CDT presents a monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, Douban, and others. Although this content archived by CDT Chinese editors represents only a small fraction of the online content that disappears each day from the Chinese internet, it provides valuable insight into which topics are considered “sensitive” over time by the Party-state, cyberspace authorities, and platform censors. Our fully searchable Chinese-language “404 Deleted Content Archive,” currently contains 2,344 deleted articles, essays, and other pieces of content. The entry for each deleted item includes the author/social media account name, the original publishing platform, the subject matter, the date of deletion, and more information.

Below is Part One of CDT’s summary of deleted content from December 2025. Between December 1-31, CDT Chinese added 41 new articles, mostly from WeChat, to the archive. Topics targeted for deletion in December included:

• Cancellations of Japan-bound flights and tours, cultural exchanges, and Japanese performances in Shanghai and other cities, amid the ongoing Sino-Japanese diplomatic spat over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on defending Taiwan.
• Complaints about the rise of “the menstrual police” as pro-natalist local family planning officials adopt more intrusive methods, including calling local women to inquire about their menstrual cycles, childbirth plans, etc.
• Proposed legal reforms to the Prisons Law and the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (PSPAL).
• High payments to laid-off workers by Canon and other foreign-owned companies in China were dubbed “malicious compensation” because they make Chinese companies look bad in comparison.
• Rural residents face a steep rise in Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance premiums.
• An ad by food-delivery platform Meituan drew widespread public backlash for over-glorifying the lives of delivery riders and ignoring the rigors of their jobs.
• A scandal at the Nanjing Museum leads to an investigation into whether museum staff secretly sold off some of the museum’s works.
• “Ming Dynasty nostalgia” is a growing trend online.

(Note that the dates in the summary below refer to when an article was published on the CDT website, not when it was deleted from Chinese social-media platforms.)

1. “Amid the Ashes of Millions in Lost Deposits, Ayumi Hamasaki Makes a Final Stand for Dignity by Performing to an Empty Shanghai Arena,” WeChat account 裱糊将 (Biǎohú Jiāng, "The Paper-hanging General")
   December 1, 2025

Following Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Japan’s willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese blockade, Chinese authorities responded by cancelling Japan-bound flights and tours, cultural exchanges, and a number of high-profile concerts by Japanese performers. This article discusses the cancellation of Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki’s Shanghai concert due to official pressure, or “force majeure.” While ticket-buyers received refunds, the author writes, concert organizers likely lost millions due to sunk costs such as non-refundable deposits on venues and hotel rooms. The author praises Hamasaki’s decision to perform to an empty venue as an act of professional commitment, artistic integrity, and dignity in the face of quixotic officialdom. The piece features some images of Hamasaki, as well as singer Maki Otsuki, who appeared shocked when she was interrupted mid-song and had her microphone taken away during a separate performance in Shanghai.

2. “Searching for Xu Xinrui,” by Li Yuchen, WeChat account Li Yuchen
   December 1, 2025

Li Yuchen describes the harrowing story of Xu Xinrui, a young woman from Chengdu who was “mentally-illed” and spent eight years involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital after she reported her supervisor Liu Jian to Sichuan provincial Party officials for illegal gambling, because he was hosting mahjong games during working hours. The article lays bare the power imbalance between Xu, an orphan with no close family members to advocate for her release, and Liu Jian, who used his connections as both a police officer and local Party committee deputy secretary to keep Xu confined, despite her having no mental illness. The author follows efforts by Yu Kai and Yang Hui, two lawyers from Shandong, to visit Li and lobby hospital administrators and local officials to secure her release. When lawyers and supporters attempted to draw attention to the injustice done to Ms. Xu, even their WeChat post was censored due to unspecified “violations.” (Xu’s case has also been reported on by Caixin.)

