Five years ago, the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the mobile app “Study Xi to Build a Strong Country (学习强国).” It is a platform for the study of CCP ideology focused on “Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” The app went live on January 1, 2019. A large number of Chinese citizens were forced to study it daily. According to reports from mainland netizens, college students, students in grades 1-12 (along with their parents), and employees at state-owned enterprises, cultural and educational institutions, and an increasing number of private companies were required to use the app. The app once became the most downloaded free app in the Apple App Store in China.
The app introduced a points-based learning system to enable employers and superiors to monitor and reward or punish users. It was reported that users could earn 1 point for logging in daily, 1 point for reading an article, and another point for watching a video. Additionally, users could earn an extra point for reading or watching for a certain amount of time. The platform also featured various quizzes and exams, with more points awarded for correct answers. To encourage people to use their own time to study, the app established three “active periods” outside of work hours (morning, noon, and evening), during which users could earn double points. An elementary school teacher in Anhui said that she needed to accumulate 42 points each day to meet the requirements.
On September 17, independent scholar Gao Falin revealed on the X platform that the “Study Xi to Build a Strong Country” app is coming to a complete end. Gao stated that he received news from friends in China that the app will no longer require login assessments from now on. People no longer have to log in every day. Since late last year, it has actually been in a semi-abandoned state, and the backend can no longer track who hasn’t logged in. This is finally the end of it.
A reporter from the Epoch Times confirmed the authenticity of this news.
Source: Epoch Times, September 21, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/9/20/n14335419.htm