Why badges of Winnie the Pooh getting punched are taking Taiwan by storm
Taiwan’s citizens have found a symbol of resistance against Xi Jinping’s leadership after China staged three-day military drills around the island.
Cloth badges worn by Taiwanese air force pilots show an angry Formosan black bear – seen as a symbol of Taiwanese identity – punching Winnie the Pooh – that represents Mr Xi. The badges carry different slogans like “Scramble!”, “we are open 24/7” and “fight for freedom”.
Mr Xi had become infamously associated with the character created by British author AA Milne, following a meeting with Barack Obama, who was then the US president, for a summit in 2013.
Taiwan government-owned Military News Agency had released a photo on Saturday of the badge on the arm of a Taiwanese pilot inspecting a fighter jet.
The badges have caught on among the Taiwanese public and are now being sold for 200 Taiwanese dollars ($6.50). They have been produced by Wings Fan Goods in Taoyuan city, east of capital Taipei.
The badges carry the same protest symbolism that has been seen in Myanmar in the form of a three-finger salute and white paper protests in China.
Taiwan is claimed by China as its own territory and does not look kindly upon Taiwan’s ties with the West.
Chinese censors have long targeted comparisons of Winnie the Pooh to China’s president.
Alec Hsu, who designed the cloth badges, told Reuters that he has been selling them at his shop since last year, but saw a spike in orders after Taiwan’s military news agency published the photo .
“I wanted to boost the morale of our troops through designing this patch,” said Hsu, who owns Wings Fan Goods Shop.
Mr Hsu said the increased demand for the badges has increased after the recent Chinese drills and customers have included both military officers and civilians.
Taiwan’s air force told the news outlet that it does not “particularly encourage” its members to wear the patch, which is not a part of their military uniform.
But it “will maintain an open attitude” to anything that raises morale.
The bear-battle badges also found mention in Chinese social media as commentators made fun of the trend.
A Chinese commentator wrote on Weibo: “The mainland is building warships and Taiwan is building shoulder patches. I am very relieved.”
On Monday, the Chinese military finished its three-day “combat readiness patrol” around the self-governed island, a day after president Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting with US House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said Chinese warships were still present in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday even after Beijing announced the end of the war games.
