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When Zhang Zhaozhong took the stage in Hefei Theater in east China’s Anhui Province to give a lecture on November 19， 2016， thunderous applause broke out， greeting him like a super star.
It wasn’t always like this for the 64-year-old retired rear admiral of the People’s Liberation Army （PLA）. It took him more than a decade to get rid of being the butt of public ridicule， thanks to his perseverance and clever use of new media.
Today， Zhang， a once controversial commentator for state broadcaster China Central Television （CCTV） and a doctoral advisor with the National University of Defense Technology， is also one of China’s top Internet celebrities and an Internet darling on Bilibili.com， Chinese youngsters’ favorite video-sharing website with a real-time commentary subtitle system.
Butt of jokes
Born into a rural family in Hebei Province in north China， Zhang joined the PLA at the age of 18. Later， he studied Arabic at Peking University and in the late 1970s， served as a translator in Iraq for two years， where he got close to war and weapons. He studied weapons and military strategies and wrote for military magazines， becoming a talking head on military matters in China.
However， his public persona started on a note of notoriety when in 2003， during the U.S.-led coalition’s invasion of Iraq， he asserted during a CCTV live broadcast that the U.S. Army would be trapped by then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Just a few days later， the Iraqi leader was overthrown and Zhang was ridiculed.
In 2013， while on the CCTV military show Defense Review Weekly， Zhang said U.S. nuclear submarines would be blocked by seaweed and would not be able to venture into China’s Yellow Sea.
One year later， he said the smog prevailing in China might be a good defense against U.S. laser weapons. Zhang’s remarks were criticized as being imbalanced and misguiding. “It’s good for Zhang to popularize national defense knowledge among the public. But it’s improper for him to do it in an exaggerated way by zooming in on a tiny spot while neglecting the big picture，” Shen Dingli， Associate Dean of the Institute of International Studies at the Shanghai-based Fudan University， told Beijing Review， adding that exaggerating the function of smog in national defense while ignoring its harm to public health can mislead audiences.
His photographs were often posted online， photoshopped into caricatures by young Web users on Bilibili. While his remarks were made fun of online， it was shown later that some had a kernel of truth in them. For example， Ma Lei， a me- chanical engineering graduate， has invented an underwater defense system based on Zhang’s hypothesis and it has been patented by the State Intellectual Property Office.
Also， in 2016， Zhang was one of the few public figures who publicly foretold that Donald Trump would win the U.S. presidential election.
What has contributed to Zhang’s newfound popularity is perhaps his acceptance of all the criticism and mockery with good grace and selfdeprecation， never striking back or returning abuse with abuse.
He has turned the tables on his detractors who dubbed him “chief of the Strategic Fool You Agency” by accepting it in a light-hearted manner and calling himself “Chief Zhaozhong”in his social media accounts on WeChat and Weibo. Indeed， in his new book The Chief’s Whisper， published in mid-November 2016， he calls himself， tongue in cheek， “chief of the Strategic Fool You Agency.”
Zhang’s WeChat account， opened on December 30， 2015， gathered 1.7 million followers in less than one year. His debut on Weibo， China’s counterpart to Twitter， on October 24， 2016 attracted more than 2 million followers in two months. His first post on Weibo was read 36.12 million times， with 310，000 likes and 80，000 comments.
His new book， The Chief’s Whisper， published by Wuhan-based Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House， one of China’s leading publishers， had sold more than 30，000 copies in more than a month after hitting bookshelves.
“I love reading arguments that go against mine online. Praise is useless，” Zhang told Beijing Review. “And I appreciate people taking time to write commentaries criticizing me.”
Most of Zhang’s followers are middle-aged and elderly military fans. “Facing criticism with smile and silence” is the secret of Zhang’s magical charm，” Serious Gossip， a leading WeChat account on entertainment news， said in a re- cent article. “Truth does not need many words，”said Zhang.
Also， his boldness adds to his attraction. “The chief often raised eyebrows because he has the guts to say things publicly. As a military insider， he has never shied away from hot topics，”Ye Mai， 45， a Beijing-based editor， told Beijing Review， explaining why he “supports the chief.”
Wooing Gen Y
One of his biggest triumphs has been on Bilibili， where Zhang was frequently panned by millennials previously. But today it has become a platform for him to communicate with teenagers. For Zhang has an ambition. He aims not only to be friends with the young generation but also to pull them back from their “entertainment addiction” and foster a stronger sense of patriotism as well as love of the army in them.
