Buzz
As access to the internet continues to expand in China, conspiracy theories are gaining momentum, with wild stories attempting to explain everything from bird flu to the delayed iPhone 6 release. Meanwhile, China’s growing influence on the global stage has made it an easy target for international conspiracy theorists.
10. China Created A Replica of Washington, D.C. in the Gobi Desert
In 2011, users of Google Earth discovered a strange construction project in the Gobi Desert, where China was building a variety of large structures. These included concentric circles with jets in the middle, an intricate web of white lines, and a grid stretching over 30 kilometers (18 miles). Other oddities such as burned-out vehicles, large orange blocks resembling shipping containers, and structures that looked like airports or nuclear plant cooling towers were also spotted.
These buildings are located near the border of Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, not far from China’s top-secret space program hub in Jiuqian and the Ding Xin military airbase, where classified aircraft are tested. The site is also just 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the Lop Nur salt lakes, where China conducted nuclear tests from 1967 to 1995.
Some conspiracy theorists argued that the strange pattern of lines in the desert resembles the street design of Washington, D.C., and that these structures are part of a war game simulating a Chinese invasion of the U.S. Others proposed that the buildings were sites for weapons testing or signals to extraterrestrials. However, experts offer a simpler explanation: The grids are likely calibration targets for spy satellites, while the structures are probably instruments used for weather tracking and high-altitude atmospheric research.
9. China’s Recent Gold-Buying Frenzy
In recent years, China has developed an intense and growing thirst for gold. It surpassed India in 2013 to become the world's largest importer of gold, and it now mines nearly double the amount produced by South Africa, which was once the leading gold producer. This surge in gold mining and importing occurred just as Western interest in the precious metal was waning.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that China is stockpiling massive amounts of gold with the aim of establishing a new global monetary system based on the renminbi, instead of the dollar. This theory is closely tied to the belief that gold is the only true form of currency security, and the idea that the dollar is likely to collapse without gold backing it up.
Currency analysts dismiss these theories as mere distractions. A WikiLeaks cable from the U.S. embassy in Beijing references a Chinese publication stating: “At present, most of China’s gold reserves are located in the U.S. and European countries. Both the U.S. and Europe have consistently suppressed the rising price of gold, aiming to weaken its role as a global reserve currency... China’s growing gold reserves will serve as a model and encourage other nations to hold more gold. Large gold reserves also support the global expansion of the RMB.”
8. China’s Lunar Landing
On December 14, 2013, China’s Chang’e space probe successfully landed on the Moon and deployed the Jade Rabbit rover to explore the Sea of Rains, a 1,160-kilometer-wide (720 mi) basin. As expected, conspiracy theorists immediately labeled the mission as a complete hoax.
Critics point to the purported impossibility of passing through the Van Allen radiation belt, as well as the apparent lack of footage made available to the media. They also question the black sky on the Moon, the odd tilt of the horizon, and the absence of dust when the rover landed. These elements are presented as evidence suggesting that the Moon landing was staged in a studio rather than occurring on the Moon itself. Some even argue that the Chinese spacewalk of 2008 was fake, citing visible bubbles in the footage as proof.
Other theorists have taken a different approach. When the Moon rover malfunctioned after traveling only 18 meters (60 ft) due to extreme cold, some conspiracy believers claimed that the Jade Rabbit had been destroyed by a UFO in order to prevent China from discovering alien Moon bases.
7. The Green and Red Societies
In 2008, Tokyo-based Canadian journalist Benjamin Fulford alleged that a secret Chinese organization, known as the Green and Red Societies, was conspiring to eliminate Illuminati leaders due to their racist and white supremacist ideologies. Fulford asserted that the group has over six million members, including 1.8 million gangsters and 100,000 professional assassins, and that they are enraged by the Illuminati’s plan to reduce the global population by 90 percent, which they believe will disproportionately target the Asian population.
Fulford further claims that a member of the Green and Red Societies approached him, revealing the Bush administration’s intentions to develop race-specific bioweapons. He reportedly received a list of 10,000 people linked to the Illuminati, along with members of other shadowy groups such as the Bilderberg group, Skull and Bones, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to Fulford, the Green and Red Societies originated as a clandestine network of former Ming soldiers who united to fight against the Manchurian Qing dynasty, which rose to power in 1644. They played a key role in overthrowing the last emperor and helping Sun Yat-sen become the first President of the Republic of China.
The outlandish figures surrounding the Green and Red Societies, along with Fulford’s assertions of personally negotiating with the Illuminati on their behalf, have sparked doubt even among other conspiracy theorists. Nevertheless, he certainly speaks boldly: “So far, I have told the Illuminati that they are no longer allowed to murder Japanese politicians. I now intend to extend this protection to all politicians in the West. If the Illuminati kill or try to kill Ron Paul, Barack Obama, or any politician, may God have mercy on their souls.”
6. Hong Kong Protesters Were US Pawns
This theory is especially popular among the Chinese government, which claims that last year’s pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were directly linked to US efforts to destabilize China. The pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po alleged that Joshua Wong, a student leader, had met with US consular officials and even received training from the Marines. Conspiracy theorists also claimed that opposition leader Benny Tai, a University of Hong Kong law professor, was being paid by the US State Department to stir up dissent through his involvement with the Center for Comparative and Public Law, a pro–human rights NGO.
The theory suggests that the US is heavily involved in inciting public discontent and protests against foreign governments, including staged violence in the 2010 Thailand protests, with the CIA and other US agencies supposedly planning similar actions for Hong Kong. These US-based conspiracy claims provided the Chinese government with a pretext for subtle crackdowns on the protest movement, such as hiring triads to assault protesters and bringing masked men from Guangdong to disrupt the protests with violent force. One protester commented on the mainland aggressors: “Hong Kong people don’t spit on Hong Kong people. In Hong Kong, they spit on the roads.”
