Qiao Yu’s accounts were blocked and videos removed after the influencer’s May claim that the Tang dynasty never existed spread across Chinese social media.
Tens of millions of Weibo views pushed the hoax beyond fringe circles, with some users even urging Xi’an’s tourism bureau to shut sites tied to the former Tang capital.
People’s Daily called the claim “absurd” in a mid-August editorial, warning that doubting national history would undermine cultural confidence and China’s modernization narrative.
The backlash reflects Xi Jinping’s tighter control over historical interpretation, where challenges to official accounts are branded “historical nihilism” and treated as political risks.
The 618-907 Tang dynasty’s prominence in schools, state media and Xi’s own symbolism makes even a far-fetched denial sensitive in a slowing economy where some young people use such claims to mock authority.