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... You Played a Part in This.”"></a></p>]]></content:encoded>
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Source: https://chinadigitaltimes.net/feed

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<title>Photo: Park Life – Shanghai, by Andrew Roberts</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/photo-park-life-shanghai-by-andrew-roberts/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 20:56:50 +0000</pubDate>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_704840" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704840" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Park-Life-Shanghai-by-Andrew-Roberts-e1761339247698.jpg" alt="Dozens of people of all ages walk along a broad paved walkway lined with bushes, and beyond that, tall leafy trees. Some stop to chat or examine the many makeshift displays of handwritten signs that various individuals have arranged on either side of the walkway." width="600" height="450" class="size-full wp-image-704840" />
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<title>Netizen Voices: “Stop Complaining, Hu Xijin. You Played a Part in This.”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/netizen-voices-stop-complaining-hu-xijin-you-played-a-part-in-this/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 19:44:47 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Culture & the Arts]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[bureaucracy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cartoon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[discourse censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[freedom of expression]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hu xijin]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet commentators]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[little pinks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nationalism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Netizen Voices]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[political satire]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[satire]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship complicity]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[suppression of dissent]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[weibo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704832</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Two posts from nationalist pundit and former Global Times Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin criticizing what he describes as a “collective silence” on Chinese social media have sparked intense discussion on Chinese and overseas websites. The posts, published earlier this month by Hu on his personal WeChat account and his Weibo account, respectively, lament this lack of […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Two posts from nationalist pundit and former Global Times Editor-in-Chief <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/hu-xijin/">Hu Xijin</a> criticizing what he describes as a “<a href="//www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328973/former-state-media-editor-warns-against-collective-silence-chinese-social-media">collective silence</a>” on Chinese social media have sparked intense discussion on Chinese and overseas websites. The posts, published earlier this month by Hu on his <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/U3M8RjWzamToN3hINA0kqQ">personal WeChat account</a> and <a href="https://weibo.com/1989660417/Q8VjCidzU">his Weibo account</a>, respectively, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/10/22/propagandist-hu-xijin-laments-the-decline-of-public-debate-in-china_6746664_4.html">lament this lack of robust societal debate</a>, and place the blame, variously, on bureaucratic formalism, self-censorship, employer-driven censorship, online trolls, and society in general.
At The East is Read, Yirui Li and Yuxuan Jia offered a full translation of Hu’s first post, “<a href="https://www.eastisread.com/p/hu-xijin-calls-for-tolerance-and">How to continuously advance tolerance and freedom under the constitutional order</a>,” a portion of which is excerpted below:
<blockquote>
It is worth noting that the West has long touted its “freedom.” If China, drawing on growing hard power and rising confidence, also advances tolerance and freedom under its constitutional order, that would puncture the remaining sense of Western arrogance, complete the core elements of China’s soft power, and in turn foster a new level of societal confidence. From a higher platform of development, many long-standing problems that have plagued China would be resolved.
In fact, democracy and freedom are explicitly listed among the core socialist values [prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendliness], serving as important goals in the construction of Chinese society. However, the real reason for the insufficient development of social tolerance and freedom lies in bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities’ sake. [<a href="https://www.eastisread.com/p/hu-xijin-calls-for-tolerance-and">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Hu’s follow-up post, which appeared a few days later on Weibo, where he has nearly 25 million followers, focused on factors that have brought about a chill in China’s online environment. At Pekingnology, <a href="https://www.pekingnology.com/p/hu-xijin-silence-is-not-gold">Yuxuan Jia published a full translation, a portion of which appears below</a>:
<blockquote>
Many people are growing far more cautious about speaking on social media or have stopped posting altogether. Celebrities’ feeds that once chatted about daily life are now mostly for official announcements. People in the state system tread even more carefully: many no longer post to their WeChat Moments [similar to Facebook or Instagram posts visible to friends]; if they do, it’s just a repost of a state media report.
[…] Why is this happening? At root, society’s tolerance has narrowed. 
[…] First, the overall online climate has turned harsher. The hunt for “flaws” is frequent and meticulous. Once a target is found, attention converges fast; the digging and attempts to “connect the dots” seem endless, and all too often things are blown up into sweeping indictments. That kind of risk is hard for anyone to bear. For public employees within the state system or mid-level managers at a private company, it can easily implicate the organisation behind them.
[…] Secondly, on the internet, a few lines are routinely over-interpreted, or a photo’s meaning is stretched, and the backlash quickly shifts to the person’s organisation.
[…I]t’s definitely not a good sign that so many verified groups now opt for silence online. Widening social tolerance under the constitutional order is a practical lever worth pursuing. Society should be diverse and vibrant; social media should be a platform for everyone to share information. If some groups withdraw or go deeply passive, leaving only others to speak, the outcome won’t be healthy, and new problems will follow. [<a href="https://www.pekingnology.com/p/hu-xijin-silence-is-not-gold">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Hu Xijin’s remarks caused heated debate among Chinese netizens. Many recognized the irony that Hu, as an inveterate propagandist for the Party state, was complicit in shaping the very online environment he is now bemoaning, and that his criticism is akin to a thief crying “Stop, thief!" Others noted that constraints on free speech must be truly dire for a privileged public figure such as Hu to lament that public debate in China is “not free enough.” There was also speculation about whether Hu was truly speaking from the heart, or if his recent pronouncements were some sort of ploy, an updated “Hundred Flowers Campaign” designed to trick the unwary into speaking recklessly. Hu was also attacked by some of his fellow pro-establishment nationalists, who dubbed him a “public intellectual” (公知, gōngzhī, used by some nationalists as a slur) and excoriated him for what they perceived as excessive liberalism.
CDT Chinese editors have archived four articles (one censored) about the controversy over Hu’s posts, and a collection of netizen comments representing a range of political viewpoints. In an article that has since been censored, WeChat blogger <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E6%B5%B7%E8%BE%B9%E7%9A%84%E8%A5%BF%E5%A1%9E%E7%BD%97">Cicero by the Sea</a> generally agrees with Hu’s assessment that people have become more hesitant to speak, and gives some examples from his own experience of being harassed by online trolls for raising legitimate questions about the safety of Xiaomi electric vehicles after two fatal crashes of Xiaomi SU7 EVs. But the author also writes that Hu never really attempts to analyze what underlies China’s chilling online silence: <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721888.html">to highlight this point, Cicero by the Sea begins and ends his now-deleted article with the plaintive question, “But why?</a>” Another archived WeChat article, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721856.html">Why I Say ‘Don’t Feed the Beast</a>,’” begins with a complaint about the Shanghai Celebili Music Festival cancelling performances by German electronica band Kraftwerk and Chinese singer-songwriter Zuoxiao Zuzhou for reasons of “force majeure.” It then goes on to criticize Hu Xijin’s take on freedom of speech as hypocritical and pointless, and urges readers not to “feed the beast” by engaging with Hu’s ideas. In “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721850.html">The Internet ‘Falls Silent’ and Editor-in-Chief Hu Thinks It’s All Society’s Fault</a>,” blogger <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%B0%B1%E5%8F%AB%E7%86%8A%E5%A4%AA%E8%A1%8C%E4%B9%9F%E8%A1%8C">Xiong Taihang</a> mocks Hu Xijin’s twisted logic and likens the Chinese internet to a hostile workplace filled with unsupportive bosses and colleagues eager to stab you in the back.
A final satirical article, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721881.html">Hu Xijin Has Started Complaining That Society Isn’t Tolerant Enough</a>,” comes from the WeChat account <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E6%9C%A8%E8%B9%8A%E8%AF%B4">Mu Xi Says</a>. Author Mu Xi points out that it is only Hu Xijin’s extremely privileged position that allows him to speak as he does. After listing numerous contradictory and hypocritical comments that Hu has made over the years—prime examples of “whataboutism”—Mu Xi ends on this note:
<blockquote>
As people like Hu Xijin become more powerful, diverse voices inevitably perish. But once those diverse voices die out, Old Hu feels a sudden stab of loneliness and calls out, “Why’s everyone so quiet? Feel free to speak your mind!” This is rather like the head palace eunuch asking a junior eunuch, “Hey, how come your equipment is only good for taking a leak?” [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721881.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
The comments translated below were compiled by CDT Chinese editors from Weibo, with a few from X. They give a sense of the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721831.html">diverse range of reactions to Hu’s recent pronouncements on freedom of speech and freedom of expression</a>. For convenience, they have been divided into three general categories: pro-establishment, supportive, and sarcastic:
<blockquote>
“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Little_pink">Little Pink</a>” and pro-establishment comments:
欧洲小吏: Gone are the days when you obsolete colonial bootlickers, wannabe intellectuals, and public figures could stir up people’s emotions online without being called to account.
DBL-miemie: So now that public opinion has shifted and people aren’t so easily duped, he feels like there isn’t enough “freedom.”
甄孜言: Why not just admit you’re nostalgic for the past, when wannabe intellectuals were allowed to run amok online, polluting the internet?
文明交流-要不哥哥怼你到破防: Aren’t we tolerant enough as it is? Practically every day, there are a bunch of online losers trampling on our nation’s flag, and they always get away with it.
领事闲谈: Haha, that old cliché. I’m a civil servant and I manage to post things every day just fine. The only people who worry are those with something to hide, especially certain “proxies,” talking about topics that can’t stand up to scrutiny.
景明同学111: So you’re only capable of speaking if you’re allowed to trash-talk China, the Party, and Socialism, is that it?
Supportive comments:
ming-ustc: I agree with Old Hu on this point: more tolerance, less antagonism.
L秋水孤鹜: Be open-minded, foster a relaxed and inclusive public-opinion climate, and let people exercise their due right to freedom of speech! Don’t do things that create a "chilling" effect.
航行-RXG: Most of the people I follow haven’t posted on Weibo in a few years.
看看就好有啥好看的: Without tolerance, how can we ever have consensus, or social progress?
十里坡剑神啊: The Chinese internet is dead. There’s nothing worthwhile left.
崔曦文18: There are more crazies than ever, but now they’re considered mainstream.
叶辉姓贾: It took me a while to even work up the nerve to “like” your post.
-中医上工-: Only Old Hu would be bold enough to broach such a sensitive topic.
椰子树上叶子01: My boss said we can’t post stuff about our personal lives, only content from public WeChat accounts, so now everyone at work is setting up burner accounts.
