Year Hare Affair

Year Hare Affair (Chinese: 那年那兔那些事/那年那兔那些事儿; lit.: 'Those stories of that rabbit that happened those years') is a Chinese webcomic by Lin Chao (林超),[1], initially under the pen name "逆光飞行" (Pinyin: Nìguāng Fēixíng, lit. "flight against the light"). The comic uses anthropomorphic animals as an allegory for nations and sovereign states to represent 20th century political, military and diplomatic events. The goal of this project was to promote nationalistic pride in young people, and focuses on appreciation for China's various achievements since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It was originally not intended for foreign audiences, but when the animated series gained popularity after its first season, the creators stopped planning episodes in strict chronological order so as to be able to portray countries with the most screen time in a positive light more often.

Year Hare Affair
那年那兔那些事
GenreHistorical, comedy
AuthorLin Chao
PublisherSina Weibo (China)
Original runJune 13, 2011 – present

An animated adaptation of the series started airing on the Internet in March 2015[2] and a free-to-play strategy video game based on it was released on iOS and Android in July 2015.[3]

Characters

Nations and sovereign states
Nations / Sovereign statesAppearanceReasons and source of the appearance
People's Republic of China
(or Communist Party of China)		HareHares are herbivorous animals that are usually considered cute, docile and populous, as well as being "harmless to humans and animals alike" (Chinese: 人畜无害), but can still inflict nasty bites and kicks when irritated, representing the author's view that the People's Republic of China is traditionally not so aggressive in foreign policies, but can still pack a heavy punch when required.[4] Another explanation for it is that the Chinese words for "comrade" and "rabbit/hare" sound very similar when pronounced with a Shanghainese accent, as famously coined by crosstalk comedian Jiang Kun during the 1980s.

The Hare normally prefers to act friendly and moe in front of others and is obsessed with working the fields harvesting carrots and earning "small money", but when provoked into fighting often wields a cleaver and a brick in each hand while emitting a hellish black aura, and later learns to "plant mushrooms". When extremely enraged, the Hare dons a green dinosaur suit and becomes a Godzilla-like monster that breathes fire.