3. “Ayumi Hamasaki and Other Japanese Artists Were Prohibited From Performing in Shanghai, but Not in Guangzhou,” WeChat account Breaking News (快速报, Kuàisù bào)
   December 1, 2025

This WeChat article discusses the inconsistent application of performance regulations across different Chinese cities. For example, while Shanghai authorities cancelled concerts by Ayumi Hamasaki, Maki Otsuki, and other Japanese artists due to the ongoing Sino-Japanese diplomatic spat over Taiwan, the southern metropolis of Guangzhou reportedly allowed similar events to proceed. The article also includes some social media comments about the cancellations and invites readers to submit their opinions.

4. “These Abuses of Power Can No Longer Be Treated as Trivial,” by Song Qingren, WeChat account 剑客写字的地方 (Jiànkè xiězì de dìfang, “Where the Swordsman Writes”)
   December 1, 2025

Blogger Song Qingren criticizes a dearth of media reporting about a huge explosion at a fireworks shop in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, that set fire to a building, overturned a car, and resulted in a number of injuries. The owner of the shop, a 30-year-old man surnamed Peng, reportedly ignited the blast and attempted to commit suicide by swallowing poison in his car. Song asks why, given publicly available video of the explosion and ample evidence that Peng had filed a formal complaint about extortion by local officials—he complained that they had demanded free fireworks and even cash from him on repeated occasions—Chinese media outlets chose to wait for the official police statement instead of diving deeper into the story behind the blast. (In recent years, media over-reliance on official statements has been criticized for contributing to the decline of investigative reporting.) These abuses of power that take the form of shakedowns of small business owners, writes Song, can no longer be treated by the media and society as trivial incidents.

5. “Were Reports of Ayumi Hamasaki’s ‘One-Person Concert’ False? The ‘Debunkers’ Are Being Disingenuous,” by Xu Peng, WeChat account History Rhymes
   December 1, 2025

Xu Peng shoots down claims by Chinese state-media outlets and nationalist pundit Hu Xijin that Ayumi Hamasaki’s “one-person performance to an empty arena” was just a rumor. He argues that these claims amount to gaslighting, and rely on pedantic technicalities—such as whether the stadium was literally 100% empty—to distract from the most important fact: that the authorities, for political reasons, abruptly cancelled Hamasaki’s performance at the 14,000-seat venue after tickets had already been sold.

6. “Statement Regarding Complaints Against Two Articles on This Public Account,” by Liu Su, WeChat account Liu Su’s World of Sci-Tech
   December 2, 2025

Botanist and science blogger Liu Su discusses receiving a message from WeChat informing him of complaints made about two of his science-related articles, which were reported to the platform for “infringement of personal privacy/image/reputation.” Liu explains that the complaint was likely related to Li Yongle, a high school physics teacher and education influencer mentioned in both of Liu’s articles. Liu wryly notes that WeChat’s warning came with this friendly reminder: “You can also voluntarily delete the articles before the platform review.” Liu goes on to criticize Shanghai officials’ gaslighting about Ayumi Hamasaki’s decision to perform to an empty arena after they cancelled her concert at the last minute. Liu writes, “Even my father expressed his disappointment with these crude and heavy-handed methods, posting on WeChat: ‘Shame on you, Shanghai.’ I was speechless.”

7. “Force Majeure Should Apply to Rehearsals, Too,” by Wang Xiaolei, WeChat account Liushen Leilei Reads Jin Yong
   December 2, 2025

Columnist and former political reporter Wang satirizes Shanghai officials’ dishonest use of the excuse "force majeure"—reasons beyond one’s control—to cancel Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert, and points out that if there really were some threat to safety at the concert venue, authorities shouldn’t have allowed days of rehearsal there. Using examples from the works of novelist Jin Yong, as he often does, Wang further picks apart Shanghai officials’ flimsy excuses for cancelling Hamasaki’s performance. (Wang has been the target of censorship before: in 2019, his Weibo account was banned for "publishing harmful political information.” In mid-December of last year, his aforementioned WeChat account was shadow-banned, although his related Weibo, Douyin, and video accounts appeared unaffected.)

