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... You Played a Part in This.”"></a></p>]]></content:encoded>
                                             ^

Source: https://chinadigitaltimes.net/feed

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<title>China Brief – Beijing’s War on ‘Negative Energy’</title>
<link>https://jamestown.org/program/beijings-war-on-negative-energy/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 21:09:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
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<title>Netizen Voices: Tencent’s Positive Energy Algorithm Task Force and the Perils of “Information Cocoons”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/netizen-voices-tencents-positive-energy-algorithm-task-force-and-the-perils-of-information-cocoons/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Wade]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2025 21:26:19 +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[Taiwan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[algorithm regulation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[algorithms]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Cyberspace Administration of China]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Douyin]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DPP]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[positive energy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[tiktok]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WeChat]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704869</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This week, a report at IT Home described recent corporate initiatives in the fight to promote "positive energy" and suppress "malicious" negativity online. (As China Media Project explains, "’Positive energy’ has been an important phrase in the Xi Jinping era to refer to information controls and official messaging, both domestically and internationally. The term generally […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[This week, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722226.html">a report at IT Home described recent corporate initiatives</a> in the fight to promote "<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/positive-energy/">positive energy</a>" and <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/">suppress "malicious" negativity</a> online. (As <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/the_ccp_dictionary/positive-energy/">China Media Project explains</a>, "’Positive energy’ has been an important phrase in the Xi Jinping era to refer to information controls and official messaging, both domestically and internationally. The term generally refers to the need for uplifting messages as opposed to critical or negative ones – and particularly the need for content that puts the Party and government in a positive light.") CDT has translated the IT Home report—which draws heavily on the Cyberspace Administration of China’s official statements—as well as some reactions below:
<blockquote>
October 28: Tencent Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Public Policy Zhu Dianjun announced Tencent’s formation of a Positive Energy Algorithm Task Force at the 2025 Content Creator Carnival in Guangzhou today, Securities Times reports.
Zhu said that Tencent relies on WeChat’s unique social relationship network to enable the natural flow, based on users’ mutual trust, of high-quality content like knowledge sharing, practical skills, and emotional resonance. Not only does this make sharing quality content into a kind of "social gifting" between users, it also systemically curbs the spread of harmful information, gradually fostering a healthy ecosystem in which "the good drives out the bad."
IT Home’s inquiries reveal that since the start of the special "Clear and Bright: Management of Common Algorithmic Issues on Online Platforms" campaign, in response to intense public concern about the dangers of algorithmic recommendations exacerbating vulgar content, "information cocoons," and opinion polarization, the Cyberspace Administration of China has helped to oversee and guide key platforms in optimizing their recommendation algorithms and adjusting the rules by which they operate. Those key platforms have responded proactively by signing the Nanning Declaration on Algorithms for Good; improving review of algorithmically recommended content; launching dedicated pages, channels, and accounts for publicizing the principles behind algorithmic rules; developing new online functions such as "Cocoon Assessment" and "One-Click Cocoon-Buster"; optimizing services that help manage user interests and preferences; and enhancing diversity in algorithmic content recommendations.
To this end, platforms including Douyin, Xiaohongshu [RedNote], Weibo, Kuaishou, WeChat Channels, and Bilibili have systematically optimized multiple functions centered on core aspects such as weighted recommendation of positive-energy content, safeguarding users’ freedom of choice, diversifying recommended content, and increasing algorithmic transparency.
In May of this year, WeChat Channels released “An Infographic Guide to Understanding WeChat Channels’ Algorithmic Recommendations” and the series “Breaking Out of the Algorithmic Cocoon.” To facilitate breaking through “information cocoons,” it launched innovative features such as “Cocoon Assessment” and “One-Click Cocoon Buster” to help users guard against the risks of information cocoons. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722226.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722226.html">Responses gathered from Weibo by CDT Chinese editors</a> were more energetic than positive:
<blockquote>
计六一六：Hahahahaha, I laughed so hard I nearly burst a hemorrhoid!
夜喏巫啼：When the algorithm detects users whose positive energy is running low, it will automatically recharge them for free.
寒月1966：If everything’s positive energy, there’s no energy at all.
大肘子哈哈：The Chinese Academy of Sciences should set up a Positive Energy Research Institute.
Beso_Grande：In future, when AI systems boot up, they won’t be allowed to connect to the negative terminal. [In an electrical circuit, current cannot flow without both a positive and a negative terminal.]
春天的小北：Racing away from civilization at hypersonic speed.
Beso_Grande：<a href="https://chinaopensourceobservatory.org/glossary/red-and-expert">Both Red and expert</a>.
