"Milk Tea Chain's Creative Contest Withdrawn After 'Tank Man' and Red Guard Appearances"

In May 2024, a "little pink" [Chinese nationalist] posted a photo of the "Tank Man" on Weibo to prove that "China is very free," but the post was quickly deleted, and their account was banned. (Weibo screenshot)

[People News] The Chinese beverage chain "Mixue Bingcheng" co-hosted the "Snow King Creative Cup" contest, only to discover that entries with sensitive content, including imagery of the "Tank Man" from the Tiananmen Square Incident and Cultural Revolution Red Guards, appeared in submissions. The contest was promptly halted shortly after it began.

According to Radio Free Asia, the contest was initially scheduled to run from October 25 to November 10. Mixue Bingcheng collaborated with "WHEE," the AI drawing platform from "Meitu Xiuxiu," requiring entries to base their designs on the "Snow King" character using WHEE, with allowances for additional modifications through other design tools for touch-ups and post-processing.

The organizers required that all entries be original, clear in image quality, and prohibited from containing content associated with other brands, stolen materials, past entries, or illegal and inappropriate content, including adult, violent, unauthorized, or rights-infringing content. Any rule violations would lead to disqualification and possible legal repercussions for the entrant.

Customer Service Cites 'System Upgrades' as Contest Inaccessible

However, soon after the contest launched, a range of "prohibited" entries appeared. For instance, a piece titled "Mecha Battle Snow King" featured a crowned snowman driving a golden tank, crushing smaller snowmen fleeing in various directions, evoking associations with the "Tank Man" from the Tiananmen Square protests. Another entry titled "Snow King with Wheat for the Golden Autumn" depicted the character cheerfully carrying large bundles of wheat, seemingly mocking CCP leader Xi Jinping’s claim of carrying "200 pounds of wheat for ten miles without shifting shoulders."

A more direct entry titled "Cultural Revolution Snow King" illustrated Red Guards holding copies of the "Little Red Book," with phrases such as "innocent" and "revolution" on the smiling snowman, referencing the Cultural Revolution slogan, "Revolution is innocent; rebellion is justified."

According to Liberty Times, as Mixue Bingcheng realized the contest was spiraling out of control, they urgently halted the event. Some Chinese netizens shared that when they inquired with customer service about the contest's disappearance, they received a response citing "system upgrades." The incident sparked heated discussions online, with comments like, "This withdrawal must have really scared the boss," "They claim to follow the 'mass line,' but this clearly upset them," and "Will they dare to hold similar public submission contests in the future?"