Brother, just how powerful is our family?

On the seventh day of the National Day holiday, the data for Huai County was released.

In seven days, this small county in central Henan received a total of 317 million tourists—a number more than four times the permanent population of Huai County.

The number of visitors to the entire Shenyang City exceeded 500 million, setting a new historical record.

Discussions about Huai County and the National Day cultural extravaganza in Henan Province continue to escalate online.

Millions of performance videos, food photos, and Hanfu images have circulated on various platforms, accumulating over 50 billion views.

Topics such as #Henan Province's Cultural Confidence# #Hanfu Revival Is Timely# #The Grandeur of the Tang Dynasty Still Remains Today# continue to dominate the trending searches.

But amidst this chorus of praise, some discordant notes began to emerge.

A netizen who had just returned from a trip to Gansu left a comment in Qin Yao's live stream: "Friends who went to Huai County are so lucky. I went to Gansu to see that so-called 'Emperor Wu of Han' statue, and it made me feel uncomfortable all over."

This comment quickly became a trending topic.

"What statue?"

"I'll go search it up."

"Found it... Oh my god, what is this thing?"

More and more people went to search for it, and then came back angry.

Qin Yao also saw that comment.

She asked her assistant to find relevant images—it was a huge head sculpture, supposedly of Emperor Wu of Han.

But as netizens have pointed out: his brows were furrowed, his eyes were closed, his head was bowed, and his lips were pursed.

The entire statue is shrouded in an atmosphere of oppression, pain, and even despair.

This is far removed from the image of a powerful ruler in people's minds who would "punish anyone who offends our mighty Han, no matter how far away they are."

The chat in the live stream started getting intense:

"This isn't Emperor Wu of Han! This is clearly a prisoner being tortured!"

"It makes me physically uncomfortable."

"What were the builders' intentions?"

One netizen knowledgeable in feng shui analyzed: "Look at the angle and position of the statue—this is a typical reverse bow sha! Also, that protrusion on the head is a soul-suppressing nail in feng shui! The whole layout is a variation of the Big Dipper soul-locking formation! This is to suppress the soul of Emperor Wu of Han forever!"

Even more shocking was the subsequent revelation: the statue was not a government project, but was built at the expense of an art academy.

"I told you, no normal person would design something like this."

"That art academy is completely rotten!"

"These people are despicable!"

Some netizens also dug up the designer's public statements and portfolio, revealing a large number of "works" that distort and vilify Chinese historical figures and traditional culture, yet have won numerous awards in the West.

Anger was spreading in the live stream room.

Qin Yao silently observed the comments. She recalled the words of a fellow Hanfu enthusiast at the event a few days prior: "History should not be distorted."

And now, the distortion is right before our eyes, so naked, so vicious.

A comment from a netizen caught her attention: "Huai County demonstrates true cultural confidence—we dare to proudly display the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty and the spirit of the Ming Dynasty. But that statue shows distortion, inferiority, and hatred for one's own culture. The two are diametrically opposed."

Yes, they go in opposite directions.

The "Qin King's Battle Song" from Huai County showcases the masculine spirit of the men of the Tang Dynasty, and the heroic spirit of "the wind rises and the clouds fly".

Gan Su's "Emperor Wu of Han" portrays repression, pain, and constraint.

The former is exhilarating, while the latter leaves one feeling like a fishbone stuck in one's throat.

The former is revival, the latter is castration.

Qin Yao took a deep breath and spoke in the live stream: "My darlings, I've seen everyone's discussion. I don't want to comment too much on that statue. But I want to say—"

She paused for a moment, then said firmly, "True cultural confidence means being able to face history squarely, to be proud of the glory of our ancestors, and to draw wisdom from the lessons of history. It is not about distortion, vilification, or self-deprecation."

"In Huai County, we showcase 'The Music of the King of Qin Breaking the Enemy's Formation' because it embodies the spirit of the Tang Dynasty—openness, inclusiveness, confidence, and strength. We showcase Henan Opera because it sings of true human emotions, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness. We showcase Hanfu because it represents the clothing and etiquette that has been passed down through our nation for thousands of years."

"All of this is so that we today can draw strength from traditional culture and better move towards the future."

The comments section started to become more rational:

"Yaoyao is right, we should focus on positive things."

"The success of Huai County proves that what the people love is true beauty and true culture."

"That statue is getting more and more disgusting. I'm not going to look at it anymore. Let's watch our 'Qin King's Battle Song' instead."

"It is recommended that relevant departments investigate how such works that distort culture were created."

Qin Yao continued, "In the past few days, more than three million people have come to Huai County and Shenyang. What did they see? They saw the warm and hospitable people, the delicious and affordable food, the wonderful cultural performances, and the younger generation's love for and inheritance of traditional culture."

"This is the real China, this is true cultural confidence. It's not based on a few distorted statues, nor on a few so-called 'avant-garde art,' but on the recognition and practice of millions of ordinary people."

She pulled up a photo on her phone—it was a picture of an old man watching the parade at a Hanfu event, tears streaming down his face.

"This old man told me that he never expected to see young people wearing their own ethnic costumes again in his old age. He said, 'This is our root.'"

"Cultural confidence is not a castle in the air. It is found in these little things—in the tears in an old man's eyes, in a little girl's plea, 'Mommy, I want to wear that pretty dress too,' in the focused study of historical forms by fellow patriots, and in the applause of tourists for the performance."

The live stream fell silent. Everyone listened quietly.

"Therefore, we don't need to be angry about that statue," Qin Yao concluded. "True cultural confidence doesn't rely on one or two works to define it, but on the choices and recognition of millions of people. The three million tourists visiting Huai County are the best proof of that."

"They came, they saw, they felt. They will take this feeling back and pass it on to more people. This is the most powerful force in cultural inheritance—the power of the people."

The live stream has ended.

Qin Yao sat in the room, unable to calm down for a long time.

She remembered her brother Qin Feng's words: "What we need to do is not to criticize those who distort culture, but to prove with our actions what true culture is and what true beauty is."

Yes, action is more powerful than criticism.

The spectacular scene in Huai County over the past seven days is the best testament to this action.

Three million people voted with their footsteps, choosing true cultural confidence.

And that distorted statue will only be despised by more and more people.

People have their own scales when it comes to beauty and ugliness.

Whether it's true or false, history will judge for itself.