Taiwan (or Kuomintang)BaldheadBased on the (absence of) hair of Chiang Kai-shek. In Standard Chinese the words "baldhead" (秃子 tūzi) and "rabbit" (兔子 tùzi) are near-homophones, which also represent the complexity of Cross-Strait relations.
United StatesBald eagleBald eagle is the national bird of the United States of America.[5]
Soviet UnionRussian BearBear is a common national personification for Russia and the USSR starting from the Russian Empire. The Soviet bear has a symbol — the hammer and sickle of Communism — on his stomach, which later becomes more like a character, "父", meaning "father" in Chinese.
RussiaRussian Bear with a single separated hairTo differentiate from Soviet Union, this bear has a character "大" ("big" in Chinese, or "eldest" when describing age order of siblings) on his stomach, meaning that he is the "eldest son" of the USSR. The hair refers to "毛子" ("hairy ones", referring to the comparatively higher body hair count in Caucasians), a common northern Chinese nickname for Russians (and all East Slavs by extension).
UkraineRussian Bear with two separate hairsTo differentiate from Russia, this bear has a number "2" on his stomach, meaning that he is the "second son" of the USSR.
BelarusRussian Bear with three separate hairsTo differentiate from Russia, this bear has a number "3" on his stomach, meaning that he is the "third son" of the USSR.
JapanCrane / ChickenThe crane is an important part of the Japanese culture.[6] The chicken is used as an insult based on the similar cartoonish appearance between crane and chicken and the traditional Chinese slang term xiao riben, and the fact that the green pheasant is Japan's official national bird.
South KoreaGaoli bangzi with helmetBangzi is an ethnic slur used in Northeast China in reference to Koreans.[7] To differentiate with North Korea, a US-style combat helmet is added to the appearance of South Korea.
North KoreaGaoli bangzi with ski capBangzi is an ethnic slur used in Northeast China in reference to Koreans.[7] To differentiate with South Korea, a Communist-style red star cap is added to the appearance of North Korea.
Various Southeast Asian countries:
Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines		MonkeyMonkey is commonly seen in the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia. It is also historically used as an ethnic slur in China for any economically backward/culturally inferior "southern barbarians".[8]
PakistanMarkhorMarkhor is commonly seen in Pakistan and the national animal. In the animation the Markhor is called Ba Ba Yang ("Pak Goat") and sometimes nicknamed "Little Ba" by the Hare.[9]
IndiaWhite elephantWhite elephant is commonly seen in India as an important part of Hindu mythology. In the animation the author chooses it rather than the bull which is sacred in Hindu to represent India because bull has already been used to represent the UK.
United KingdomBull"John Bull" is a national personification of England and the United Kingdom in general.
FranceGallic roosterGallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France.
GermanyTiger / CatThe Tiger I/II heavy tanks and the Jagdtiger series tank destroyers are the most famous German armoured fighting vehicles from the Second World War,[10] so in the comic Germany was at first a tiger called "Hans". But since both East and West Germany had been restricted in military strength after World War II, the "big cat" have been "tamed" and "downsized" to "small cats".
Various African countries in:
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Tanzania,
Sudan,
South Sudan,
Eritrea		HippopotamusHippo is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in Sub-Saharan Africa generally stereotyped as being simple-witted and clumsy.[11] Both in the comic and the animation, nearly all African countries mentioned are represented by hippopotamus, except for the Ugandan junta regime under Idi Amin. Also, "Colonel Ka the Hippo" sometimes symbolizes Muammar Gaddafi himself other than the country. Sudan and South Sudan only appear in the end of Episode 3, Season 2 of the animation.
UgandaDuck"Uncle Crazy Duck" is, in fact, the nickname of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi among Chinese netizens. The appearance of "Uncle Crazy Duck" in the comic is based upon Count Duckula who wears a Teletubby-like hippo fursuit and has loose screws on his head, meaning that his brain is "different" from other Africans. In the animation, Uncle Crazy Duck shouts "Banana!" during speeches like the Minions.
Various Arab world countries:
Afghanistan,
Saudi Arabia,
Iraq,
Pahlavi Iran		CamelCamel is commonly seen and used as transportation in the arid, desertous Middle East and Central Asia. Both in the comic and the animation, nearly all mentioned Arabic countries are represented by camels, but they have different appearance — Afghan camel wears a scarf and is bearded; Saudi (and other Gulf nations by extension) camel wears a scarf and lots of diamonds; Iraqi camel under the Saddam Hussein regime wears a military beret; and Iranian camel during the Pahlavi dynasty has a throne on his head.
Post-revolution IranPersian lionLion is the symbol of ancient Iran and the Persian Empire. The religious reform of Ruhollah Khomeini made the shia-majority Iran quite different from its sunni Arabic neighbours, and so the author chooses the symbol of ancient Persia to represent it.

Others
CharacterAvatarReasons and source of the appearance
Lin Chao (author) Snake "Twiny snake" (Chinese: 麻蛇) is one of the author's online nickname, and comes in the form of a green snake with a pair of short yellow antlers. The Snake is often violently beaten up by other characters for inappropriately awkward straight man talks, and frequently threatened by the Hare to be cooked into a pasty soup — a running in-joke about the author's notoriety of often delaying the periodic updates of the comic series. The Chinese characters for "update" (更) and "paste" (羹) are homophones both pronouncing Gēng, causing the series' fans to create a parodic light poetry: "if the Snake doesn't update, make [him into] a snake paste (Chinese: 麻蛇不更麻蛇羹)."
Lin Chao's wife Snail Fairy Lin Chao's girlfriend (whom he married later) was often used as a excuse when he failed to update the comics on time, so an avatar is created as a recurrent cameo character who is a homemaker for the author, like in the Chinese legend of the Snail Fairy.
Director of the animated cartoon Tree "Two Tree" (Chinese: 二树) is the online username of the director/producer of the comics' animated series, so an avatar is created as a cameo character.
Suning.com Lion Suning.com is a sponsor of the animated series, and its mascot is a lion.

Included events
Events mentioned in the webcomic[12]

Animated series

On March 5, 2015, an animated series started airing on the Internet.[2][15][16] Three seasons had been produced by the time the series concluded on March 8, 2017.[17] The theme song "Zhuī Mèng Chìzǐ Xīn" (追梦赤子心; lit. "Dream Pursuer with Childish Heart") was performed by the Chinese band GALA.