5. China’s Alliance With Hostile Extraterrestrials
Conspiracy theorist Gordon Duff claims that in 2010, a Chinese nuclear submarine launched an ICBM into the sky from a location just off the coast of Los Angeles. Duff argues that this launch was a demonstration of new technology provided to China’s military by a malevolent alien race. According to Duff, China has been gifted invincible military technology by these extraterrestrial allies to initiate a massive invasion of the United States.
Duff further asserts that China’s extraterrestrial allies have activated a sentient nano-substance residing in oceanic oil deposits, capable of attacking humans and disabling ships. The ultimate goal, according to Duff, is to develop a genetic weapon intended to eradicate everyone who isn’t “Mongol,” a term Duff uses to describe those of Asian descent.
In contrast, theorist Michael Dargaville presents a more optimistic view. He suggests that Earth is currently surrounded by a fleet of benevolent extraterrestrials from the “Galactic Federation,” who have neutralized Russian and American nuclear arsenals in order to place military control in the hands of China and India. Dargaville also claims that the Galactic Federation intends to establish Chengdu, a city in Sichuan province, as a provisional world capital, citing UFO sightings over Chongqing Airport as evidence that the Federation is attempting to force China to disclose its knowledge of extraterrestrial life.
4. AirAsia QZ8501 Foretelling
Following the crash of AirAsia QZ8501, which was en route to Singapore, Chinese internet users found that 13 days earlier, a user named Landlord had posted on the popular Tianya Club forum, warning that a “black hand” (a nefarious organization) was responsible for bringing down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and MH17. The post further stated: “Now the black hand are targeting AirAsia to destroy this airline because it too belongs to Malaysia. Given the immense power of the black hand, I suggest all Chinese who are considering travel avoid AirAsia, so you don’t end up like the people on MH370 . . . You might be happily vacationing, working, or studying abroad, but if you board a Malaysian airline or AirAsia, you’re dead. Be cautious.”
The post sparked a heated debate on Reddit and Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, with users either supporting or trying to debunk the prediction. The identity of the original poster remains unknown, though some speculate he was involved in an infamous noodle-throwing incident aboard an AirAsia flight that same month. In the incident, a Chinese couple on a Thai AirAsia flight to Nanjing scalded a stewardess with hot water and threatened to blow up the plane. Conspiracy theorists now suggest the couple was planted by Chinese intelligence or military forces to stage the incident in order to protect the plane from attack by the “black hand.”
3. Heilongjiang UFO Crash
In May 2014, residents in Heilongjiang province reported seeing a huge fireball streaking across the sky, followed by sonic booms. Moments later, at least five metallic objects crashed to the ground in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province. One of the objects recovered from a vegetable garden was a 40-kilogram (90 lb) spherical item encased in jagged material.
Some have drawn a connection between the UFO sightings and the failure of a Russian Proton-M rocket that was carrying a communications satellite, which occurred around the same time as the incident in Heilongjiang. Russian authorities stated that the rocket and its payload completely burned up upon re-entry into the atmosphere, but Chinese experts quickly identified the materials found in Qiqihar as space debris. They determined that the strange sphere was likely a Composite Overwrap Pressure Vessel (COPV) used to contain liquid fuel. These vessels are designed to be robust and are usually made of steel or titanium wrapped in kevlar.
Undeterred, conspiracy theorists insisted that the Russian rocket had crashed because it collided with a UFO.
2. Currency Wars
In his 2007 book, pseudo-economist Song Hongbing argues that the global monetary system is under the control of the Rothschild family, who supposedly have a secret fortune amounting to $5 trillion. The author traces the Rothschilds’ history, claiming they seized control of the Bank of England in the 19th century by falsely reporting that the British had lost the Battle of Waterloo, which triggered a massive stock market panic. Over the next two centuries, they are said to have gained control of the US Reserve and other national banks, effectively taking charge of global finance.
While this theory isn’t groundbreaking within the world of conspiracy theories, the book became a surprise hit in China, finding its way into the hands of powerful businessmen and politicians. Its appeal is rooted in the idea that a hidden cabal of Jewish bankers in the West was responsible for the global economic collapse and that they are intent on keeping China suppressed.
One notable distinction from typical anti-Semitic narratives about the Rothschilds is that Song asserts no animosity toward Jewish people. “The Chinese people think that the Jews are smart and rich,” he writes, “so we should learn from them.”
1. The Li Bloodline
Li (sometimes spelled Lee) ranks among the most common Chinese surnames, representing about 8 percent of the Han Chinese population. The surname is also widely found in Korea (as 'Yi') and Vietnam (as 'Ly'). Its origins are said to trace back to the (fictional) founder of the family, Emperor Zhuanzu, and it was considered a noble surname during the Tang dynasty. According to conspiracy theorist Fritz Springmeier, it is also one of the 13 Illuminati bloodlines allegedly controlling the world, alongside other notable families like the Kennedys, DuPonts, Rothschilds, and Rockefellers.
This theory posits that a secretive Li family society holds sway over mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Key figures such as Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, former Chinese Premier Li Peng, and Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew are believed to be involved in this family conspiracy. According to the theory, this family ties into the American and European Illuminati factions, secretly controlling the Triads operating in Hong Kong, the US, and across the globe.
And according to Springmeier, who masterminds this intricate Li secret empire and its Illuminati connections? Satan, of course.