8. “They’re Reaching Into People’s Bedrooms Now: Still Think There’s No Problem?” by 书荼门人 (shūtú ménrén), WeChat account 走读新生 (zǒudú xīnshēng)
   December 2, 2025

The article presents three events in the news as being emblematic of officials being intrusive and apathetic by turns, as it suits them. The first concerns family planning officials in Yunnan province who recently asked local women to report the date of their last menstrual period—in a WeChat group chat, no less. The second was about a man who was ambushed outside a bank immediately after he withdrew 1.7 million yuan. Bank employees watched but failed to call the police or intervene as the man grappled with the robbers for 20 minutes. The writer contrasts this apathy with the proactiveness of some troubled banks that colluded with police to intimidate and arrest customers seeking to withdraw their savings. The last example is official inaction and state-media silence about the case of Xu Xinrui, the young woman previously mentioned who was involuntarily committed to a mental institution in retaliation for reporting her supervisor for gambling during working hours.

9. “Some Media Outlets Are Crap (Looking at You, Guancha),” by Xiao Chai, WeChat account 小柴独家体验 (Xiǎo Chái dújiā tǐyàn, “Xiao Chai’s Takes”)
   December 2, 2025

Blogger Xiao Chai excoriates Shanghai-based nationalist news-site Guancha.cn and other Chinese outlets for their clumsy attempts to downplay the symbolic importance of Ayumi Hamasaki performing to an empty arena after officials in Shanghai cancelled her concert. Guancha, China Daily, The Paper, and many other outlets highlighted what they claimed was a written apology from a Chinese videographer who said he misrepresented images and footage he took at Hamasaki’s “rehearsal” and then shared online. For the real truth, writes Xiao Chai, all you have to do is look at Hamasaki’s Instagram messages and photos: the elaborate stage set, costumes, backup dancers, and other elements all reveal that Hamasaki held nothing back, despite being denied the chance to perform in front of her Chinese fans.

10. “First Major Revision of the Prisons Law: A Reform Forced by Real-World Problems,” by Feng Ye, WeChat account Aquarius Era
    December 2, 2025

A longform article from Feng Ye at freelance journalism collective Aquarius Era examines the first major overhaul of China’s Prison Law in decades, which was undertaken reluctantly after repeated scandals involving inmate abuse, denial of medical care, corruption among prison officials, and other problems. The revision would strengthen prisoners’ rights to legal appeals, basic medical care, and family and lawyer visits, but many ambiguities and loopholes remain. The tone of the piece is cautiously optimistic, yet also skeptical of certain elements of the proposed revisions, particularly given the way Chinese prisons have long functioned as a "black box." Feng argues that without independent oversight, any changes to the law may remain purely cosmetic.

11. “They’re Tracking Our Menstrual Cycles Now,” Hereditary Researcher, WeChat account Personal Memory Bank
    December 3, 2025

This article concerns recent reports of local officials in Xuanwei, Yunnan province, contacting local mothers through a WeChat group chat and asking them for the dates of their last menstrual periods. Although the officials claimed it was to help them provide better services and support for residents who were pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the incident raised concerns about privacy violations and treating women’s bodies as “state-owned assets.” The article goes on to discuss some recent demographic trends, including the fall in birth rates, and how these may affect Chinese society, education, and governance.

12. “I’ve Become a Fan of Ayumi Hamasaki,” by 陌上紫藤 (mò shàng zǐténg, "wayside wisteria"), WeChat account 隐入寒烟5 (yǐnrù hányānwǔ）
    December 3, 2025

Another article about Chinese officials’ cancellation of concerts by Japanese singers Ayumi Hamasaki and Maki Otsuki. Although the author admits they had never heard of Hamasaki before, they became an instant fan after seeing her perform to an empty venue. The piece praises Hamasaki for her professionalism, dignity, and clear love for her fans, noting her promise to release the performance recording to fans at some point. “It makes no sense to punish Japanese performers for the behavior of a few right-wing Japanese politicians,” writes the author, “or to morally blackmail Chinese fans, renege on contracts, and flush China’s international reputation down the toilet. This isn’t patriotism, it’s a child throwing a tantrum and smashing his toys, a spineless coward coming home in a foul temper and taking out his anger on his wife and child!”

