Exclusive | Slovakia girl attacked by home media: Western narrative filled with hypocrisy

It is hard to believe how many foreign influencers were attacked by their home country's media only because they say something good about China.

Martina (also known as PopMatta), from the European country of Slovakia, is an international student studying for a master's degree at Zhejiang University.

She is obsessed with Chinese culture and speaks fluent Chinese. She loves to travel around China and experience the richness of different countries. To make more impressive videos, she has set foot in various fields so as to obtain first-hand experience. She once worked as a firefighter in Hangzhou, went on a live-stream show with a policewoman in Yongkang, acted as an actress in Hengdian, and took on the challenge of "buying small goods for 100 RMB" in Yiwu.

She has produced hundreds of short videos about her colorful life in China. Meanwhile, she introduces the culture and history of Eastern European countries to Chinese people, which is quite popular among online viewers, bringing her lots of fans on Bilibili and YouTube.

However, such a girl with a sunny personality was accused by her home country's media. Denník N, Slovakia's most influential media outlet, published an article titled "Slovak woman helps China with propaganda," claiming that Martina took money from China, and it also exposed her privacy by making her social media accounts public. Ironically and unsurprisingly, the reporter who created this article did not have any evidence to prove what he wrote and published the smear articles just by watching PopMatta's video.

An outsider can hardly imagine the pain of being a victim of cyberbullying. Foreign journalists have described Martina as “using her young, beautiful, blonde, and blue-eyed foreign look to satisfy and attract Chinese audience” for her own "propaganda" purposes. It is ludicrous that whenever a beautiful woman succeeds, rumors spread that there must be something hidden behind her path of advancement. Sadly, this sort of male supremacy is ubiquitous, taking any form, and it is unbearably painful. Perhaps this is also the status quo for foreign bloggers who are now speaking out for China.

Despite such unjust treatment, Martina remains optimistic and continues to create videos following her heart. During the interview, she took the initiative to express her hope that new YouTubers who want to share their lives in China but still have worries should not get scared by those media. "If you are true to yourself, there is nothing to worry about," she said.

Watch the video to learn more about PopMatta's experience.

(Reported by Hao Li)