一蹴而就啊: This is the one time I’m not going to argue with Ol’ Hu, because I totally agree with him!
许了个仙2109: If you really want everyone to be able to speak freely, first get all the major platforms to stop filtering sensitive words.
Critical and sardonic comments:
股海东方不败: But why is everyone is too scared to speak out? I can’t believe Old Hu doesn’t understand the underlying reason.
一切为了大局: Ol’ Hu, this is a good thing. It means there’s less “negative sentiment.”
消化科倔老头: On the one hand, you’ve got people staying silent out of fear; on the other, people spouting endless bullshit … Ol’ Hu definitely understands the reason why.
重在参与的过程: Old Hu is actually a beneficiary of the current situation.
ChrisMu35642495: “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Frisbee_Hu">Frisbee-catcher</a>” lapdog, stop complaining. You played a part in this.
瀚瀚de幸运花骑士: Old Hu, you’re just trolling, aren’t you? You’re rotten to the core.
勤奋的男人使命: Old Hu went from the rearguard to the vanguard [of free speech]. Back when the winds were blowing his way, he could piss for yards. Now that the winds have shifted direction, he’s always getting his shoes wet.
jiamama0101: Old Hu deserves a lot of “credit” for the state of the internet today!
SupremeLeaderXi: This is China~:
<div style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" src="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/10/image-1760377834578.png" width="590" height="276" alt="A humorous “screenshot” purports to show a group chat, hosted by Xi Jinping, in which all of the participants have been muted. Xi’s circular profile photo, at top left, depicts him against a red background, wearing a dark suit with a red tie, and holding a white telephone receiver to his ear. " class="size-full" />
Host: Xi Jinping 
Speech bubble: Why isn’t anyone talking? 
Message at bottom: All participants have been muted.
</div>
[<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721831.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Translations on Chikungunya and Mosquito Eradication in Guangdong: “Hand Over Your Keys or We’ll Pick the Locks!”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-on-chikungunya-and-mosquito-eradication-in-guangdong-hand-over-your-keys-or-well-pick-the-locks/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:51:25 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CDT translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[diseases]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[epidemics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Foshan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[grassroots]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Guangdong]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[historical record]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[local government]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[local officials]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[local power]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[pandemic control strategy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[private property]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[translation excerpt]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704827</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Public backlash has forced local officials in Pengyuan—a community in the city of Jiangmen, Guangdong province—to rescind an order requiring residents to surrender their keys so that sanitation workers can enter outbuildings to fumigate and eradicate mosquitos. The eradication effort is in response to an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus, which has resulted in […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Public backlash has forced local officials in Pengyuan—a community in the city of Jiangmen, Guangdong province—to rescind an order requiring residents to surrender their keys so that sanitation workers can enter outbuildings to fumigate and eradicate mosquitos. The eradication effort is in response to an <a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2025/expert-comment-chikungunya-outbreak-china">outbreak of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus</a>, which has resulted in over <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON581">20,000 confirmed cases</a> throughout Guangdong this year.
The controversy began when residents in Pengyuan began complaining about a notice that had been posted by community officials, informing them that residents would be required to provide a key to parts of their property, such as bicycle sheds, so that community sanitation workers could carry out fumigation and mosquito-abatement work on a regular basis. If residents did not turn in their keys, the notice warned, workers would summon a locksmith to force entry. Some residents reported incidents of sanitation workers <a href="https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1979668817136738537">entering their properties without permission</a> and confiscating plants, or using intimidation tactics to enforce compliance.
In response to public backlash, community officials in Pengyuan announced that the key-confiscation policy was being rescinded. A few days after the unpopular policy was rolled back, disease-control officials in the city of Jiangmen issued <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722063.html">a set of work guidelines</a> for “preventing and rectifying negative behaviors in epidemic prevention and control work.” It listed 22 types of behavior to avoid, including felling trees, killing pets, illegally entering residents’ properties or disposing of their possessions, unauthorized collection or dissemination of residents’ personal information, and unauthorized imposition of administrative penalties. Numbers 13-20 contain restrictions on fumigation methods, such as not using medium or high-toxicity pesticides, not spraying in crowded public areas, and not spraying items that people might touch or consume (such as food, medicines, or tableware). Numbers 21-22 caution against disrupting normal business activity or subjecting businesses to onerous fumigation protocols.
Although most residents of Jiangmen expressed a willingness to cooperate with disease control and mosquito abatement efforts, they considered the “hand in your keys” policy an intrusive form of local government overreach that brought back <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/25d57195-619e-4406-9b3f-c3566cf1747c">traumatic memories</a> of three years of extreme “zero-COVID” policies. In response to <a href="https://www.zhihu.com/question/1963727953700579005">a question about Guangdong’s efforts to counter Chikungunya</a> on the Q&A site Zhihu (which included the list of guidelines from Jiangmen), one Zhihu user lamented, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722018.html">Yesterday they were eradicating COVID, today it’s mosquitoes, what will they do tomorrow?</a>”
Since July, CDT Chinese editors have archived numerous articles about the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/tag/%e5%9f%ba%e5%ad%94%e8%82%af%e9%9b%85%e7%83%ad">Chikungunya outbreak</a> and mosquito-control efforts in Guangdong province—including in the <a href="https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202508/05/WS68915870a31073015a870bdd.html">city of Foshan</a>, which had a large number of cases. Topics included the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/719917.html">resumption of nucleic acid testing</a> in Foshan, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720492.html">photos of fumigation</a> and other mosquito-abatement efforts, commentary about <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720471.html">the use of toxic chemicals</a> and how such chemicals might contribute to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720857.html">resistant strains of mosquitos</a>, questions about whether <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720480.html">installing screens over manhole covers</a> is effective in reducing mosquito populations or just theatre, and collected netizen comments on various aspects of <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720705.html">epidemic control work</a>.
One article, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722000.html">Hand Over Your Keys, or We’ll Pick the Locks! This Isn’t a Cops and Robbers Movie, It’s How We Work</a>,” from WeChat account Concerned About Your Concerns, recounts some more recent encounters between Guangdong residents and local government workers:
<blockquote>
Some residents reported sanitation workers bursting into their homes while they were asleep and carting away potted plants. Villages demolished 250 older houses that were "likely to harbor mosquitoes." One housing complex posted a notice demanding the “removal” of all dogs within three days.
[…] Forced entry was not limited to residents’ bicycle sheds. As one resident reported, "When I woke up, I found that a few potted plants were missing from my balcony, and the ones that remained were strewn all over the ground." Mr. Hu checked his surveillance-camera footage and discovered that workers had indeed entered his home and taken away three of his potted plants.
[…] In response to this public backlash, a Pengyuan community employee responded on October 15, saying that the aforementioned notice had been rescinded and would no longer be enforced. "Taking into consideration the difference of opinion among residents, we will no longer force entry or pry open locks."
Why did the community policy undergo such a complete reversal? It is a reflection of the current dilemmas and shifts in grassroots governance.
From a governance standpoint, this incident exposes the drawbacks of "one-size-fits-all" governance. The initial notice aimed to achieve the goal of mosquito eradication quickly and efficiently, but it ignored public opinion and the legitimate rights and interests of residents. When the policy met widespread resistance, the strategy was quickly adjusted to allow residents to collect the necessary supplies and carry out mosquito abatement by themselves.
From a sociological standpoint, the policy of forcing residents to hand over their keys represents a conflict between government authority and the rights of private citizens. For community-level organizations, which serve as the grassroots enforcement bodies, implementing public health policies while balancing the public interest and individual rights has become a thorny issue.
[…] In the face of a public health crisis, effective communication about risks is key to gaining residents’ understanding and cooperation. The initial notice […] lacked adequate explanation and failed to clarify the necessity and legal basis for the compulsory measures, which led to opposition from residents.
[…] Similar incidents have occurred in other areas of Guangdong. In [the port city of] Zhanjiang, a mother claimed that while she was working a night shift, local village committee workers showed up at her house and took blood samples from her two children. In Foshan, a netizen reported that neighborhood committee workers, under the pretext of checking for stagnant water and preventing the spread of the [Chikungunya] virus, broke into a home and changed the lock while the occupants were away. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722000.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
An article from WeChat account Yu Wants to Speak But Holds Back argues that <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722005.html">it is important to remain vigilant against the arbitrary exercise of power by local officials</a>, even when they claim to be acting in the best interests of the citizenry, because such overreach can easily snowball:
<blockquote>
As <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hu-Shih">Hu Shih</a> once said: "Maintain a high degree of vigilance against the phrase ‘at any price.’ Because one day, you or I might become that ‘price’ they speak of.”
Claiming to act in the best interests of the public while imposing restrictions and depriving us of our legitimate rights is an illegal and arbitrary exercise of power. Rather than acting in our best interests, it is more likely to be misused as a tool for control and subjugation.
Since this community only targeted bicycle sheds used for storage, it may seem that the harm was insignificant.
But the reason that such a simple paper notice might allow for rampant abuse of power stems from ingrained notions that "power is allowed to be arbitrary." When conditions are ripe for the unrestrained growth of arbitrary power—such as during a pandemic lockdown—then the scope of arbitrary actions will inevitably expand until there is no escape.
Therefore, we must not underestimate such arbitrary behavior by grassroots power; we must take it seriously and remain vigilant against it. Power must be subject to stringent supervision and restrictions. Only when it is truly constrained within the “cage of the system” can the arbitrary exercise of power be brought to heel and eradicated. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722005.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
CDT Chinese editors have also archived two recent articles from former journalist and current affairs blogger Xiang Dongliang. The first article was deleted from Xiang’s popular WeChat account “Constructive Opinions” on October 12, although it remains visible on his "Basic Common Sense" Sohu account. The censored article <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721817.html">suggested that local officials might have overreacted</a> in their mosquito- and disease-eradication efforts, particularly since there have been no serious cases among the 20,000-plus confirmed cases of Chikungunya in Guangdong province. In a follow-up article two days later, Xiang confessed to a higher-than-usual level of anxiety about having had his article deleted, because <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721834.html">it reminded him of the harsh censorship he experienced during three years of China’s “zero-COVID” policy</a>:
<blockquote>
Actually, the reason I created the backup account Constructive Opinions was because my main account Basic Common Sense was in a precarious state throughout those COVID years. During the worst times, out of every 10 articles I published, only two or three would survive for more than a day. My articles about medications or vaccines would just … disappear. Likewise, articles about nucleic-acid testing, or people being transferred into quarantine, or makeshift field hospitals … gone, all gone.
