Henry Gao(@henrysgao):Anyone dismissing the recent China rumours as “just rumours” needs a master class in Chinese history. For 3000 years, rumours have always been instruments of political mobilisation and change: Chen Sheng’s prophecy concealed in a fish’s belly; Liu Bang’s tale of killing the white snake; the CCP’s denunciations of the “four big families” as symbols of Nationalist corruption; and the alleged secret order attributed to Chiang Kai-shek not to resist Japan. In Chinese history, rumours are rarely just rumours. In the right hands, they can become political weapons—testing public sentiment, delegitimising rivals, shaping collective memory, and preparing the ground for change.

2026.09.17 01:00

Anyone dismissing the recent China rumours as “just rumours” needs a master class in Chinese history. For 3000 years, rumours have always been instruments of political mobilisation and change: Chen Sheng’s prophecy concealed in a fish’s belly; Liu Bang’s tale of killing the white snake; the CCP’s denunciations of the “four big families” as symbols of Nationalist corruption; and the alleged secret order attributed to Chiang Kai-shek not to resist Japan. In Chinese history, rumours are rarely just rumours. In the right hands, they can become political weapons—testing public sentiment, delegitimising rivals, shaping collective memory, and preparing the ground for change.

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