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The
incident unfolded on live television during a media session on
the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), where
high-level officials field often pre-approved questions, mostly
from domestic media.
Liang Xiangyi, a TV reporter from financial news outlet Yicai,
seemed to find a fellow journalist's long-winded question on
China's state asset management too much to bear.
Liang, standing next to the questioner, Zhang Huijun, rolled her
eyes, looked Zhang up and down then turned away with another
dismissive raising of the eyes.
Zhang works for American Multimedia Television USA, a Los
Angeles-based organization which, according to its website,
previously had ties to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Televised nationwide, the incident was seen by millions and
quickly spawned GIFs, video clips and parodies across China's
vibrant but tightly controlled social media before many of the
postings were removed.
Many netizens declared it the most interesting moment of the
tightly orchestrated and largely rubber-stamp NPC session, which
has been the most significant in years as parliament voted to
remove presidential term limits, enabling President Xi Jinping
to remain in office indefinitely.
Some social media commentators praised the apparent spontaneity
of Liang's show of frustration.
"Good job. A reporter who comes to the Great Hall of the People
unscripted," cheered one commentator on Weibo.
An official at Yicai who was not authorized to speak to media,
said Liang had been temporarily pulled from the channel's
parliamentary coverage team.
Neither Liang nor Zhang could be reached for comment on
Wednesday, and emailed inquiries to both reporters' employers
went unanswered.
(Reporting by Pei Li and Tony Munroe; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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