In 2022, the most difficult year, Basic Common Sense was only operational for fewer than 5 months out of twelve [because the account was hit with numerous suspensions by platform censors]. That’s why I created the backup account Constructive Suggestions, and I want to particularly thank my readers for their subscriptions and unwavering support.
For professional writers, especially those commenting on current affairs, we’re all aware that articles can disappear at any time, and accounts can vanish as well. On any given day, on any given topic, there’s no way of knowing when you might suddenly stir up a hornet’s net, or threaten powerful vested interests.
But the COVID-pandemic period was very different, especially in 2022. Beyond worrying about articles or accounts disappearing, I also genuinely worried whether I might be summarily detained. There was an invisible and intangible—yet still palpably real—oppression hanging over me, and I never knew when it might come crashing down.
Everyone knows what happened later: the “zero-COVID” policy was lifted, the “page was turned” (either actively or passively) on various topics, and officials and citizens alike tacitly agreed to let those memories blur, or better yet, to not mention them at all.
But memories never really disappear.
And the oppression that once weighed so heavily on all of us, that overweening atmosphere that tolerated no discussion—that hasn’t truly gone away, either.
The disappearance of my article about Chikungunya has reawakened those memories for me. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721834.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
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<title>The Guardian Interviews Chinese Fighters for Ukraine</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/the-guardian-interviews-chinese-fighters-for-ukraine/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Wade]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 22:31:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chai Jing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic growth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Russia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Russia relations]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ukraine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704822</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The involvement of Chinese nationals in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine received widespread media attention earlier this year. This included an extended interview by Chinese journalist Chai Jing with one such combatant, "Macaron," which was was subsequently translated in two parts by CDT. The much smaller number of Chinese fighters on the Ukrainian side has […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The involvement of Chinese nationals in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine received <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/chinese-nationals-fighting-russia-ukraine-are-mercenaries-us-officials-2025-04-11/">widespread media attention</a> earlier this year. This included an extended interview by Chinese journalist Chai Jing with one such combatant, "Macaron," which was was <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/04/translation-chai-jing-interview-with-a-chinese-mercenary-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-part-one/">subsequently translated</a> in <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/04/translation-chai-jing-interviews-a-chinese-mercenary-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-part-two/">two parts</a> by CDT. The much smaller number of Chinese fighters on the Ukrainian side has received less notice. One notable exception is <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2025/04/10/why-are-chinese-soldiers-fighting-in-ukraine">Peng Chenliang, who was killed in 2024</a> and, before joining the war, had reportedly been detained for seven months in China over his anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine posts on X. At The Guardian this week, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/20/i-was-doing-nothing-at-home-the-chinese-nationals-fighting-for-ukraine">Amy Hawkins reported on the stories of several other Chinese nationals fighting for Ukraine</a>:
<blockquote>
Like many Chinese volunteers, Tim is motivated by a combination of sympathy for the Ukrainian cause and increasing despair at the direction of his own country. Before he arrived in Ukraine, the only country he had visited outside China was Japan. But he’d considered emigrating for over a decade.
“Fifteen years ago, you could see problems, speak freely about them, and there would be people willing to discuss them,” Tim said of China. But those days are gone, he feels. He learned about the war in Ukraine by using a virtual private network (VPN) connection to watch videos on YouTube, which is blocked in China. “I don’t read news from Chinese websites at all … because the news there is all fake,” he said.
[…] It is not just ideology that draws people such as Tim, an unemployed car mechanic when he left China in 2023, to the frontline. China is in the grip of an unemployment crisis which has spurred dissatisfaction with the government.
Another Chinese volunteer, Fan, whose first name the Guardian has withheld to protect his identity, also moved to Ukraine to escape what seemed like a hopeless future back home.
[…] Fan is not an overtly political person. But still he felt the tightening noose of China’s crackdown on civil society, especially since the pandemic. As well as struggling economically, he said he had seen many of his favourite bloggers persecuted or detained under charges such as “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a catch-all term used to target anyone who displeases the authorities. “Many ordinary people, just by expressing views in live streams or on their personal platforms that don’t align with mainstream opinion in China, ended up being treated unfairly,” he said. [<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/20/i-was-doing-nothing-at-home-the-chinese-nationals-fighting-for-ukraine">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
In many respects, the accounts in Hawkins’ report resemble those of Macaron and other Chinese volunteers for Russia (and, indeed, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/world/europe/ukraine-american-volunteers.html">American volunteers for Ukraine</a>). Frustration with economic prospects at home and the difficulties posed by language barriers are two common threads. For those motivated primarily by economic pressures, Macaron suggested in his conversation with Chai Jing that the choice of one side over the other might have been based on something as arbitrary as the greater ease of obtaining a visa to travel to Russia.
But while Hawkins describes a rejection of Chinese authoritarianism among volunteers for Ukraine, the equivalent driver on the other side of the lines appears to be the perceived chance to fight back against China’s historical opponents—as Macaron put it, "there are a lot of people who think that helping Russia means helping China." Chai Jing commented that Zhao Rui, the first Chinese fighter known to have been killed on the Russian side, reportedly "joined the war because he’d heard he could fight the Japanese and [other members of] the ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-Nation_Alliance">Eight-Nation Alliance</a>.’ It is unclear whether Zhao Rui was aware that Russia itself had once been part of the Eight-Nation Alliance."
Another major difference is in the information environment. Hawkins cites research by Tao Wang suggesting that though sympathy for Ukraine does exist in China, it is often not expressed, while broader public opinion tends to support Russia in line with official messaging. She also notes a relative scarcity of information about joining the fight on Ukraine’s side, while "Chinese social media is awash with videos selling the benefits of becoming a mercenary for Russia …. There is no indication that China, which denies providing military aid to Russia, endorses these mercenaries, but it allows the videos to spread on the country’s tightly controlled internet."
The curious phenomenon of Chinese-language influencers vlogging from the front lines is covered in Chai’s interview, and Macaron admits playing a part in it himself. When he tried to argue in the other direction, however, he said the forbearance shown to pro-Russia content came to an abrupt halt:
<blockquote>
Macaron: A lot of people were deep in debt back home, so they rolled the dice and came here. I guess they figured it was worth the risk of dying. A lot of guys also have these fantasies about being in battle. I got so many DMs that I stopped replying. I used to try to talk them out of it, but now I don’t bother—there are just too many of them, complaining about how bad the Chinese job market is, or how much debt they’re in. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/04/translation-chai-jing-interview-with-a-chinese-mercenary-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-part-one/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Zhao Rui: [In a video, Zhao speaks to the camera. He is dressed in a green camouflage jacket with a hood and a tan mask over the lower half of his face.] Here’s some advice for you guys who’ve messaged me about coming here: don’t come. There’s nothing for you here. Get a job back home. If you work hard, you’ll earn just as much as you would here.
[…] Chai: Back home, some of these guys had seen your videos. So on some level, you may have inspired them, or been a factor that influenced their decision to come here. How did you feel when you heard they had died?
Macaron: I think it’s probably true that I did mislead them, to some extent. But after I reported what happened to them, after I exposed their deaths, Douyin straight up banned my account.
[…] Anyone who’s experienced battle, who’s seen war up close, never wants to experience it again. And they don’t tend to glorify it, either. It’s the people online hyping up war and acting all heroic that I find most disgusting. In war, there are no heroes. Everyone’s a villain, because you have no choice but to kill. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/04/translation-chai-jing-interviews-a-chinese-mercenary-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-part-two/">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Macaron’s revulsion at the horror of war is echoed in <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/05/translation-of-chai-jing-interview-with-chinese-civil-war-survivor-gao-binghan-part-1-those-who-forget-that-history-of-suffering-are-destined-to-suffer-again/">another Chai Jing interview</a>, also translated by CDT, with <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/translation-of-chai-jing-interview-with-chinese-civil-war-survivor-gao-binghan-part-2-war-is-always-a-tragedy-something-i-cannot-endorse/">Chinese Civil War survivor Gao Binghan</a>.
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<title>Translations: “How Can a Country That Blocks the Nobel Website Hope to Win a Nobel Prize?”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-how-can-a-country-that-blocks-the-nobel-website-hope-to-win-a-nobel-prize/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 02:48:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sci-Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CDT translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[competition]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[foreign academics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizen comments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Nobel Prize]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[satire]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[science education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[scientists]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[state media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[technology innovation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[translation excerpt]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704814</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The news that two more Japanese scientists were awarded Nobel Prizes in the natural sciences has been met with considerable consternation on the Chinese internet. Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University and two American scientists, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in recognition of their work in […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The news that two more Japanese scientists were awarded <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/nobel-prize/">Nobel Prizes</a> in the natural sciences has been met with considerable <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721809.html">consternation on the Chinese internet</a>. <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/sakaguchi/interview/">Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University</a> and two American scientists, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, were awarded <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/press-release/">the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine</a> in recognition of their work in identifying “a key pathway the body uses to keep the immune system in check, called <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nobel-prize-medicine-a68cf8a3b930570630168a949d277cde">peripheral immune tolerance</a>.” And <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2025/kitagawa/interview/">Kyoto University’s Susumu Kitagawa</a>—along with Richard Robson at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Omar M. Yaghi at the University of California, Berkeley—were awarded the Nobel for Chemistry for creating “<a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2025/press-release/">metal-organic frameworks that can be used to harvest water from desert air</a>, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.” (These tremendously porous “super sponge” materials have been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03195-1">likened to “Hermione’s handbag</a>.”)
In the last 25 years, Japan has produced 22 Nobel Prize laureates (three are Japanese-American), an average of nearly one per year. Back in 2002, the Japanese government’s stated goal of winning 30 Nobel Prizes over the next 50 years was mocked by Chinese state media, including Xinhua News Agency, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/10/image-1760018852124.png">as a reckless boast</a>. Japan’s string of wins stands in contrast to a dearth of Chinese laureates in the sciences: China’s last Nobel science laureate was <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/stories/women-who-changed-science/tu-youyou/">pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou</a>, awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for synthesizing artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, treatments for malaria that saved millions of lives. (China’s first Nobel laureate, <a href="https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202510/18/WS68f3170ea310f735438b5bf2.html">theoretical physicist Yang Zhenning</a>, or Yang Chen-Ning, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/18/chen-ning-yang-chinese-american-physicist-and-nobel-laureate-dies-at-103">passed away in Beijing</a> this weekend at the age of 103, inspiring many <a href="https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en//info/1399/14522.htm">admiring tributes</a>.)