13. “Sealing Drug-Offense Records Isn’t the Best Solution, but It’s the Simplest,” by Xiang Dongliang, WeChat account Basic Common Sense
    December 4, 2025

On January 1, a revision to article 136 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (PSAPL) went into effect, requiring police to seal the records of various misdemeanors, including minor drug offenses such as possession, after the offender has completed their punishment. The intention was to help reduce job-discrimination against misdemeanor offenders and help them reintegrate into society, but some people criticized the new rule for being “soft on drugs” or benefitting certain wealthy or famous “young scions” who had been charged with use or possession.

In this article, current affairs commentator Xiang Dongliang acknowledges that while sealing misdemeanor records might not be a perfect solution, it is the simplest option. He presents three cases of individuals who would benefit from the new regulations: a woman detained for three days for fighting with her boyfriend now finds that whenever she swipes her ID card (at high-speed train stations, for example), it triggers an alert and she is taken aside for questioning. A man who was detained for three days for fighting with his neighbor was prevented from becoming a firefighter, despite meeting all of the other qualifications. Another man, who was punished for making “inappropriate” online remarks, failed to qualify for the civil service due to his past offense, despite having earned the highest score in his province on the civil service exam. While it might be preferable, Xiang writes, to reform the systems that perpetuate such discrimination—the ID card system, job-related background checks, or the civil service exam—simply sealing the records of minor offenses is the easiest solution by far.

14. “As Controversy Erupts Over Period-Tracking Incident, How Far Are We From the ‘Menstrual Police’?” by Xu Peng, WeChat account Du Fu of Baidicheng
    December 5, 2025

Current-affairs blogger Xu Peng created this “reincarnated” WeChat account after his former WeChat account ("Du Fu of Huanhua Creek") was banned in late November due to an article he published about nationalism and Sino-Japanese relations. In this piece on his new account, Xu cites reports of local officials in Xuanwei, Yunnan province asking local women to report the dates of their last periods, and cautions that such bureaucratic intrusiveness is only bound to worsen. He offers the cautionary example of Romania under Ceaușescu, whose efforts to increase the population led to contraception bans, forced births, and the much-reviled “menstrual police.” Rather than constantly monitoring and harassing the population, Xu suggests, Chinese officials should focus on improving the overall quality of life if they wish to encourage people to have children.

15. “State and Citizens Alike Rejoice in Our Collective Online Sexual Harassment of the Female Japanese Prime Minister,” by Li Yuchen, Li Yuchen’s WeChat account
    December 5, 2025

Blogger Li Yuchen condemns a series of gendered attacks against Japan’s recently elected female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi by CCTV, Global Times, and other state-media outlets. These attacks were amplified by commercial media outlets and online nationalists, setting off a deluge of misogynistic and demeaning comments made by Chinese netizens, often with the tacit approval of censors. “What makes this online frenzy aimed at Sanae Takaichi so terrifying,” writes Li, “isn’t just the viciousness of the language, but its highly organized and coordinated nature. This is no random and unruly mob, for it is backed by a well-organized and highly efficient propaganda machine.”

16. “That Meituan ‘Public Service Ad’ That Got Pulled After Massive Backlash Missed the Most Basic Point,” by Chloe, WeChat account PRREN
    December 6, 2025

A long article illustrated with copious images and screenshots discusses why there was such a huge public backlash to food-delivery platform Meituan’s rosy ad campaign depicting the life of a young delivery rider. Many online commenters castigated the ad for being wildly unrealistic: A young woman named Ah Lan quits her stressful white-collar job as a graphic designer, becomes a delivery rider for Meiyuan, “enjoys the scenery along the way,” and saves up enough in just three months to buy a new 15,000 yuan ($2150 U.S. dollar) camera. In the ad, there is nary a mention of long hours, low pay, traffic hazards, algorithm-induced stress, or any of the many other real-world challenges that delivery riders face. Author Chloe writes that Meituan needs more empathy and insight into the lives of ordinary people, for the company seems to have forgotten that advertisements need to be realistic enough so that viewers can relate to them.

