Photo: Barbie Store, by Mr Michael Phams
Barbie Store, by Mr Michael Phams (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Nine-Dash Line Controversies Prompt Vietnam to Ban “Barbie,” China to Censor Migrant Worker Report
On the surface, neither the film “Barbie” nor a write-up of an academic’s research on migrant laborer poverty would seem to have anything to do with the South China Sea. Yet both are embroiled in censorship controversies related...
Read MoreA Meme Too Far? Weibo Bans Content about Imaginary University
Less than a month after the conclusion of China’s hypercompetitive annual university entrance examination (“gaokao”), a satirical meme about an imaginary university has been banned on Weibo. The meme and its censorship reveal...
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Photo: Love Locks, Huangshan, by Aaron May
Love Locks, Huangshan, by Aaron May (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Read MoreOnline Responses to New Draft Legislation on “Patriotic Education”
A new draft patriotic education law submitted last week to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee is spurring spirited online debate. Broad in scope, the draft law includes provisions for the role of Chinese...
Read MoreCensors Delete Health and Science Outlets’ Accounts Amid Push To Rewrite COVID Memory
The accounts of Health Insights (@八点健闻), a health and science-oriented digital news outlet, have been suspended across all Chinese social media platforms, notably WeChat and Weibo. Since coming online in 2019, the outlet had...
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Photo: The Fluttering Fishing Nets, by Henry So
The Fluttering Fishing Nets, by Henry So (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Read MoreRats! Taobao Censors Toys, Vendors Cry Fowl
Toys riffing on China’s hottest online idiom, “calling a rat a duck,” were yanked from online shelves this past week, a sign of the idiom’s continued political sensitivity. The tongue-in-cheek saying “calling a rat a duck”...
Read MoreExternal Propaganda Roundup: Unpacking Influence Via United Front Tactics, P.R. Firms, Twitter
Over the past few weeks, several think tanks have published reports evaluating the expansion and success of China’s external propaganda. Together, they show the wide range of tools, targets, mediums, and regions involved in...
Read MoreWord(s) of the Week: “I don’t raise pigs.” (我不养猪 wǒ bù yǎng zhū)
“I don’t raise pigs” (我不养猪 wǒ bù yǎng zhū), a Hunan police station’s nonsensical comment on the death of a woman in their custody, is the latest incidence of “gobsmacking rhetoric” (léi yǔ 雷语) to go viral. “Gobsmacking rhetoric”...
Read MoreWeibo Users Dub Wagner Group Rebellion a “Real-life Version of ‘Eliminating the Emperor’s Cronies’”
An antiquated Chinese political phrase enjoyed a brief revival when it was dusted off and used by some online commentators to describe the series of events known variously as the “Wagner Group...
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Photo: 福州-西湖, by Jinning Zhang
福州-西湖, by Jinning Zhang (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Read MoreChina Helps Zambia Reach Landmark Debt Restructuring Deal, But Broader Relief Remains Uncertain
While much of the Western developed world was glued to the mutiny in Russia over the weekend, much of the developing world contemplated a debt crisis that has both governments and individual families struggling to pay their...
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Photo: 苏州阳澄湖半岛度假区, by Yang Yu
苏州阳澄湖半岛度假区, by Yang Yu (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Read MoreTranslation: “Eight Years in Prison Hasn’t Frightened Me; It Has Only Made Me Stronger”
On May 18, 2023, blogger and activist Wu Gan was released from prison after serving an eight-year sentence for “subversion of state power.” Active in rights defense cases since 2009, Wu Gan (whose screen name was “Super Vulgar...
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