Japan’s latest Nobel Prize wins were noticeably downplayed by Chinese state media and other outlets, some of which featured vague headlines about the awards being “split between three recipients.” Others took a more defensive tone: an article from Guancha.com was titled “Japan Wins Nobel Prizes, But China is Richer and Better at Poaching Talent.” The Beijing Daily, the official newspaper of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an opinion piece titled, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721917.html">Whether or Not We Win Foreign Awards Is Not Indicative of China’s Progress</a>.” It argued that the Nobel Prize is overrated and pointed to achievements such as the artificial synthesis of bovine insulin, the development of hybrid rice strains, manned spaceflight, and the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Bombs,_One_Satellite">Two Bombs, One Satellite</a>” program as proof of China’s scientific prowess. Reactions from online nationalists included insistence that the Nobel Committee discriminates against China, and that Xi Jinping deserves a Nobel Prize for raising so many Chinese citizens out of poverty.
A number of other online commenters were more circumspect, penning essays on such topics as <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721981.html">whether Nobel Prizes are important</a> in spurring <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721950.html">progress in science</a>; which aspects of Japanese society and academia <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721761.html">foster scientific innovation</a>; and to what extent issues such as widespread censorship, hierarchy in academe, and <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721807.html">excessive materialism and utilitarianism</a> serve to impede Chinese scientific progress.
One Chinese netizen, noting that the official <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/chinas-great-firewall-blocks-nobel-site">Nobel Prize website has long been blocked in China</a>, posed the question, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721801.html">How can a country that blocks the Nobel website hope to win a Nobel Prize?</a>” Several essayists <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721905.html">mocked state media’s</a> tendency to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721903.html">downplay Nobel Prizes won by other countries</a>, particularly by Japan. Chinese social media users dug up past articles to highlight state media’s short memory when it comes to Nobel coverage, including Xinhua’s aforementioned skeptical take on Japan’s Nobel ambitions, and a widely quoted 2013 speech by Chinese Academy of Sciences member Huang Wei declaring that “a decade from now, <a href="https://www.zaochenbao.com/news/china/202510/1054440.html">Chinese Nobel Prize winners will become commonplace</a>.”
CDT Chinese editors have archived seven articles and numerous online comments about the recent Nobel Prize winners. An article by Ni Ren at the WeChat account Black Noise, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721761.html">Four Reasons Why Japan Is Able to Win a Nobel Prize Every Year</a>,” chalks up Japan’s success at producing Nobel Prize winners to four key reasons: a robust educational system that encourages creativity and exploration; relative socioeconomic equality and a society that respects and funds scientists; a culture of patience that supports long-term research projects; and corporate support for basic science and R&D.
“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721807.html">Nobel, Schmobel: Real Success Is Having Work-Unit Subsidized Peanut Oil in the Trunk of Your Car</a>,” an article by <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%8F%B6%E5%85%8B%E9%A3%9E">Ye Kefei</a> from the WeChat account Common Sense That Used to Be Nonsense, discusses “the usefulness of the useless” and the drawbacks of utilitarianism. Ye argues that the prevalence of an extremely narrow and utilitarian mindset—one that equates success with a stable government job and its attendant money, perks, and prestige—has stunted individual fulfillment and genuine innovation in China. He also contrasts what he describes as Japanese and other overseas universities’ tolerance for long-term, curiosity-driven research with Chinese universities’ focus on quick results, clear applications, and quantifiable metrics. One section of the article discusses how Chinese teachers and parents reinforce concepts of hard work and sacrifice, and often discourage their children and students from supposedly “useless” pursuits:
<blockquote>
Everything and every experience in life is divided into "useful" and "useless." From an early age, Chinese children are told to stay away from “useless” pursuits: What’s the point of drawing? It’s not like you’re ever going to become an artist. What good is reading novels? They’re just made-up nonsense that’ll lead you astray. Why bother playing basketball? You’d be better off doing your homework. What use is music? What are you going to do, become a street busker? And forget about playing with building blocks, or playing in the sandbox, or watching cartoons: those are an even bigger waste of time.
This utilitarian mindset isn’t limited to one’s school years: it pervades many people’s lives. If something won’t help you get promoted, earn more money, get into college, pass the civil-service exam, or land a good job, it gets classified as “useless.”
As a result, many people find themselves trapped in dull, miserable lives. They can’t express their joy or sadness through music because they never learned to play an instrument. When they see beautiful scenery, they can’t sketch it. Despite a decade or more of schooling, they’ve rarely read a book for pleasure. The resulting aesthetic deficiency means that many people have such terrible taste that they can scarcely decorate their homes or put together a decent-looking outfit.
Many parents fail to grasp a simple truth: when you apply a utilitarian approach to your child’s education and focus too much on whether activities are “useful,” you’ve already robbed that child of their future.
[…] Utilitarian thinking is deeply rooted in Chinese society. Our system of testing and evaluation is overly homogenized; success is too narrowly defined as advanced education, high income, and high social status; and there is no room for diverse, pluralistic values to thrive. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721807.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
A satirical article from WeChat account Personal Memory Bank expresses “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721905.html">the hope that the Nobel will return to the ‘correct path,’ and that official media will point the way</a>.” The author uses humor to highlight Chinese state media’s contradictory attitude toward the Nobel Prize: portraying it as a vindication of China’s system when the winners are Chinese citizens (such as Tu Youyou in 2015), and downplaying its significance when the recipients are Japanese or non-Chinese scientists—or worse, dissidents or CCP critics:
<blockquote>
It seems that unless it is won by someone Chinese, the Nobel Prize is wrong. 
But that’s not always the case. For example, there are two Chinese individuals who won Nobel Prizes in other categories, which led to years of “error messages” [for Chinese attempting to access] the official Nobel Prize website. 
["Two Chinese individuals" likely refers to dissident <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Liu_Xiaobo">Liu Xiaobo</a>, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 while serving an 11-year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power," and the 14th Dalai Lama, 1989’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient.]
To sum up: if the winner was backed by the Chinese government, it’s the correct decision; if not, it’s using the Nobel Prize to fan anti-China sentiment.
[…] Our media is apparently now very worried about the future of Japanese scientific research. 
As early as a decade ago, in 2015, a Chinese journal published an article titled “The Profound Crisis Lurking Behind Japan’s Stunning Nobel Prize Wins,” fretting that the Japanese obsession with Nobel Prizes had caused them to stray from their ideals and forget what they stood for.
That these “palace eunuchs” would fret about the Emperor’s health is not unreasonable—after all, it just demonstrates their profound sense of responsibility for “the fate of all humankind.” [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721905.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
A second satirical piece, “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721903.html">Despite Little Hope of Winning the Nobel Prize, We’re Still Tackling Big Challenges</a>,” is from Weibo account <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%B0%B1%E5%8F%AB%E7%86%8A%E5%A4%AA%E8%A1%8C%E4%B9%9F%E8%A1%8C">Just call me Xiong Taihang</a>. The author, the former publisher and editor-in-chief of Blog Weekly magazine, parodies the defensive and “whataboutist” tone of the Beijing Daily op-ed. While reminding readers that Nobel Prizes still matter because they recognize novel scientific breakthroughs that might benefit all humankind, the author indulges in some amusing speculation about how ordinary citizens might apply Beijing Daily-style “whataboutism” in their daily lives:
<blockquote>
"Whether or Not We Win Foreign Awards Is Not Indicative of China’s Progress" 
This [op-ed from the Beijing Daily] is a powerful manifesto criticizing the Nobel Prize and laying bare the prize’s many shortcomings.
Pay particular attention to this passage:
By breaking free from our Nobel-Prize obsession and taking an objective look at the past and present, we can see that over the past seven decades, China has accomplished the largest-scale modernization in human history. China’s scientific and technological development has always served the pressing demands of national survival and progress. From the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Bombs,_One_Satellite">Two Bombs, One Satellite</a>” program to the artificial synthesis of bovine insulin, from hybrid rice to manned space flight, we have notched up a long series of independent breakthroughs in key fields, and established a robust and self-sufficient industrial and R&D infrastructure.
This model of applying knowledge and mobilizing resources to tackle major challenges may seem incompatible with winning Nobel Prizes, but it has undoubtedly provided considerable momentum to China’s modernization, helping to bolster fundamental scientific research […]
What does this mean?
It means that although we might not get a Nobel Prize, we’re tackling big challenges and doing great things, and basically kicking ass in other areas.
If only we could apply such glib deflection to our daily lives.
Are you a delivery driver who messed up a take-out order, and the hungry customer called to complain? Just whack him in the face with a newspaper op-ed and say: “Although my delivery method may seem incompatible with you getting your meal, it’s allowed me to deliver more orders in the short term, thus providing considerable momentum to improving our national food distribution industry!”
Are you a prospective college student whose parents are furious because you only scored 280 points on the university entrance exam? Just whack them in the face with a newspaper and say: “Although my study method may not get me into a top university, now I can focus on bigger things. Going to a junior- or vocational college means I can get out into the working world a whole year earlier!”
Are you a member of the Chinese national men’s soccer team, whose fans are furious because the team is ranked dead last in its division? Just whack them in the face with a newspaper and say: “Although our style of play might not get us into the World Cup, it has helped to bolster the confidence of other Asian teams."
You see? With deflection as your weapon, you just can’t lose. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721903.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
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<title>“We Believe Faith Is Not a Crime”—Zion Church on Detention of Dozens of Members</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/we-believe-faith-is-not-a-crime-zion-church-on-detention-of-dozens-of-members/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Wade]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 23:31:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Culture & the Arts]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[detention]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[freedom of religion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[house churches]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[religious freedom]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[religious persecution]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[underground churches]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704809</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We believe: Faith is not a crime. Worship is not a crime. Prayer is not a crime. [Chinese] This quote highlighted by CDT Chinese this week is drawn from a statement by the Zion (锡安 Xī’ān) Church following the arrest of dozens of its members last weekend. The full statement, translated by David Cowhig, continues: […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote>
We believe: Faith is not a crime. Worship is not a crime. Prayer is not a crime. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721827.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
This quote <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721827.html">highlighted by CDT Chinese this week</a> is drawn from a statement by the Zion (锡安 Xī’ān) Church following the arrest of dozens of its members last weekend. The full statement, translated by David Cowhig, continues: "<a href="https://gaodawei.wordpress.com/2025/10/11/2025-religious-oppression-in-china-zion-church/">The Church belongs to God, not to any political power</a>," and describes the detentions as a violation of China’s own constitution as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The detentions appear to be a response to the church’s "hybrid" model of online and offline services, itself a reaction to earlier official pressure. The backdrop is a long-running series of campaigns to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2020/11/new-rules-and-sinicization-campaigns-reduce-religious-freedom/">"Sinicize" religious practice in China, whether Christian</a>, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/03/reports-on-xinjiang-detail-criminalization-of-islam-retroactive-punishment/">Muslim</a>, or <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/10/interview-lhadon-tethong-on-tibetans-spirit-of-resistance-and-desire-for-freedom/">Buddhist</a>. This goal was the focus of recent comments by Xi Jinping at a Politburo study session on "Systematically Advancing the Sinicization of Religion in China."
