Year Hare Affair
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''Year Hare Affair'' ( zh, c=那年那兔那些事(儿), l=Those stories of that rabbit that happened in those years) is a Chinese webcomic and media franchise by Lin Chao ( zh, labels=no, c=林超), initially under the
pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...
"" ( Pinyin: , "flight against the light"). The comic uses
anthropomorphic animal Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
s as an allegory for nations and sovereign states to represent 20th century political, military and diplomatic events. An animated adaptation of the series started airing on the Internet in March 2015 and a free-to-play strategy video game based on it was released on iOS and
Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
in July 2015.


Characters


Factions and characters

}), but can still inflict nasty bites and kicks when irritated, representing the People's Republic of China's traditionally not so aggressive foreign policies, but can still pack a heavy punch when required. Another explanation for it is that the Chinese words for " comrade" and "rabbit/hare" sound very similar when pronounced with a
Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the Districts of Shanghai, central districts of the Shanghai, City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as ...
accent, as famously coined by
crosstalk In electronics, crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, induc ...
comedian Jiang Kun during the 1980s. The Hare normally prefers to act friendly and ''
moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...
'' in front of others and is obsessed with working the fields harvesting
carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...
s and earning "small money", but when provoked into fighting often wields a cleaver and a
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
in each hand while emitting a hellish black
aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a field of luminous multicolored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure Aura may also refer to: Places Extraterrestrial * 1488 ...
, and later learns to "plant mushrooms" and build " water cabinets". When extremely enraged, the Hare dons a green dinosaur
suit A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...
and becomes a Godzilla-like
monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
that breathes fire. , - , Republic of China in all its forms (minus Communist) , , Baldhead , , Based on the (absence of) hair of
Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
. In
Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...
the words "baldhead" (秃子 ''tūzi'') and "Hare" (兔子 ''tùzi'') are near-
homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...
s, which also represent the complexity of Cross-Strait relations. , - , Hong Kong Democrats , , Cockroach , , Based on the slur used by Hong Kong police against Anti-ELAB Protestors. Some big wig cockroaches such as HSBC executives have a yellow sticker on a front leg. , - , Qing dynasty and
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...
, , Pigtail , , Based on the queues which is the Manchu hairstyle of the Qing dynasty. (辫子 ''biànzi''). , - , United States , ,
Bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
, , Bald eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. , - , Soviet Union , , Russian Bear , , Bear 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 The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") zh, s=锤子和镰刀, p=Chuízi hé liándāo or zh, s=镰刀锤子, p=Liándāo chuízi, labels=no is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity, a union between agricultural and industri ...
of Communism — on his stomach, which later becomes more like a character, "父", meaning "father" in Chinese. , - , Russia , , Russian Bear with a single separated hair , , To 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 Body hair, or androgenic hair, is the terminal hair that develops on the human body during and after puberty. It is differentiated from the head hair and less visible vellus hair, which is much finer and lighter in color. The growth of androge ...
count in Caucasians), a common northern Chinese nickname for Russians (and all East Slavs by extension). , - , Ukraine , , Russian Bear with two separate hairs , , To differentiate from Russia, this bear has a number "2" on his stomach, meaning that he is the "second son" of the USSR. , - , Belarus , , Russian Bear with three separate hairs , , To differentiate from Russia, this bear has a number "3" on his stomach, meaning that he is the "third son" of the USSR. , - ,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, , Crane / Chicken , , The crane is an important part of the Japanese culture, and the fact that the green pheasant is Japan's official national bird. Chicken is derived from Crane based on the Chinese ethnic slur Xiao Riben , - , South Korea , , Stick with helmet , , ''Bangzi'' is an ethnic slur by Chinese people towards Korean. To differentiate with North Korea, a US-style
combat helmet A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of helmet. It is a piece of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat. Modern combat helmets are mainly designed to protect from shrapnel and fragments, offer some protec ...
is added to the appearance of South Korea. , - , North Korea , , Stick wearing a ski cap with a red star , , ''Bangzi'' is an ethnic slur by Chinese people towards Korean. To differentiate with South Korea, a Communist-style
red star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...
cap is added to the appearance of North Korea. , - , Various Southeast Asian countries:
Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines , ,
Monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
, , In Chinese, monkey is a
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
term used to describe Southeast Asians. , - , Pakistan , , Markhor , , Markhor 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. , - , India , , White elephant , , White 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 Kingdom , , Bull , , " John Bull" is a national personification of England and the United Kingdom in general. , - , France , , Gallic rooster , , Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France. , - , Cuba , ,
Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...
, , Based on the shape of the country , - , Germany , , Tiger / Cat , , The Tiger I/ II
heavy tank Heavy tank is a term used to define a class of tanks produced from World War I through the end of the Cold War. These tanks generally sacrificed mobility and maneuverability for better armour protection and equal or greater firepower than tanks ...
s and the
Jagdtiger The ''Jagdtiger'' ("Hunting Tiger"; officially designated ''Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B'') is a German casemate-type heavy tank destroyer (''Jagdpanzer'') of World War II. It was built upon the slightly lengthened chassis of a Tiger II. Its ordna ...
series
tank destroyer A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...
s are the most famous German armoured fighting vehicles from the Second World War, so in the comic Germany was at first a tiger called "
Hans Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
". 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 Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
South Sudan,
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
, , Hippopotamus , , Hippo is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in
Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
generally stereotyped as being simple-witted and clumsy. 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 Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
himself other than the country. Sudan and South Sudan only appear in the end of Episode 3, Season 2 of the animation. , - , Uganda , , Duck , , "Uncle Crazy Duck" is, in fact, the nickname of Idi Amin Dada among Chinese netizens. The appearance of "Uncle Crazy Duck" in the comic is based upon Count Duckula who wears a
Teletubby ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on thei ...
-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 The Imperial State of Iran ( fa, کشور شاهنشاهی ایران, ), also known as the Imperial State of Persia, was the official name of the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. It was formed in 1925 and lasted until 197 ...
, ,
Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
, , Camel is commonly seen and used as transportation in the arid, desert 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 many diamonds; Iraqi camel under the Saddam Hussein regime wears a military beret; and Iranian camel during the
Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...
has a crown on his head. , - , Post-revolution Iran , ,
Persian lion The Asiatic lion is a population of ''Panthera leo leo'' that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat ...
, , Lion is the symbol of ancient Iran and the
Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
. The religious reform of
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
made the shia-majority Iran quite different from its
sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arabic neighbours, and so the author chooses the symbol of ancient Persia to represent it.


