China mentions 'Covid war' in history textbook; sparks discussion
For the first time, a history textbook for Chinese schoolchildren mentions the country's Covid pandemic response, sparking online discussion.
Following this, many are questioning whether the book's short description of the country's fight against Covid is truthful.
Earlier this year, Chinese Communist Party authorities declared a "decisive victory" over the virus. China has also been accused of not being transparent in sharing covid data.
On Wednesday, a video clip showing a paragraph of a history textbook for grade eight students on Douyin, China's domestic version of TikTok, went viral.
The caption of the video post, uploaded by a user who looks to be a history teacher, reads: "It's already written in the history books."
The BBC also received a copy of the book, which was published by People's Education Press, the country's largest textbook publisher. The Covid reference is found in the section titled "Changes in Social Life."
"Our country adhered to the supremacy of the people and the life... protected people's life safety and health to the largest extent," the text box mentioning the "war on Covid" reads.
"We achieved major achievements in coordinating the prevention and control of the pandemic."
China implemented a stringent "zero-Covid" policy shortly after the pandemic began in 2020, allowing authorities to conduct lockdowns and force people into quarantine camps.
The majority of the restrictions were eased in December, following significant opposition to the policy throughout the country.
The textbook's narrative echoes echoes Chinese governments' declaration of victory against the virus, but many have questioned whether it is really the whole truth.
- With inputs from agencies