<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/14/china-nationwide-crackdown-on-major-underground-church">Human Rights Watch described the Zion crackdown and its context</a>:
<blockquote>
Chinese authorities on October 10-11, 2025, arrested nearly 30 pastors, preachers, and church members of the unofficial Zion Protestant Church in seven cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, Human Rights Watch said today. Among those arrested was the pastor and founder of the Zion church (錫安教会), Ezra Jin Mingri, 56, in Beihai city, Guangxi province.
[…] “The Chinese government’s arbitrary detention of dozens of people affiliated with Zion church reflects an escalating crackdown on religious freedom,” said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “President Xi Jinping’s government appears intent on reshaping religious practice to serve the Chinese Communist Party’s interests, and congregations that fail to do so face harsh persecution.”
Jin and seven other pastors are being held in Beihai City No. 2 Detention Center, according to a statement by their family members. At least five of those detained were reportedly released; the whereabouts of the rest have not been revealed.
[…] The latest crackdown came after the authorities issued an Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals in September, banning the circulation of unauthorized religious content online, effectively denying public access to religious teachers and teachings outside of Communist Party control. Jin was arrested for “illegal use of information networks,” a crime under China’s criminal law (article 287-1) which carries up to three years in prison. [<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/14/china-nationwide-crackdown-on-major-underground-church">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Reporting at the BBC on fears that the arrests mark the start of a wider crackdown, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pez2vg8wo">Tessa Wong and Kelly Ng described the evolution of Zion’s "hybrid" worship</a>:
<blockquote>
Zion began as a small house church in Beijing with just 20 followers. But over the years it expanded and began holding services in a large hall in an office building.
As it grew in influence, so did the scrutiny. In 2018, Chinese authorities asked the church to install CCTV cameras in the building, saying it was for "security".
When it refused, followers began facing what church leaders say was harassment. Later that year, the church was shut down.
An exit ban was imposed on Mr Jin, who was placed under close surveillance. His family was able to leave for the US, as did some other church members such as Mr Long [a Zion Church pastor and spokesperson based in the U.S.].
Zion then pivoted to what Mr Long called a "hybrid model" where they would hold large online church services coupled with small offline meetings in person. The church grew to about 100 branches across 40 cities in China, and has more than 10,000 followers now. [<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pez2vg8wo">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Late last month, <a href="https://english.news.cn/20250929/0da6c6329e1148989cd9813e2dcc3700/c.html">Xinhua outlined Xi’s recent comments</a> at the Politburo study session:
<blockquote>
Xi noted that adapting religions in China to the Chinese context is key to achieving religious harmony, ethnic unity, social harmony and long-term stability of the country.
He also called for efforts to guide religious figures and believers to develop an accurate understanding of country, history, ethnicity, culture and religion.
He said religions in China can only be passed down healthily by always having their roots in the Chinese culture, and required efforts to promote the integration of religions with fine traditional Chinese culture.
Xi noted that managing religious affairs in accordance with the law is the fundamental way to properly handle contradictions and issues in the field of religion, and underscored the need to improve relevant regulations and policies. [<a href="https://english.news.cn/20250929/0da6c6329e1148989cd9813e2dcc3700/c.html">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
At Bitter Winter, <a href="https://bitterwinter.org/red-is-the-new-sacred-xis-gospel-of-sinicization/">Kong Fa commented</a>: 
<blockquote>
Xi didn’t just attend—he orchestrated. The CCTV broadcast of the session was less a policy update and more a liturgical performance, with Xi as high priest of a new orthodoxy. His message? “Party committees at all levels must strengthen their leadership over religious work.” In other words, the CCP isn’t just watching your prayers—it’s editing them.
The Sinicization campaign, originally pitched as a cultural harmonization effort, has evolved into a full-blown ideological retrofit. It’s not about making religion more Chinese; it’s about making it more compliant. The Party isn’t interested in theological nuance—it wants obedience, preferably in Mandarin in all provinces and “autonomous” regions, and ideally with a Xi quote or two.
[…] This is not the first time religion has been asked to bend the knee. But under Xi, the choreography is more precise, the expectations more rigid. Religious leaders are expected to be less shepherds of souls and more shepherds of slogans, guiding their flocks toward “core socialist values” with the fervor of a Party cadre. The sacred is being rebranded, and the divine must now pass through the filter of political correctness—with Chinese characteristics, of course.
[…] So while temples may still stand and churches may still sing, their spiritual autonomy is being quietly rewritten—one directive at a time. In Xi’s China, religion isn’t just Sinicized. It’s sanitized, standardized, and subordinated.
And if you’re wondering who’s really being worshipped, just look at the podium. [<a href="https://bitterwinter.org/red-is-the-new-sacred-xis-gospel-of-sinicization/">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
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<title>Netizen Voices: Backlash Against Supposed Beauty of Golden Week Traffic Jams</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/netizen-voices-backlash-against-supposed-beauty-of-golden-week-traffic-jams/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Wade]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:14:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Culture & the Arts]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[consumer spending]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic growth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[golden week]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[highways]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[National Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizen comments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Netizen Voices]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[population]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[positive energy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[state media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704786</guid>
<description><![CDATA[State media hailed the mass travel over this month’s "Super Golden Week" holiday as a sign of profound economic vigor. Xinhua, for example, reported that the "travel boom […] demonstrated the country’s vibrant consumption and sustained economic momentum, highlighting the vitality of the Chinese economy." Global Times celebrated "China’s Golden Week travel enthusiasm fueled by […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[State media hailed the mass travel over this month’s "Super Golden Week" holiday as a sign of profound economic vigor. Xinhua, for example, reported that the "travel boom […] demonstrated the <a href="https://english.news.cn/20251009/d334e38e7d854bc188417660cafcb3e2/c.html">country’s vibrant consumption and sustained economic momentum, highlighting the vitality of the Chinese economy</a>." Global Times celebrated "<a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1344793.shtml">China’s Golden Week travel enthusiasm fueled by incredible infrastructure, services</a>." The number of trips over the holiday <a href="https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/chinas-domestic-tourism-spending-jumps-15-to-usd1145-billion-over-long-golden-week-break">surged 16% from last year’s</a> to a conveniently auspicious 888 million, and total spending similarly grew 15% to 809 billion yuan.
Much of the growth, though, could be attributed to the fact that the holiday was 14% longer—an eighth day resulting from the proximity of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. <a href="https://www.caixinglobal.com/2025-10-09/chinas-golden-week-travel-boom-masks-frugality-102369922.html">Reports from Caixin</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-says-114-billion-spent-during-golden-week-period-with-888-million-trips-2025-10-09/">Western outlets like Reuters</a> and <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/96a90c6f-9582-46bd-99a2-2e078ff47aa3">the Financial Times noted</a> that spending per trip had actually fallen slightly, and referred to masked frugality, tepid consumption, and dashed hopes.
Elsewhere, though, even images of enormous traffic jams around highway toll booths fueled celebratory rhetoric. Some media outlets described the sight of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3328563/china-books-record-golden-week-trip-numbers">thousands of red tail lights glowing in the dark</a> as <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721809.html">resembling "a galaxy of glittering stars."</a> On WeChat, prolific commentator <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721709.html">Xiang Dongliang expressed bewilderment at this description</a>, launching from there into an argument against the concentration of so much of the population’s domestic travel into a few nationally uniform peak periods, suggesting that this makes the holidays unnecessarily gruelling, inflexible, and even unsafe. He noted common arguments for the practice such as the benefits of predictable scheduling for public services and safety, financial markets, and schools, but suggested that these do not outweigh the negatives, and in any case do not require full nationwide synchronization. The post is peppered with photos of huge, densely packed crowds in various major tourist destinations. (Separately, a talk by Xiang on food safety at a Chengdu bookstore on October 9 was <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721721.html">cancelled, reportedly on official orders</a>.)
<blockquote>
I truly don’t know what kind of sentiment would lead certain people to compare the sight of a massive nighttime traffic jam at some highway toll gates with a “galaxy of glittering stars.” As someone with relatively rich life experience, all the scene really stirs in me is a headache, backache, and the sensation of an uncomfortably full bladder.
It certainly doesn’t evoke even a flicker of pride.
As the holiday draws to a close, aside from wishing everyone safe travels, I hope that you never again have to wait for public holidays like Dragon Boat Festival and National Day to travel or visit relatives back home.
<div id="attachment_704787" style="width: 579px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704787" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a-569x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="569" height="1024" class="size-large wp-image-704787" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a-569x1024.jpeg 569w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a-167x300.jpeg 167w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a-768x1381.jpeg 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a-854x1536.jpeg 854w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721709-68e6924a5ce4a.jpeg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 569px) 100vw, 569px" />
Screenshot of a photo post by “Anhui from Above”: “Wuzhuang Toll Station on the Shanghai-Xi’an Expressway welcomes the peak of return travel; hundreds of thousands of travellers converge in a glittering galaxy of stars on their way through Anhui to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. We wish everyone a safe journey.”
</div>
I know that this sentiment is a bit "Let them eat cake" coming from a freelancer, but I do want to say that it would be entirely feasible for the country’s hundreds of millions of workers and students not to have their time off all at once.
[…] It’s true that other countries around the world have nationwide public holidays as well, and naturally there are various reasons for this, but that doesn’t mean China has to follow suit.
For one thing, given China’s vast territory and enormous population, combined with our traditional cultural emphasis on family reunions, the strain that public holidays place on public resources is particularly severe. This isn’t an issue for many countries, but here it urgently needs addressing.