媒体猪哥：Casting an inescapable dragnet of positive energy. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722226.html">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
The emphasis on breaking through information cocoons—信息茧房 xìnxī jiǎn fáng, equivalent to "echo chamber" or "filter bubble"—might seem ironic given <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/09/interview-jessica-batke-and-laura-edelson-on-chinas-locknet/">Chinese authorities’ devotion of vast effort and resources to cocooning the whole country’s internet</a>. Undeterred, <a href="https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/617854">Beijing leveled the same accusation at Taiwan’s government</a> in August:
<blockquote>
A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that the "information cocoon" created by Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities is starting to crumble, as people in Taiwan become aware of the real mainland through the internet and social networking services.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference in response to some Taiwan media reports alleging that the mainland is using social media to "brainwash" Taiwan youth.
Zhu said that for a long time, the DPP authorities have attempted to block channels for Taiwan compatriots to learn about the mainland and mislead the public.
Thanks to internet penetration and the rapid evolution of social media, netizens on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can now access news faster, see each other’s daily lives more easily, and engage in more diverse exchanges, she said. [<a href="https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/617854">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Amid the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/censorship-creeps-up-on-tiktok-refugees-fleeing-to-chinese-app-xiaohongshu/">exodus of "TikTok refugees" to Xiaohongshu</a> in January, a blog post by "Pingyuan Gonzi" at the nationalist-leaning Guancha argued that "<a href="https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1365444&s=fwzxhfbt">The True Information Cocoon is Actually on Foreign Websites</a>." The piece was <a href="https://thechinaacademy.org/the-true-information-cocoon-is-actually-on-foreign-websites-what-i-learned-after-joining-xiaohongshu/">later translated at The China Academy</a>, an English-language site with numerous apparent ties to Guancha and other nationalist voices:
<blockquote>
Since Rednote is a Chinese social platform with a single database, it doesn’t distinguish between domestic and international versions, and users from any part of the world can register using their phones, creating an amusing scene where Chinese and English speakers chat animatedly on the same platform. Americans exclaimed—”This is the real free world.”
[…] Therefore, Chinese social software doesn’t need to specifically create an “international version” for foreigners; a multilingual, unrestricted communication platform is the correct path.
[…] Content-wise, the Simplified Chinese [PRC] internet hosts the most diverse, free, and inclusive content globally, almost free from “political correctness.” You can openly support Russia or Ukraine, Israel or Palestine, be anti-American or pro-American, without any interference. Which Chinese website, app, or forum isn’t buzzing with heated arguments day and night, presenting diverse perspectives, and robust logic to argue their correctness and criticize others’ mistakes? There’s no single entity dominating the discourse; various ideologies and factions coexist fascinatingly.
Regarding resource richness, logical debate skills, and content brilliance, the Chinese internet ranks number one globally. Conversely, so-called “foreign websites” are real “news bubbles.” English internet spaces are monopolized by American mainstream media, essentially regurgitating different versions of the same ideas, filled with universal value and political correctness, lacking innovation and fun. Traditional Chinese [non-PRC Sinophone] websites are saturated with outdated opinions, seemingly like a cesspool. They can’t offer an engaging experience after prolonged exposure. [<a href="https://thechinaacademy.org/the-true-information-cocoon-is-actually-on-foreign-websites-what-i-learned-after-joining-xiaohongshu/">Source</a>]
</blockquote>
Chinese authorities, it swiftly turned out, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/xiaohongshu-english-moderators-red-note/">did not agree that a multilingual, unrestricted communication platform was the correct path</a>. CDT <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/words-of-the-week-xiaohongshu-balance-sheet-comparisons-%E5%B0%8F%E7%BA%A2%E4%B9%A6%E5%AF%B9%E8%B4%A6-xiaohongshu-duizhang/">translated a range</a> of <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/on-xiaohongshu-balance-sheet-comparisons-can-you-still-ignore-the-fact-that-you-live-on-the-wrong-side-of-a-one-way-mirror/">less triumphalist Chinese perspectives</a> on the influx, including <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/netizen-voices-on-tiktok-refugees-we-all-know-this-isnt-going-to-end-well-so-lets-enjoy-this-global-village-moment-while-we-can/">one Weibo user’s comment</a>: "We all know this isn’t going to end well, so let’s enjoy this ‘global-village moment’ while we can."
