CHINESE MEDIA IS AMPLIFYING RUAN’S “STOP ANIMAL ABUSE” MESSAGE 🇨🇳🐾 Remember Ruan Qilong, the Chinese Super League footballer? After scoring, he held up a shin guard carrying a simple message: “STOP ANIMAL ABUSE.” He faced backlash, including people calling for him to be punished for speaking up. Now, some genuinely encouraging news: At least SIX Chinese media outlets have covered Ruan’s stand. This includes major mainstream and state-linked outlets such as Guangming Online, part of the nationally prominent Guangming Daily media network, and Dahe Network. And importantly, they are not condemning him. The coverage ranges from neutral to sympathetic, with some coverage explicitly praising him for speaking out. Why does this matter? Because animal protection advocacy in China has recently faced censorship, deleted content and other pressure. Against that backdrop, it would have been easy for Ruan’s message to be buried or attacked. Instead, established Chinese media are amplifying it. This does NOT mean China has suddenly embraced animal protection, and we still desperately need stronger laws and enforcement. But it DOES mean something important: “Stop animal abuse” is being treated as a legitimate message in mainstream Chinese media. That helps normalize the issue. It makes it easier for the next athlete, celebrity, journalist or ordinary citizen to speak up too. And to everyone who emailed in support of Ruan, shared his story, defended him or simply refused to stay silent: YOU HELPED. ❤️ We can’t claim we caused this coverage. But we helped make sure the backlash was not the only voice being heard. A few days ago, people were calling for Ruan to be punished. Today, established Chinese media are amplifying his message. This is why we keep speaking up. Change happens slowly, then suddenly. Keep going. 🇨🇳🐾❤️ #JusticeForWangWang #旺旺 #StopAnimalAbuse