For another thing, most other major countries have relatively generous time off in addition to public holidays. The flexibility to take vacation at other times satisfies a lot of the demand for travel and family visits, so there’s no need to squeeze the whole country’s tourism and family visits into a few public holidays.
In short, cutting back on synchronized national public holidays, increasing workers’ ability to make their own arrangements for time off, and guaranteeing workers’ rights to vacation time are all completely achievable, and we should do our utmost to achieve them.
Once more, with feeling: we know from experience that having the whole country travel en masse on public holidays like Dragon Boat Festival and National Day is a total mess …
Change is long overdue! [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721709.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
CDT Chinese editors collected <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721709.html">some of the reader comments below Xiang’s WeChat article</a>. Responses ranged from scornful and cynical to gloomy and resigned—a tone starkly at odds with the triumphalist mood in state media.
<blockquote>
我吃猫糧：They keep coming up with tricks for painting suffering as a virtue.
泷居富春：Some people take pride in it, but it’s really a national tragedy, and the safety risks are huge.
如山妈妈淑苹君：Your proposal is excellent, Master Xiang, we really should stagger the peak vacation and travel periods. But given our current national condition and enforcement capacity, staggered vacation would end up meaning no vacation at all 😥 😥
小Lia的梦境：I have a feeling that these nationwide public holidays are the only ones that people—including business owners—see as legally mandated. If we started having businesses arranging vacation times independently, it would all get swallowed up for one reason or another 🤦 🤦 🤦
🙂：It’s really suffocating to describe those who have to live far from home and save money on highway tolls [which were waived for the holiday period] as a "galaxy of glittering stars." I can’t imagine how cushy a life you’d have to lead to make that comparison.
Q: Don’t make things harder for managers, LOL
自来卷：They’re service providers, not managers, and it’s our duty to offer suggestions.
D: An eight-day holiday that includes two weekend days and two days you’ll have to work some other time is really only a four-day break. They’re just loosening the reins a bit on us livestock to stimulate spending.
李飘飘： +10000!! Take us teachers, for example. Everyone thinks we can just slack off for three months of summer and winter holidays, but the reality is that we hardly dare go out then. It’s either freezing cold or boiling hot, everywhere’s crowded, hotels and flights are wildly expensive, and we can’t afford them on our meager salaries 🤷 We just end up staying home …
说说号码：Let’s start with making forty-hour workweeks a reality—we can talk about the rest later.
WadeJ：Everything’s neatly laid out for you from birth to death, why do you need to worry about picking vacation days?
dancerinfire：A lot of prefecture-level cities can’t even guarantee two-day weekends. If we switched to flexible vacation days, we’d end up getting none at all.
赵冠楠：This is the same mindset as those "synchronized group calisthenics" radio broadcasts, writ large.
小肉肉：A “galaxy of glittering stars” … whoever said that is really asking for a couple of slaps across the face!! [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721709.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
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<title>The Guardian – Xi directs quashing of Chinese feminists even as he praises advances at women’s conference</title>
<link>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/15/xi-directs-quashing-of-chinese-feminists-even-as-he-praises-advances-at-womens-conference#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:17:29 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>European Union Institute for Security Studies – Live event: CFI panel at the Montreal International Security Summit</title>
<link>https://www.iss.europa.eu/activities/events/live-event-cfi-panel-montreal-international-security-summit#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:08:35 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704789</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>Photo: A diner with fans, by Gauthier Delecroix</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/photo-a-diner-with-fans-by-gauthier-delecroix/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 03:06:45 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704783</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_704784" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704784" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/A-diner-with-fans-by-Gauthier-Delecroix-e1760497469375.jpg" alt="A couple wearing padded jackets eat a simple rice-cooker dinner underneath the bright lights of a small shop selling traditional Chinese fans. There are hundreds of fans on display on the walls and shelves of the shop—folding fans, many adorned with calligraphy or landscapes; round and oval fans; fans made of palm fronds; and many more." width="600" height="400" class="size-full wp-image-704784" />
A diner with fans, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gauthierdelecroix/51896516466">Gauthier Delecroix (CC BY 2.0)</a>
</div>
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<item>
<title>The Diplomat – A UN Conference Can’t Hide China’s Discomfort With Women’s Rights</title>
<link>https://thediplomat.com/2025/10/a-un-conference-cant-hide-chinas-discomfort-with-womens-rights/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:39:28 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704781</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>CDT’s “404 Deleted Content Archive” Summary for September 2025</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/cdts-404-deleted-content-archive-summary-for-september-2025/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:21:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[archives]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[censorship methods]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[censorship of journalists]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Censorship Vault]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[corruption]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[delivery drivers]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[discourse censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[domestic violence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[japan history]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[law enforcement]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[legal system]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LGBTQ+]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nepal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[patriotic films]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[police]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PSB]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[public safety]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[translation excerpt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[trials]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Tsinghua University]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WeChat]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Weibo censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[World War II]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704774</guid>
<description><![CDATA[CDT presents a new monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we will publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, Douban, and others. Although […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[CDT presents a new monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/404-articles-archive">404 Deleted Content Archive</a>.” Each month, we will publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, 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 “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/404-articles-archive">404 Deleted Content Archive</a>” currently contains 2,243 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 a <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721585.html">summary of deleted content from September 2025</a>. Between September 1-30, CDT Chinese added 21 new articles, mostly from WeChat, to the archive. Topics targeted for deletion in September included: the multiplatform ban on influencers Hu Chenfeng and Zhang Xuefeng; Nepal’s Gen-Z protest movement; labor rights for food-delivery riders; the right to observe criminal trials and broader pressure on citizen journalism; problems in official news coverage; economic prospects and precarity; domestic violence; an accident involving hazardous waste; official misconduct; and patriotic cinema. (Note that the dates in this summary refer to when an article was published on the CDT website, not when it was deleted from Chinese social-media platforms.)
<ol>
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720867.html">A Henan Public Security Bureau Leader Demanded I Retract My Article, and Asked Me ‘What Sort of Paperwork’ They Needed to Provide</a>,” from WeChat account Li Yu Chen 
September 1, 2025 </li>
</ol>
Li Yu Chen published an article about the arrest of the wife of Liu Haonan, a Public Security Bureau (PSB) deputy under investigation in Xiping County, Zhumadian, Henan province. After Liu’s wife protested her husband’s innocence online, she too was arrested—by a former colleague of her husband with a vested interest in his case. In a now-deleted followup article, Li Yu Chen describes receiving two demands on August 26 to retract the first article. One demand came via email from someone claiming to be a prosecutor and citing “defamation”; the other was a text message from an anonymous account claiming to represent "PSB leadership" and citing “violation of privacy.” When pressed for identification, both contacts provided the same prosecutor’s ID card photo, suggesting either identity theft or impersonation. Li argues that this contradictory pressure campaign—claiming both defamation and violation of privacy—serves to confirm the original article’s accuracy and local officials’ deep fear of accountability. After publishing this article, the Li Yu Chen WeChat account was immediately blocked.
<ol start="2">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721005.html">Total Mobilization?</a>” from WeChat finance blog moomoocat 
September 5, 2025</li>
</ol>
An article from finance blogger moomoocat about two puzzling online events. The first appeared to be a <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/09/2025-09-06-063121.jpg">coordinated campaign</a> by various government social media accounts—including many with no connection to finance or markets, such as the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, municipal government accounts, and departments of culture, tourism, and environmental protection—to promote an article titled “<a href="https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/2025/09-04/10476539.shtml">Foreign Financial Institutions: Current Chinese Stock-Market Valuations Are Reasonable, and Investors Are Generally Optimistic About the Future</a>." The second was Caixin’s deletion of a report, screenshotted and widely shared online, about a Chinese official under investigation. Although moomoocat did not name the official, his mention of a recent <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/former-china-securities-regulatory-chief-yi-under-investigation-sources-say-2025-09-05/">Reuters report</a> makes it likely he was referring to <a href="https://www.thinkchina.sg/economy/securities-chiefs-curse-family-alumni-and-associates-toppled-yi-huiman">former securities watchdog chief Yi Huiman</a>, reportedly <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3324584/china-places-former-stocks-regulator-yi-huiman-under-probes-disciplinary-breaches">under investigation for corruption</a>.
<ol start="3">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720969.html">In Mengcun, Hebei, The Death of a ‘Perfect Wife</a>,’" from Phoenix News 
September 5, 2025</li>
</ol>
A long-form investigative report by Phoenix News reporters Wang Wenqing and Wang Zhiyan about Liu Yuqing, a 25-year-old woman who was beaten to death by her husband in late August. The report documents the years of domestic violence that Liu suffered, and features interviews with her friends, family, and former schoolmates. Liu’s case sparked nationwide outrage after the revelation that while the cause of her death was blunt force trauma to the head, it was <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720732.html">initially recorded as a heart attack</a>, possibly because her husband’s family was <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720737.html">well-connected locally and held sway at the hospital</a>. (<a href="https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/618571">Liu’s husband was later detained on suspicion of homicide</a>, and her mother-in-law on suspicion of helping to destroy or fabricate evidence.)
<ol start="4">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721028.html">Does Working as a Food-Delivery Rider Shorten Your Lifespan?</a>” by Zheng Luyue for Food News Agency 
September 6, 2025</li>
</ol>
This article by nutritionist Zheng Luyue discusses some of the health risks facing China’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/01/29/world/asia/china-delivery-driver.html">over 10 million food-delivery riders</a>, including poor nutrition, skipped meals, and elevated cardiovascular disease risk. Quoting from studies about gig workers in the U.S. and U.K., and from <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UNxIakwAAAAJ&hl=en">gig-economy labor scholar Sun Ping</a>’s book “<a href="%20%20https://book.douban.com/subject/36985251/">Transitional Labor</a>,” Zheng argues that riders’ well-being shouldn’t be sacrificed for platform efficiency and calls for recognizing "health resilience" as part of labor protections. The article was deleted from Food News Agency’s official WeChat account, but remained visible on its Douban page.
