-the-Pooh walking beside Tigger. "What did this adorable honey-loving bear ever do to provoke anyone?"

Even though Pooh bear is one of the cutest Disney characters, China can't seem to bear its presence on social media. The film "Babe: Pig in the City" was banned in 1995 because, at the time, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, now part of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, had a policy that films were not allowed to depict live-action animals with the ability to speak. And in 2015, the political analysis portal Global Risk Insights called a picture of Xi standing up through the roof of a parade auto paired with an image of a Winnie the Pooh toy vehicle "China's most censored photo" of the year. Not known for their sense of humor, China's censors may have wanted to stop the spread of such an image on social media. But perhaps due to political risks, Chinese censors made a decision to ban the use of Pooh's Chinese name or the comments about Pooh on Sina Weibo posts.

Qiao also said he was aware of social media users being detained after posting about the president on the internet.

Users have also found a set of animated emojis featuring Pooh Bear and his friends removed from the platform. Those who try to post Pooh's name on Weibo reportedly receive an error message saying, "The content is illegal".

Memes are quite popular on social media, and they are often used to joke around.

Images of empty chairs are also censored across Chinese cyberspace, especially after Liu's death.

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Then in 2014, a picture of President Xi shaking hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzō Abe launched another comparison which made the rounds on social media.

China is already infamous for having one of the world's most restrictive internet filtering and censorship systems- the Great Firewall of China.

The censorship comes ahead of a conference held by China's ruling party later this year, at which Xi is expected to regain power.

China is no stranger to censorships.

China's Communist Party sensitive to mockery at the best of times.