School to discipline student for online post

A postgraduate student is facing disciplinary action from a university in Fujian province after she used a word in a social media post that is considered offensive because of its link with the Japanese invasions of China in the 20th century.

Tian Jialiang, who posts on Sina Weibo under the name Jiejieliang, commented on someone else's post showing a large amount of rubbish on the ground after a Marvel Studios fan event in Shanghai on Thursday, writing "disgusting Shina".

Her comment quickly went viral, with many Chinese outraged at her use of "Shina", a Japanese name for China that was neutral before the invasions but acquired highly negative connotations since the early 20th century, especially during and after the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).