Others

}) is one of the author's online nickname, and comes in the form of a green snake with a pair of short yellow
antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...
s. 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 An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...
about the author's notoriety of often delaying the periodic updates of the comic series. The Chinese characters for "update" () and " paste" () are homophones both pronouncing ''Gēng'', causing the series' fans to create a parodic
light poetry Light poetry or light verse is poetry that attempts to be humorous. Light poems are usually brief, can be on a frivolous or serious subject, and often feature word play including puns, adventurous rhyme, and heavy alliteration. Typically, light ...
: "if the Snake doesn't update, make im intoa snake paste ()." , - , Lin Chao's wife , Snail Fairy , Lin Chao's girlfriend (whom he married later) was often used as an 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" ( zh, 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

* Second Sino-Japanese War * Chinese Communist Revolution * Korean War * Sino-Soviet Split * United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 * Sino-Vietnamese War *
Scarborough Shoal standoff The Scarborough Shoal standoff refers to the tensions between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China over the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Tensions began on April 8, 2012, after the attempted apprehension by the Philippi ...
* The Commission of
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning ''Liaoning'' (16; ) is a Chinese Type 001 aircraft carrier. The Chinese aircraft carrier programme, first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, she was originally classified as a training ship, inte ...
*
U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade On May 7, 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force), five U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs hit the People's Republic of China embassy in the Belgrade district of Novi Beograd, New Belgrade, killing three ...
*
Hainan Island incident The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an interna ...
*
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
* Vietnam War * Battle of the Paracel Islands * Uganda–Tanzania War *
30 September Movement The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian Na ...
*
Sino-Soviet border conflict The Sino-Soviet border conflict was a seven-month undeclared military conflict between the Soviet Union and China in 1969, following the Sino-Soviet split. The most serious border clash, which brought the world's two largest communist states to ...
*
1972 Nixon visit to China The 1972 visit by United States President Richard Nixon to the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption of harmonious relations betwe ...
* Soviet–Afghan War * Cultural Revolution * Iran–Iraq War *
Dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
* Gulf War * Chinese economic reform * Third Taiwan Strait Crisis * The Signing of
Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
* Yinhe incident * Kosovo War * September 11 attacks * War in Afghanistan (2001–present) * Chen Shui-bian corruption charges *
Senkaku Islands dispute The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Tiaoyutai Islands in ...
* Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts * Hundred Regiments Offensive


Video game

A free-to-play
strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
based on the webcomic, was released on iOS and Android on 15 July 2015. The player controls one of three factions: Hare, Bald Eagle and Bear.


Reception


Critical response

The comic expresses the modern history of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and its international relations in a fun way. It has sparked patriotism in China's younger generations. Hare () is now used as
Internet slang Internet slang (also called Internet shorthand, cyber-slang, netspeak, digispeak or chatspeak) is a non-standard or unofficial form of language used by people on the Internet to communicate to one another. An example of Internet slang is "LOL" m ...
referring to China.


Criticisms

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 Chinese Communist Party'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. 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 The concept of First World originated during the Cold War and comprised countries that were under the influence of the United States and the rest of NATO and opposed the Soviet Union and/or communism during the Cold War. Since the collapse of ...
refused to play with us'".


Ratings

The second and third season received 8.6 and 8.4 points out of 10 on
Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese c ...
.


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
Authors's Sina Weibo
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Year Hare Affair Manhua titles 2011 comics debuts 2015 web series debuts Animated web series Chinese webcomics Chinese web series Comedy web series Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into video games Comics about rabbits and hares Fables Mass media franchises Works about China Political webcomics