My dad is Li Gang
来自China Digital Space
我爸爸叫李刚 (wǒ bàbà jiào Lǐ Gāng): My father is Li Gang
This phrase became a huge social phenomenon following a tragic car accident that left college girl, Chen Xiaofeng dead. Chen had been in-line skating with a friend when they were both struck by a speeding car driven by 22-year-old Li Qiming. The intoxicated driver attempted to flee but was intercepted by security guards. Undeterred he yelled, “Sue me if you dare, my father is Li Gang!” Li Gang is the deputy police chief in the Beishi district of Baoding, in Hebei province.
As explained by the New York Times:
The tale of her death is precisely the sort of gripping socio-drama — a commoner grievously wronged; a privileged transgressor pulling strings to escape punishment — that sets off alarm bells in the offices of Communist Party censors. And in fact, party propaganda officials moved swiftly after the accident to ensure that the story never gained traction.
Curiously, however, the opposite has happened. A month after the accident, much of China knows the story, and “My father is Li Gang” has become a bitter inside joke, a catchphrase for shirking any responsibility — washing the dishes, being faithful to a girlfriend — with impunity. Even the government’s heavy-handed effort to control the story has become the object of scorn among younger, savvier Chinese.
More information about this event is available here and here.
Chen’s death and the ensuing social outcry is very similar to the 70 KPH incident.