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</item>
<item>
<title>Translation: Q&A – What Should I Do if I’ve Accidentally Used a Sensitive Word in My WeChat Post?</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translation-what-should-i-do-if-ive-accidentally-used-a-sensitive-word-in-my-wechat-post/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Wade]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 05:18:21 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></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[censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[evading censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sensitive words]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WeChat]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wenzhou rail crash]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704848</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The following translations are from a series of posts on WeChat public account 育知录 Yuzhilu—a reference to a quotation from the Great Learning, one of Confucianism’s "Four Books": 育人先育己，知世先知人 Yù rén xiān yù jǐ, zhī shì xiān zhī rén, or "To educate others, first educate yourself; to know the world, first know others." Based on […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The following translations are from a series of posts on WeChat public account 育知录 Yuzhilu—a reference to a quotation from the Great Learning, one of Confucianism’s "Four Books": 育人先育己，知世先知人 Yù rén xiān yù jǐ, zhī shì xiān zhī rén, or "To educate others, first educate yourself; to know the world, first know others." Based on evidently bitter personal experience, the author offers <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721330.html">advice on getting potentially sensitive topics past WeChat’s pre-publication filters</a>; guidance on handling setbacks; and sympathy when all else fails. Later posts—translated selectively here to avoid repetition—chronicle the subsequent deletion of the author’s own posts on various other topics. In order to escape further deletions, the author employs several common techniques such as the use of homophones, pinyin, foreign languages, and misdirection. Here, these tricks were successful—the posts below remained online as of these translations’ publication. For <a href="http://https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/sensitive-words/">much more on “sensitive words,” see CDT’s archives</a>.

<blockquote>
What Should I Do if I’ve Accidentally Used a Sensitive Word in My WeChat Post? March 18, 2025
<div id="attachment_704849" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704849" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912102ea6.jpeg" alt="Cartoon of a couple sitting on a couch" width="1000" height="786" class="size-full wp-image-704849" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912102ea6.jpeg 1000w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912102ea6-300x236.jpeg 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912102ea6-768x604.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
“It’s only been a year, and you’re bored of me already. It’s one thing to lose interest, but even sensitive words don’t do it for you anymore!” “What do you mean, ‘sensitive words’? Has Aunt Flo come to visit?”
</div>
Q: What should I do if I’ve accidentally used a sensitive word in my public account post?
A: In a word: delete!
Q: What are "sensitive words"? Is there an exact definition?
A: "Sensitive words" generally refers to terms with sensitive Zheng Zhi orientation (or which oppose the ruling party or Guo Jia), violent tendencies, or an unhealthy or uncivilized tone. Some sites and platforms also compile their own lists of sensitive words according to their own particular circumstances.
[郑智 Zhèng Zhì is the name of a professional soccer manager and former player and a homophone for 政治 zhèngzhì, meaning "politics." The Chinese word for "political party," 党 dǎng, is spelled out in Roman script as "dang". 郭嘉 Guō Jiā, the name of an advisor to the late Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao, is a near homophone for 国家 guójiā, meaning "country."]
Q: Can you give a full list of sensitive words, or some specific examples?
A: There is no definitive list. WeChat has never given more than vague indications of which words are sensitive, so many people have broken the rules unintentionally. Some examples appear above [in the previous answer].
<div id="attachment_704850" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704850" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912168eab.jpeg" alt="Chinese characters in a square grid, like those used for writing practice" width="456" height="179" class="size-full wp-image-704850" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912168eab.jpeg 456w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd912168eab-300x118.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 456px) 100vw, 456px" />
“DON’T DISCUSS NATIONAL POLITICS”
</div>
Q: What are the most commonly seen types of sensitive words? 
A: 1. The most common type of sensitive words is the Zheng Zhi [political] category, so for references to political figures or events, try to use common code words. Some code words are themselves sensitive, so use pinyin or pinyin abbreviations [e.g. "zhengzhi" or "zz"]. If that doesn’t work, you can try English, French, Japanese, etc. Past that point, the best thing is actually just to delete it.
2. Discuss affairs of state little, if at all, and don’t presume to comment on the national political system. Use particular caution if writing about current political affairs, because it’s very common for people to accidentally step on landmines, leading to account suspension or termination.
3. Superstitious, sexually explicit, or profane terms, and illegal or false information, can all easily become sensitive words.
4. Special sensitive words defined and used by sites or platforms based on their own circumstances. Some e-commerce platforms, for example, won’t let you mention the names of their competitors.
Q: What’s your worst experience of stepping on one of these landmines with your public account?
A: There’s no "worst," only "worse." Once, a few years ago, I was editing a draft in the account dashboard, and had just finished formatting it and was adding the title when the whole page suddenly went blank, apart from the message at the top: "Content must not violate the platform’s terms of use or relevant laws, regulations, or policies. Please revise."
F***, hours of hard work wiped out in a flash. It’s enough to drive you nuts, but where would that get you? That’s how I learned the hard way to always back up my drafts in a Word doc first.
["Fuck," 肏 cào, is represented here by the isolated character component for grass, 艹 cǎo, another near-homophone.]
<div id="attachment_704851" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704851" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7-1024x335.jpeg" alt="UI screenshot" width="1024" height="335" class="size-large wp-image-704851" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7-1024x335.jpeg 1024w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7-300x98.jpeg 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7-768x252.jpeg 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7-1080x354.jpeg 1080w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91220d9a7.jpeg 1145w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
“Content must not violate the platform’s terms of use or relevant laws, regulations, or policies. Please revise.”