“Youth are the recruiting pool for the military， yet few of them read the official People’s Daily or follow the news on CCTV. The issue is how you reach out to them and convince them of their duty to the nation，” Zhang said， admitting that it’s not easy to bridge the generation gap and communicate with youngsters at the age of his grandchildren.
He realized that using Internet buzzwords is one way to get close to them. To catch their eyes， he has hired several post-1990 staffers to help him revise his language to be more “in”and insert funny emoticons before posting his articles on WeChat. “No matter how old you are， keep yourself young psychologically and talk like them，” he said.
In addition， Zhang is trying out other new media channels to reach his young audiences. Besides WeChat and Weibo， he takes part in five audio programs and five video shows per week， both online and on TV.
On July 14， 2016， Zhang had his first livestreamed appearance on Bilibili， gathering 200，000 young viewers. The growing crowd eventually crashed the server. During the program， enthusiastic fans kept posting subtitles， cheering and praising and “saluting the chief.”
“Those who do not know the ‘chief’ are too‘out’，” Meng Can， a 16-year-old high school student in south China’s Hainan Province， a loyal Bilibili user， told Beijing Review.
Honesty is also key. “Pretentiousness kills conversations，” Zhang said. “Kids today are very smart and knowledgeable， thanks to the Internet. They can see through your mask if you try to dupe them or pay them empty compliments.”
“And you have to respect them，” he explained. “If you， an older person， approach youngsters with a condescending attitude， they will turn their backs on you.”
However， whether Zhang will be able to kindle the youngsters’ serious interest in military and international studies has yet to be seen.
Though describing his mother as “out” for not being able to recognize Zhang online， Meng drew a blank when asked about Zhang’s military theories.
During Zhang’s live-stream lectures on Bilibili， his humorous comments on life often stir a surge of subtitles shooting over the screen—a sign of warm response. But when he begins to talk about military history， subtitles decrease dramatically. And his question about the 16thcentury Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi was replied with silence.
But Zhang doesn’t lose heart. “I have been engaged in national defense education for all my life. And I will keep doing so as much as possible in my twilight years.”
It wasn’t always like this for the 64-year-old retired rear admiral of the People’s Liberation Army （PLA）. It took him more than a decade to get rid of being the butt of public ridicule， thanks to his perseverance and clever use of new media.
Today， Zhang， a once controversial commentator for state broadcaster China Central Television （CCTV） and a doctoral advisor with the National University of Defense Technology， is also one of China’s top Internet celebrities and an Internet darling on Bilibili.com， Chinese youngsters’ favorite video-sharing website with a real-time commentary subtitle system.
Butt of jokes
Born into a rural family in Hebei Province in north China， Zhang joined the PLA at the age of 18. Later， he studied Arabic at Peking University and in the late 1970s， served as a translator in Iraq for two years， where he got close to war and weapons. He studied weapons and military strategies and wrote for military magazines， becoming a talking head on military matters in China.
However， his public persona started on a note of notoriety when in 2003， during the U.S.-led coalition’s invasion of Iraq， he asserted during a CCTV live broadcast that the U.S. Army would be trapped by then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Just a few days later， the Iraqi leader was overthrown and Zhang was ridiculed.
In 2013， while on the CCTV military show Defense Review Weekly， Zhang said U.S. nuclear submarines would be blocked by seaweed and would not be able to venture into China’s Yellow Sea.
One year later， he said the smog prevailing in China might be a good defense against U.S. laser weapons. Zhang’s remarks were criticized as being imbalanced and misguiding. “It’s good for Zhang to popularize national defense knowledge among the public. But it’s improper for him to do it in an exaggerated way by zooming in on a tiny spot while neglecting the big picture，” Shen Dingli， Associate Dean of the Institute of International Studies at the Shanghai-based Fudan University， told Beijing Review， adding that exaggerating the function of smog in national defense while ignoring its harm to public health can mislead audiences.
His photographs were often posted online， photoshopped into caricatures by young Web users on Bilibili. While his remarks were made fun of online， it was shown later that some had a kernel of truth in them. For example， Ma Lei， a me- chanical engineering graduate， has invented an underwater defense system based on Zhang’s hypothesis and it has been patented by the State Intellectual Property Office.