Video game

A free-to-play strategy role-playing video game based on the webcomic, was released on iOS and Android on July 15, 2015. The player controls one of three factions: Hare, Bald Eagle and Bear.[18]

Reception

Critical response

The comic expresses the modern history of China and its international relations in a fun way.[13] It has sparked patriotism in China's younger generations.

Hare (Chinese: 我兔; lit.: 'Our rabbit') is now used as Internet slang referring to China.[19]

Criticisms

Creators of an anti-Year Hare Affair Facebook community page[20] believe this comic is a sign of rising of Chinese chauvinism and Sinocentrism, thus mocking the titular "That Rabbit" by calling him "Nazi Rabbit" caused by the identical pronunciation of "that" and the abbreviation for the word "Nazi".[21]

The historical vision, provided in first two seasons of Year Hare Affair, came under heavy criticism in an overview on the Russian website South China Insight, especially Sino-Soviet relations. Though it is admitted that relations with Russia "occupy a leading place" in reflecting of Chinese history, but with a "complete disregard for historical facts", such as Soviet involvement in the CPC's foundation and the Red Army's liberation of Manchuria from Japanese forces. It was also noted that the Sino-Vietnamese War has been completely left behind.[22]

Oiwan Lam of Global Voices Online finds racism in portraying the African as a hippopotamus, which she considers "a lazy and stupid animal". In that regard, "China's aid for Africa has also been simplified as a last resort because 'the first world refused to play with us'."[23]

Ratings

The second and third season received 8.6 and 8.4 points out of 10 on Douban.[17]

References
  1. "漫画《那年那月那兔》向志愿军致敬版 微博上转了两万条_中国兔子乌拉_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn.
  2. Year Hare Affair 01 （ English Sub） 那年那兔那些事儿01. YouTube. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  3. http://shouyou.178.com/nnnt/
  4. 贺志. 寂寞深蓝. cardinalhehe.blogspot.ca (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. Lawrence, E.A. (1990). "Symbol of a Nation: The Bald Eagle in American Culture". The Journal of American Culture 13 (1): 63–69
  6. ja:タンチョウ#日本
  7. Kristof, Nicholas D. (April 11, 1993). "THE WORLD; China and North Korea: Not-So-Best of Friends". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  8. 金猴献瑞，蛮夷来朝. tianya.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. "Markhor: the national animal of Pakistan".
  10. Jentz, Thomas; Doyle, Hilary (1993). Kingtiger Heavy Tank 1942–45. Osprey Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 185532282X.
  11. "Hippopotamus". awf.org.
  12. 那年那兔那些事儿. 那年那兔那些事儿吧 (in Chinese). 2 February 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  13. 台湾网友欢乐讨论内涵漫画《那年那兔那些事》. 360doc.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. 逆光飞行：那年那兔大船梦_南渝霜华_新浪博客. sina.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. "动漫: 那年那兔那些事儿 TV版 2015". Youku (in Chinese). 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  16. "90后00后为何非常爱国，B站老总的回答亮了_网易哒哒-新生代趣闻工厂" (in Chinese). 163.com. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-12-11. ”团队“翼下之风”获视频网站“哔哩哔哩”(B站)2000万元A轮融资
  17. Li, Hongrui (March 16, 2017). "Five popular new Chinese animation series". China Daily. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  18. 国漫《那年那兔那些事儿》出军事题材手游. xw.qq.com (in Chinese). June 6, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  19. "Google". google.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. "Year Hare Affair". facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. Wu, Haiyun (April 27, 2016). "New National Mascot Burrows into Netizens' Patriotic Mindset". Sixth Tone. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  22. "Дела зайца в те годы" - как китайцы видят отношения с Россией в одном из самых популярных мультфильмов Китая ["Year Hare Affair" - how the Chinese view relations with Russia in one of the most popular cartoons of China]. South-insight.com (in Russian). May 7, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  23. Lam, Oiwan (June 1, 2016). "Why Some Chinese Fail to See Racism in Qiaobi's Viral Detergent Commercial". Global Voices Online. Retrieved August 7, 2017.

Further reading
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