17. “The Prime Minister’s Assets Were 1.459 Million Yuan,” by Hereditary Researcher, WeChat account Personal Memory Bank
    December 8, 2025

The article includes tables showing the amount (in both Japanese yen and Chinese yuan) of assets held by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her cabinet ministers. The author expresses surprise that the PM’s assets would be so low, only about 1.45 million yuan, or $210,000 U.S. dollars. This article could be read as a thinly veiled critique of the lack of asset disclosure among Chinese officials.

18. “Canon’s Zhongshan Factory Shuts Down: With 2.5N+1 Severance Packages, Some Workers Walk Off With 800,000-900,000 Yuan, Weeping as They Leave!” by 魔都囡 (módūnān, “Shanghai gal”), from Phoenix News/ifeng.com
    December 10, 2025

This in-depth article, which was deleted from the Phoenix News platform but reposted from NetEase, contrasts the generous and humane treatment of laid-off workers by some international companies operating in China (such as Canon, Mercedes Benz, Citibank, and Microsoft) with less ideal treatment by some Chinese companies. For example, after Japanese manufacturing giant Canon closed its factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, some very senior staff walked off with nearly $130,000, thanks to a “2.5N+1” severance-package formula that gives employees 2.5 times their monthly salary for every year of service (represented by “N”), plus an additional one month of salary. Such payouts have been criticized by some Chinese officials, companies, and media outlets as “malicious compensation” that makes Chinese rival companies look bad by comparison. Expressing concern that the exit of overseas companies will degrade labor rights in general, the author writes, “If everyone treated employees as human beings and carried out layoffs this honorably, the workplace would no longer be a jungle.”

19. “Names of Dozens of Bid-Review Experts Appear to Have Been Cut and Pasted From Online Database of Names, Raising Suspicions of Fraud in Some Government Procurement Projects in Zhuxi, Hubei Province,” by Li Yuguang, from China Youth Daily
    December 11, 2025

After this investigative report by China Youth Daily journalist Li Yuguang was taken offline only 48 minutes after it was published, Li shared it in PDF form on his personal Xiaohongshu (Red Note) account. His report concerns the increasingly widespread practice of local governments using “filler names”—the most common of which have been dubbed “the five busiest people in the internet” by online wags—that have been cut and pasted from a popular internet database of random Chinese names. These names have been identified in various documents, including lists of contest judges, auditors, experts, and in this case, a supposed panel of “experts” tasked with reviewing bids for government procurement projects in Zhuxi, Hubei Province. Li argues that the use of these random names is no mere mistake, but evidence of systematic fraud designed to funnel taxpayer money to specific insiders while maintaining a facade of competition.

20. “Go Be a Meituan Delivery Rider, and Earn 1.12 Million While Enjoying the Scenery!,” by Ni Ren, WeChat account Black Noise
    December 11, 2025

Ni Ren, whose WeChat account Black Noise focuses on economic and current-events commentary, dissects two propaganda campaigns extolling the virtues of unrelenting toil and glorifying the lives of food delivery riders. The first is a viral state-media tale of a man who claimed to have earned over 1.4 million yuan (over $200,000 U.S. dollars) in five years of nonstop work as a food-delivery rider in Shanghai. Ni Ren concedes that this might be possible, but it understates the dangers and health risks that such a worker would face. The second is food-delivery platform Meituan’s disastrously tone-deaf ad campaign about a young woman who quits her job as a graphic designer and finds a better life “enjoying the scenery” while working as a food delivery rider. Among the questions that Ni Ren raises: Who is promoting these sorts of stories, and why are they so intent on romanticizing overwork and glorifying suffering? “The poor have only two things to sell: their time or their health,” he writes. “But it’s 2025, not 1985, and we shouldn’t still be focused on mere ‘survival.’ We’ve been on the road toward wealth long enough now that stories about people trading their lives and health for money shouldn’t be leveraged for propaganda purposes.”

Part Two will follow shortly.