Also， in 2016， Zhang was one of the few public figures who publicly foretold that Donald Trump would win the U.S. presidential election.
What has contributed to Zhang’s newfound popularity is perhaps his acceptance of all the criticism and mockery with good grace and selfdeprecation， never striking back or returning abuse with abuse.
He has turned the tables on his detractors who dubbed him “chief of the Strategic Fool You Agency” by accepting it in a light-hearted manner and calling himself “Chief Zhaozhong”in his social media accounts on WeChat and Weibo. Indeed， in his new book The Chief’s Whisper， published in mid-November 2016， he calls himself， tongue in cheek， “chief of the Strategic Fool You Agency.”
Zhang’s WeChat account， opened on December 30， 2015， gathered 1.7 million followers in less than one year. His debut on Weibo， China’s counterpart to Twitter， on October 24， 2016 attracted more than 2 million followers in two months. His first post on Weibo was read 36.12 million times， with 310，000 likes and 80，000 comments.
His new book， The Chief’s Whisper， published by Wuhan-based Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House， one of China’s leading publishers， had sold more than 30，000 copies in more than a month after hitting bookshelves.
“I love reading arguments that go against mine online. Praise is useless，” Zhang told Beijing Review. “And I appreciate people taking time to write commentaries criticizing me.”
Most of Zhang’s followers are middle-aged and elderly military fans. “Facing criticism with smile and silence” is the secret of Zhang’s magical charm，” Serious Gossip， a leading WeChat account on entertainment news， said in a re- cent article. “Truth does not need many words，”said Zhang.
Also， his boldness adds to his attraction. “The chief often raised eyebrows because he has the guts to say things publicly. As a military insider， he has never shied away from hot topics，”Ye Mai， 45， a Beijing-based editor， told Beijing Review， explaining why he “supports the chief.”
Wooing Gen Y
One of his biggest triumphs has been on Bilibili， where Zhang was frequently panned by millennials previously. But today it has become a platform for him to communicate with teenagers. For Zhang has an ambition. He aims not only to be friends with the young generation but also to pull them back from their “entertainment addiction” and foster a stronger sense of patriotism as well as love of the army in them.
“Youth are the recruiting pool for the military， yet few of them read the official People’s Daily or follow the news on CCTV. The issue is how you reach out to them and convince them of their duty to the nation，” Zhang said， admitting that it’s not easy to bridge the generation gap and communicate with youngsters at the age of his grandchildren.
He realized that using Internet buzzwords is one way to get close to them. To catch their eyes， he has hired several post-1990 staffers to help him revise his language to be more “in”and insert funny emoticons before posting his articles on WeChat. “No matter how old you are， keep yourself young psychologically and talk like them，” he said.
In addition， Zhang is trying out other new media channels to reach his young audiences. Besides WeChat and Weibo， he takes part in five audio programs and five video shows per week， both online and on TV.
On July 14， 2016， Zhang had his first livestreamed appearance on Bilibili， gathering 200，000 young viewers. The growing crowd eventually crashed the server. During the program， enthusiastic fans kept posting subtitles， cheering and praising and “saluting the chief.”
“Those who do not know the ‘chief’ are too‘out’，” Meng Can， a 16-year-old high school student in south China’s Hainan Province， a loyal Bilibili user， told Beijing Review.
Honesty is also key. “Pretentiousness kills conversations，” Zhang said. “Kids today are very smart and knowledgeable， thanks to the Internet. They can see through your mask if you try to dupe them or pay them empty compliments.”
“And you have to respect them，” he explained. “If you， an older person， approach youngsters with a condescending attitude， they will turn their backs on you.”
However， whether Zhang will be able to kindle the youngsters’ serious interest in military and international studies has yet to be seen.
Though describing his mother as “out” for not being able to recognize Zhang online， Meng drew a blank when asked about Zhang’s military theories.
During Zhang’s live-stream lectures on Bilibili， his humorous comments on life often stir a surge of subtitles shooting over the screen—a sign of warm response. But when he begins to talk about military history， subtitles decrease dramatically. And his question about the 16thcentury Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi was replied with silence.
But Zhang doesn’t lose heart. “I have been engaged in national defense education for all my life. And I will keep doing so as much as possible in my twilight years.”