China's state-run media agency Xinhua warned on Friday that China does not practice the tradition of "the West's so-called 'Fools' Day," where people hoax and play practical jokes on the first day of the month of April.

"'Fools' Day' is not in line with our country's traditions and socialist core values," Xinhua posted on its Weibo account on Friday morning. "We hope you will not believe, create, or spread rumors."

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After posting, the message, which was reposted and commented thousands of times, received mixed reactions. Others agreed to the government's opposition, while some wanted to join the Western celebration.

"This is the funniest joke I've seen all day," a person wrote on Weibo. While another user said "Every day is April Fools' Day."

Only a handful of people, mostly college students, celebrate April Fools in China, according to NY Times. It is usually an alibi to pull pranks.

Recently, Chinese officials are starting to control Western influence. In 2015, education minister Yuan Guiren prohibited the use of textbooks promoting Western values.

Just last month, Li Liguo, the minister of civil affairs, planned to replace bizarre foreign names of buildings and residential subdivisions, explaining that these "violate the socialist core values and conventional morality."

Discouraging the practice of April Fools' Day also shows China's persistence about spread of inaccurate online stories and rumors. In 2013, the Chinese government issued a guideline, calling up to three years' imprisonment for people caught posting rumors reposted by over 500 people or viewed 5,000 times.

TagsApril Fool's Day, china, Xinhua, Pranks