<ol start="5">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721046.html">After Zhang Xuefeng’s Patriotic Performance Backfired, That ‘Esteemed Teacher’ Should Step Down</a>,” from WeChat account District 526 
September 8, 2025</li>
</ol>
A sharp critique of educational influencer, author, and university entrance exam tutor <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-as-cac-tackles-malicious-negativity-online-popular-influencers-zhang-xuefeng-hu-chenfeng-lan-zhanfei-hit-with-bans/">Zhang Xuefeng, who was recently hit with a multiplatform ban</a> after he promised to donate 50 million yuan personally, and 100 million yuan from his company, if the Chinese government decided to launch a military invasion of Taiwan. The article, one of three deleted pieces on Zhang Xuefeng added to the CDT archive this month, condemns Zhang’s use of violent and nationalist rhetoric, including his past claims that Japan should be Chinese territory, as a cynical “patriotic marketing” ploy gone awry.
<ol start="6">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721065.html">I Witnessed the ‘Status Anxiety’ of an Ordinary Writer</a>,” by Huang Zhijie (WeChat account Yo Yo Lu Ming) 
September 8, 2025</li>
</ol>
An article about a writer from Hunan who was criminally detained in a neighboring province for criticizing a township Party secretary. <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%91%A6%E5%91%A6%E9%B9%BF%E9%B8%A3">Commentator and independent journalist Huang Zhijie</a> notes that the writer was using a dubious media credential from an unregistered website, revealing the “status anxiety” and legal risks that afflict independent writers and journalists in China. Huang argues for better protections for this emerging class of public interest writers, who cover important stories that mainstream media cannot or will not pursue. “Many of my former colleagues have left investigative journalism or changed careers,” writes Huang, “while some well-known writers have simply disappeared or retired. […] How many people are willing to risk being accused of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ and having to deal with constant anxiety of having no status or protections?"
<ol start="7">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721101.html">Nepal’s Gen Z Revolution: Government’s Social Media Ban Ignites Young People’s Fury</a>,” from WeChat account Bruce’s Overseas Journal 
September 10, 2025</li>
</ol>
The article describes the backdrop to September’s <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/09/china-reacts-to-nepal-protest-movement/">Gen Z protests that brought down the government in Nepal</a>, fueled by anger over the government’s ban on 26 social media platforms (including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X), rampant nepotism scandals, and socioeconomic issues such as poverty, inequality, and high unemployment. The author concludes that the protests represent a deeper generational awakening, as leaderless young protesters demanded systemic political reform.
<ol start="8">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721112.html">Tsinghua University Official Website Deletes Law School Professor Lao Dongyan’s 2016 Commencement Speech</a>,” Tsinghua University website 
September 10, 2025</li>
</ol>
Tsinghua University Law School <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%8A%B3%E4%B8%9C%E7%87%95">Professor Lao Dongyan</a>‘s 2016 commencement address was deleted from the university’s official website sometime between February 2023 and September 2025. Lao is an advocate of free speech and rule of law, an <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/2024s-most-notable-censored-articles-and-essays-part-2/">opponent of the national internet ID plan</a>, and a critic of excessive use of surveillance technology, including facial recognition. Some of her online articles have been deleted in the past, and her Weibo account has been subject to at least two <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193133/another-china-policy-critic-vanishes-social-media-ahead-20th">temporary bans in 2022</a> and <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273657/china-mutes-law-professor-social-media-after-cybersecurity-id-plan-criticism">2024</a>. Her now-deleted commencement speech urged graduates to “not to be easily misled by others,” and emphasized the importance of independent thinking, rejecting political opportunism, understanding rule of law, and balancing legal expertise with moral judgment. She criticized "soulless experts" who master techniques but ignore justice; encouraged women to pursue independence over marriage; and concluded by encouraging students to "change the world, starting with ourselves." (For a <a href="https://gaodawei.wordpress.com/2025/09/18/2016-lao-dongyan-to-tsinghua-law-school-grads-strive-to-be-someone-who-isnt-easily-misled/">full translation of Lao’s speech</a>, see David Cowhig’s translation blog.)
<ol start="9">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721140.html">The Right to Observe Trials Must Not Be Illegally Denied</a>,” from WeChat account Criminal Defense World 
September 11, 2025</li>
</ol>
A legal analysis of a September 10 incident in which Wu Yunpeng, a citizen journalist who chronicles court proceedings, was detained for five days for allegedly publishing "inaccurate" content and "impersonating" a family member to attend a legal hearing at the Guancheng District Court in Zhengzhou, Henan province. The author argued that public trials should allow any citizen to observe and take notes on the proceedings, and that court-imposed limits on observers violate China’s constitutional principle of open trials. In addition, the author notes that given that the court case Wu was observing involved the Guancheng Public Security Bureau, that same bureau had absolutely no authority to judge the accuracy of Wu’s observations regarding their own case.
<ol start="10">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721141.html">Multiple Zhengzhou Lawyers Debate ‘Police Jurisdictional Grab’ in Court; Court Detains Observer Who Recorded the Debate and Hands Them Over to the Police</a>,” by WeChat blogger Li Yuchen 
September 11, 2025</li>
</ol>
A detailed account of Wu Yunpeng’s arrest, his background as a citizen journalist, and the specifics of the trial he was observing: a case of alleged organized crime that defense lawyers characterized as a jurisdictional grab, motivated by police performance quotas. The article reveals how observing and writing about trials can be more dangerous than lawbreaking itself. “Sometimes, the most subversive behavior isn’t breaking the law, but documenting it,” writes Li. “What the system most fears isn’t the criminals who exploit legal loopholes, but the ordinary people sitting in the back row with their pens and eyeglasses.”
<ol start="11">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721168.html">Prime Minister Resigns, Government Buildings Burned… What Happened in Nepal</a>?” from Phoenix News 
September 12, 2025</li>
</ol>
This report on the escalating protests in Nepal was first published on Guanchazhe.com on Sept. 9 and subsequently republished on other sites. NetEase deleted it on Sept. 10, and two days later, it had been deleted from most Chinese websites, with the exception of a few local news sites. (Other content related to Nepal’s Gen Z protests was also <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/09/china-reacts-to-nepal-protest-movement/">heavily censored on Chinese social media</a>.) The report describes the protests that broke out in Nepal following a nationwide ban on numerous social media platforms, the clashes between protesters and police that left 19 dead and over 100 injured, and the resignation of Nepali Prime Minister Oli and several other government ministers. The piece also provides some background: Nepal’s 48.1% social-media usage rate, the highest in South Asia, combined with economic stagnation, corruption, and nepotism scandals sparked unrest in a country where 77.4% of the population is rural and remittances make up 33.1% of GDP.
<ol start="12">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721156.html">A BL-Loving Girl Who Married a Gay Man</a>,” from WeChat account Tongqi Support Network (a support network for the wives of gay men) 
September 13, 2025</li>
</ol>
The preface to this article quotes a 2005 CCTV interview by journalist Chai Jing with a gay man who explained why he decided to marry a woman, despite being aware of his sexual orientation: "A friend said my parents would sooner believe that rivers flow backward than believe that homosexuality exists." The article consists of screenshots of an interview with Xiaoxue, a woman who unknowingly married a gay man, filed for divorce after six months, and remains estranged from her ex and her parents—all of whom blame her for the dissolution of the marriage. Despite this experience, Xiaoxue remains a strong supporter of gay rights and an ardent fan of <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/profit-seeking-police-crack-down-on-danmei-erotic-fiction-writers/">danmei (or BL) fiction</a>, which depicts romantic relationships between male protagonists.
<ol start="13">
<li>“‘<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721312.html">Bone-Dissolving Liquid’ Claims a Life in Hangzhou: Ordinary People Shouldn’t Be Sacrificed to Professional Negligence</a>,” by Zhang Yunsu for the WeChat account Incorrect 
September 18, 2025</li>
</ol>
An article about a 52-year-old woman in Hangzhou who died of multiple-organ failure five days after <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3325834/chinese-woman-dies-organ-failure-after-stepping-hydrofluoric-acid-during-stroll">stepping on a discarded container of hydrofluoric acid</a>—a chemical so highly corrosive that it has been dubbed “bone-dissolving liquid.” Three containers of the hazardous chemical, which had been illegally disposed of by a contractor in 2015, had remained undetected for a decade, despite regulations requiring strict tracking of hazardous materials. The author criticizes inadequate oversight, calls for better tracking of hazardous waste and stronger enforcement against illegal dumping, and warns readers that many common household products also contain corrosive chemicals.
<ol start="14">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721328.html">On-the-Street Interviews with Delivery Riders: Their Trials, Tribulations, and Frosty Response to the New Social Insurance Policy</a>,” from WeChat account Aquarius Era 
September 20, 2025</li>
</ol>
This series of interviews with food delivery riders in Guangzhou was originally published by (and is still available on) the WeChat account Aquarius Era, but a version <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250429070929/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/EtAfPqFwhZF1h1ngjFxyzw">reprinted</a> by the sustainable-agriculture WeChat account Foodthink has been deleted. Interviewees were largely indifferent to the new mandatory social insurance requirements, with one respondent saying, “I might not live to 63 [the age at which pension benefits kick in].” The interviews reveal riders’ extreme economic precarity and concern about algorithmic controls, gruelling work hours, and the danger of traffic accidents.
<ol start="15">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721417.html">Shanghai Baoshan District People’s Procuratorate: Chief Prosecutor Sun Lin, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Wang Xiaolin, and Prosecutor Zhu Jialin Refuse to Fulfill Their Procuratorial Supervision Duties</a>,” from WeChat account Yet Another Deep-Sea Fishing Expedition 
September 23, 2025</li>
</ol>
A formal complaint letter from the families of the defendants in the “Hengwan” case, accusing police and prosecutors in Shanghai’s Baoshan District of illegally targeting the Beijing-based educational company to meet 2023 anti-fraud campaign quotas. (This sort of cross-provincial, policing-for-profit expedition is known as “<a href="https://sinopsis.cz/en/deep-sea-fishing-how-china-turned-law-enforcement-into-national-organized-looting/">deep-sea fishing</a>.”) Prosecutors are alleging that Hengwan defrauded its students. The letter alleges that prosecutors copied-and-pasted police interrogation transcripts, and that police fabricated evidence, forged signatures, buried exculpatory evidence, and were negligent in interviewing supposed witnesses. The complaint argues this “deep-sea fishing” operation represented a conflict of interest and violated rules governing jurisdiction and due process.
