Theresa May honored by Chinese nickname

World
Europe

Chinese social media users have gone crazy for the arrival of British Prime Minister Theresa May and have been calling her “Auntie May.”

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.

Theresa May dotted the eye of a Chinese dragon, a traditional ritual of awakening a dragon, at the British Embassy in Beijing on Thursday. /VCG Photo

“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 university student interprets the meaning of "auntie" /Screenshot

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 /Screenshot

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.

British Prime Minister Theresa May met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. /Xinhua Photo

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. /Screenshot

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.

Theresa May and her husband pose in the Forbidden City /VCG Photo