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British Prime Minister Theresa May landed in China earlier this week fending off questions about her future amid mounting accusations of poor leadership, boring policies, and weakness over Brexit.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip visit Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China February 2, 2018.
Notably, people in China are hospitable to welcome Theresa May and her delegation to China despite those accusations, and give her an amiable nickname- "Auntie May".
Asked by Chinese state television about her new moniker - a common Chinese term of endearment for respected women - May said she was honored, and her officials were privately thrilled that the name had stuck.
Chinese social media users have gone crazy for the arrival of British Prime Minister Theresa May and have been calling her “Auntie May.”
A university student interprets the meaning of "auntie".
The British PM has had this affectionate nickname since long before her visit, but it seems to have passed her by. CCTV reporter Shui Junyi opened his interview with the PM on Thursday by asking if she knew about the moniker.
“You’re one of the members of the [Chinese] family,” he said, explaining the address. “Do you like that?”
May was seemingly taken aback and answered “Oh, thank you. Thank you very much indeed. I’m honored by that, thank you.”
“Auntie” in Chinese originally means simply a maternal aunt but in modern use, people sometimes apply this title to older ladies irrespective of blood ties.
A video released by China Radio International compared May’s nickname to Chinese President Xi Jinping being commonly referred to in China as “Uncle Xi,” conferring fondness and respect.
With “Auntie” commonly used as an affectionate title in the UK as well, many Chinese netizens wielded it when expressing their love of British culture.
On WeChat, @ilmsway urged the PM to use her influence to bring the latest episodes of hit British TV show Doctor Who to China. “Please hurry [the producer] of Doctor Who, Auntie May, please. I cannot wait anymore,” they said.
Other Chinese netizens approved of her plummy English tones and urged fellow language learners to listen and learn from recordings of her.
“Standard British English. The listening test has begun,” said @Chongqingcitizenmrli on Sina Weibo.
British media slams Theresa May with wordplay.
May has been given a lot of nicknames in the UK since being sworn in – some of them not so pleasant. The Economist and Reuters used “Theresa Maybe” as their headlines for stories on the Brexit referendum, and Britain’s Metro tabloid put “Mayhem” on its front page.
The PM began a three-day visit to China, her first since taking power, on Wednesday.
Theresa May has published posts on her China visit on social media.
Theresa May and her husband pose in the Forbidden City.
May took to social media herself to express her gratitude for President Xi’s warm welcome. She has shared some 20 posts about her visit to China through her personal accounts and UK Prime Minister, the official account for her office on Twitter.
(CGTN& REUTERS & ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