<ol start="16">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721397.html">The ‘Internet Celebrity Track’ Has No Space for Hu Chenfeng</a>,” from WeChat account Like Light 
September 23, 2025</li>
</ol>
This WeChat article discusses the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-as-cac-tackles-malicious-negativity-online-popular-influencers-zhang-xuefeng-hu-chenfeng-lan-zhanfei-hit-with-bans/">recent multiplatform ban on popular lifestyle influencer and livestreamer Hu Chenfeng</a>, summarizes some of his more controversial opinions (such as describing haves and have-nots as “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39r7p47wzgo">Apple people vs. Android people”</a>) and speculates about why he might have been banned. Most importantly, the article strongly criticizes the arbitrary nature of such platform bans, arguing that they are opaque, unfair, and counterproductive. “It has long been common practice for platforms not to disclose the specific reasons for account bans,” the author writes. “While this practice ostensibly allows for regulatory leeway, the fact is that it violates the fundamental requirements of transparent governance.”
<ol start="17">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721422.html">Heavy Subject Matter Should Not Become a ‘Fig Leaf’ for Bad Films</a>,” from WeChat account “The sky really wants rain” and Douban 
September 23, 2025</li>
</ol>
A WeChat article satirizing official claims of “unanimous praise” for the patriotic blockbuster “Evil Unbound” (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33028976/">Chinese title “731”</a>), followed by a compilation of negative reviews from the film-review site Douban. Some of the reviewers called the film, which currently has a 3.2 rating on IMDb, a cynical "insult to history," pointed out its myriad plot holes and plagiarism from other films, and complained that critical reviews were being systematically deleted by censors.
<ol start="18">
<li>"<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721440.html">Now that Zhang Xuefeng’s Accounts Have Been Blocked, Does His 100-Million-Yuan Pledge Still Count?</a>" from WeChat account Personal Memory Bank 
September 24, 2025</li>
</ol>
A short article condemning <a href="%20https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-as-cac-tackles-malicious-negativity-online-popular-influencers-zhang-xuefeng-hu-chenfeng-lan-zhanfei-hit-with-bans/">recently deplatformed educational influencer Zhang Xuefeng’</a>s turn toward nationalist rhetoric and his exorbitant pledge to donate 100 million yuan to support a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The author interprets Zhang’s newfound nationalism as a cynical and ultimately failed ploy to increase his own online viewership and profits, which have been threatened by declining college enrollment. He likens Zhang to other performative patriots such as “Wolf Warrior” actor, director, and martial artist Wu Jing (Jacky Wu). The author writes that such “patriotic fare is the last refuge of scoundrels,” and concludes with this: "They’ve been plaguing our country for too long! Who is breeding these parasites?”
<ol start="19">
<li>"<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721460.html">Zhang Xuefeng Accidentally Steps on a New Red Line</a>," from WeChat account Like Light 
September 25, 2025</li>
</ol>
Like Light’s second censored article posits that Zhang Xuefeng was banned not for his saber-rattling or his promised 100-million-yuan donation to fund a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan, but for falling afoul of a new Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-as-cac-tackles-malicious-negativity-online-popular-influencers-zhang-xuefeng-hu-chenfeng-lan-zhanfei-hit-with-bans/">campaign to eliminate certain forms of “malicious negativity</a>” online. The author points to some specific wording in the CAC announcement that could apply to a wealthy and powerful educational “guru” such as Zhang: "…fabricating false identities or personas such as ‘guru’ or ‘expert,’ and peddling anxiety regarding employment, marriage, education, etc., in order to sell products or courses." The author also calls for greater transparency from cyberspace authorities, noting that Zhang, after years of successfully navigating red lines, likely met his downfall simply because the authorities abruptly moved the goalposts.
<ol start="20">
<li>"<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721474.html">TV Station Reports Rice Yields of Ten Thousand Jin Per Mu? This Is in 2025…</a>" by Xiang Dongliang 
September 25, 2025</li>
</ol>
An article satirizing a CCTV interview with a farmer in Jilin who claimed that his 50-mu (3.3 hectare) rice field would yield 750,000 jin (over 82,000 pounds)—a ten-fold increase over the insanely inflated rice yields touted by government propagandists during the Great Leap Forward. Xiang, as a former agricultural reporter, understood that the farmer likely got nervous on camera and misspoke, having meant to say “75,000 jin.” After Chinese social media users noticed the mistake, CCTV quietly edited out that portion of the online interview. In Xiang’s opinion, the fact that the mistake was allowed to air reflects an overall decline in TV news quality due to budget cuts, staff reductions, and the prioritization of propagandistic content over accurate reporting. As for the future of TV news, Xiang writes, “I doubt it will be able to survive much longer.”
<ol start="21">
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721582.html">Taken Together, Aren’t These Two News Stories a Bit Too Ironic?</a>” from WeChat account Unyielding Bamboo 
September 29, 2025</li>
</ol>
A satirical comparison of <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721539.html">two stories about petty corruption</a> that belie the many more serious corruption scandals being censored, overlooked, and under-reported. One was the case of Fan Xihua, a municipal official in Hunan who was expelled from his position and the Party for being "too helpful" to citizen petitioners. The other was Li Rui, a party secretary in Yunnan Province accused of accepting various small gifts and purchasing liquor in bulk for use in official receptions.
Lastly, here is a brief <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720971.html">summary of deleted content from August 2025</a>. Between August 1-31, 2025, CDT Chinese added an additional 47 articles to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Our testing indicated that all of these had been deleted from one or more Chinese social media platforms; the vast majority were from WeChat. Major topics targeted for deletion in August 2025 included:
<ul>
<li>Spontaneous <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/08/sensitive-words-intense-online-censorship-of-video-and-hashtags-about-mass-protests-in-jiangyou-sichuan-province/">mass protests in Jiangyou</a>, Sichuan province, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/08/translation-jiangyou-city-residents-explain-why-they-turned-out-to-protest-in-support-of-bullied-girl-and-her-family/">in support of a bullied schoolgirl and her parents</a>. </li>
<li>“<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/tag/%E5%B9%BF%E8%A5%BF%E9%98%B2%E5%9F%8E%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%AE%E8%AF%81%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6">Badge-flashing incident</a>” in Fangchenggang, Guangxi province: Criticism of local law enforcement for giving a slap-on-the-wrist punishment to a Mercedes-driving <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202508/1340223.shtml">woman who used her husband’s official fire-marshal ID card</a> to force another driver to yield to her in traffic. Online commenters also criticized the police for <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720221.html">anonymizing the woman’s name</a> in their official statement on the case, while revealing the full name of the victimized driver, and for turning a blind eye to those who <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720157.html">use relatives’ official credentials to intimidate others</a>. </li>
<li><a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E6%9D%A8%E5%85%B0%E5%85%B0">Yang Lanlan’s car crash</a> in Sydney, Australia: There was intense online interest in the story of a 23-year-old Chinese woman who was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/26/chinese-woman-lanlan-yang-more-time-court-plea-additional-charges-sydney-car-crash-ntwnfb">released pending trial</a> in Sydney for crashing her custom Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV into another vehicle, seriously injuring the other driver. Chinese censors deleted <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720338.html">numerous articles</a> and comments speculating about the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720354.html">amount of Yang’s bail</a>, her <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720328.html">source of wealth</a>, and possible high-powered <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/who-is-lanlan-yang-mystery-woman-in-sydney-crash-captivates-australia-and-china">family connections</a>. </li>
<li><a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/08/navigating-chinese-censorship-in-podcasts-publishing-scholarship-and-social-media/">Podcast “Eight and a Half Minutes</a>” (<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720571.html">八分半, Bā fēn bàn</a>) banned from Chinese streaming platforms after the host discussed Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media mogul facing national security charges. The podcast, hosted by Hong Kong writer, commentator, and host <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%85%AB%E5%88%86%E5%8D%8A">Leung Man-tao</a>, is still <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/%E5%85%AB%E5%88%86%E5%8D%8A/id1751418168">available on Apple Podcasts</a>. </li>
<li>Anti-climactic end to the investigation of the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/05/translations-what-the-44-medical-scandal-reveals-about-second-generation-privilege/">Peking Union Medical College/4+4 scandal</a>: There was continued censorship of content about the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720494.html">light</a> or <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720418.html">inadequate punishment</a> and <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720417.html">disappointing investigative report</a> into the scandal, which involved a medical intern who used <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720496.html">plagiarized research</a>, altered academic transcripts, and <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/05/words-of-the-week-nepo-babies-with-connections-and-resources-%E5%85%B3%E7%B3%BB%E5%92%96-guanxi-ka-%E8%B5%84%E6%BA%90%E5%92%96-ziyuan-ka/">family connections to fast-track her career</a>. </li>
<li>A sexual harassment incident at the Wuhan University library: censored content included articles purportedly inciting “gender antagonism” or criticizing the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720721.html">university’s lack of transparency</a> in the case. </li>
<li>Criticism of the new "<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/tag/%e5%bc%ba%e5%88%b6%e7%a4%be%e4%bf%9d">mandatory social insurance</a>" policy, including concerns about <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720312.html">inadequate public consultation beforehand</a> and whether the new policy, which took effect September 1, would address urban-rural and public-private <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/720244.html">inequalities in the pension system</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<item>
<title>The Borderlens – Nepal’s Gen Z protests: Beijing behind the Bamboo Curtain</title>
<link>https://www.borderlens.com/2025/10/07/nepals-gen-z-protests-beijing-behind-the-bamboo-curtain/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 07:27:38 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704770</guid>
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<title>Domino Theory – Make Sure the Mirror is Glass</title>
<link>https://dominotheory.com/make-sure-the-mirror-is-glass/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 07:26:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704768</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Photo: Personal Transport in a Hutong – Beijing, by Andrew Roberts</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/photo-personal-transport-in-a-hutong-beijing-by-andrew-roberts/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 06:49:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704764</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_704765" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704765" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Personal-Transport-in-a-Hutong-Beijing-by-Andrew-Roberts-e1759905942207.jpg" alt="In one of Beijing's narrow hutongs (alleyways), a compact gray and red Mini Cooper shares sidewalk space with four rental bikes, two of which are bright yellow, and two of which are sky blue. The car's color scheme matches the facade of the one-story building behind it: the building's stuccoed facade is painted gray, and its double-wide wooden door is bright red. Next to the door is a temporary partition - which appears to be obscuring a construction site - in shades of aqua, dark green, and white, featuring environmental-protection slogans." width="600" height="450" class="size-full wp-image-704765" />
Personal Transport in a Hutong – Beijing, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyscomputer/54596956866">Andrew Roberts (CC BY-ND 2.0)</a>
</div>
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