</div>
Q: Anything more recent?
A: Yesterday! Five times I tried to post something, five times it was shot down, and five times I revised it, until finally on the sixth try, I managed to get it through. In this kind of situation, you’ve really just got to delete, however reluctant you might be to pare down your carefully crafted text. The problem is, they don’t actually tell you which words were sensitive, and all you can do is use trial and error. This process of elimination is absolute torture.
<div id="attachment_704852" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704852" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-1024x871.png" alt="UI screenshot showing several rejected post drafts, and one accepted" width="1024" height="871" class="size-large wp-image-704852" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-1024x871.png 1024w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-300x255.png 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-768x653.png 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-1536x1306.png 1536w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2-1080x918.png 1080w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd91232fcf2.png 1551w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
“Published yesterday at 19:50: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad …” “Publication failed yesterday at 19:46: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad problem?” “Publication failed yesterday at 19:42: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad problem?” “Publication failed yesterday at 19:31: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad problem?” “Publication failed yesterday at 19:11: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad problem?” “Publication failed yesterday at 19:05: 2025 Wish List: Can anyone solve the sanitary pad problem?”
</div>
Q: How much of that piece did you cut, in the end?
A: One picture, two paragraphs.
Q: What was the picture of?
A: The picture itself wasn’t important, the issue was that it included a propaganda poster with the slogan, in English: "Having only one child is good, the government will take care of the aged." [A 1980s family planning slogan on which <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34674393">the government’s position has since reversed</a>.]
Q: And the two paragraphs?
A: The first, which I’ll put here in English [to avoid censorship]: "Don’t rely on men, nor on the government – the government is not omnipotent. If you still have illusions about the government, it can only be said that you are still ‘<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Toad">Too Young, Too Simple</a>.’"
The second, using pinyin [again, to avoid censorship]: Women should be independent! Don’t get mad, don’t complain—it’s no use. It’s not our fault that men fall short, or that our government loves passing the buck
Q: What happens if you keep stumbling on sensitive words in your public-account posts?
A: Traffic and posting restrictions, at best; account suspension or termination, at worst.
Q: What’s your opinion on sensitive words?
A: I have no opinion.
Q: What advice do you have for people who’ve accidentally posted sensitive words on their public accounts?
A: A single word of advice: "delete"
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A: I wish you all successful posting!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What can you do if your public account post is shot down? April 19, 2025
<div id="attachment_704853" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704853" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-1024x547.jpeg" alt="Warning screenshot" width="1024" height="547" class="size-large wp-image-704853" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-1024x547.jpeg 1024w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-300x160.jpeg 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-768x410.jpeg 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-1080x577.jpeg 1080w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8-564x300.jpeg 564w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911d6acf8.jpeg 1159w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
“This content cannot be displayed because of rule violations” “Following related complaints, this content has been found to violate the Provisions on the Administration of Internet User Public Account Information Services. Click here for more details.”
</div>
Q: What can you do if your public account post is shot down?
A: What can you do? Live with it.
It’s already dead and buried, forcibly deleted by the platform.
The dead won’t come back, and neither will those WeChat posts.
Rein in your grief and accept fate.
Q: But can I still access my draft? I hadn’t gotten around to backing it up …
A: Looks like it "cannot be found" … this is why you should back up earlier.
Because (as pictured above) you can’t access the post through the account dashboard, and if you click through to “Further information,” you’ll be redirected to brush up on the Provisions on the Administration of Internet User Public Account Information Services, pictured below:
<img decoding="async" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-1024x521.png" alt="Screenshot of the Provisions on the Administration of Internet User Public Account Information Services" width="1024" height="521" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-704854" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-1024x521.png 1024w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-300x153.png 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-768x391.png 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-1536x781.png 1536w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-2048x1042.png 2048w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911ea38e6-1080x549.png 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Q: You say "looks like it ‘cannot be found’" … well, can I find it or not?!
A: You’re a sharp one—nothing gets past you! In fact, the post is still retrievable after all. 
Log in to the public account assistant, find the entry for the deleted post, as pictured below, click "…" in the top-right corner, click "edit again," and you can recover the original text.
<div id="attachment_704855" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704855" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def-1024x505.jpeg" alt="Screenshot" width="1024" height="505" class="size-large wp-image-704855" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def-1024x505.jpeg 1024w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def-300x148.jpeg 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def-768x379.jpeg 768w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def-1080x533.jpeg 1080w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911f20def.jpeg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
“2025/04/11 07:18 – Cannot be displayed” “The Personal Experience of 38-Year-Old Teacher Ah Qiang: As the China-U.S. Trade War Rages, a Liberal Arts Department Descends Into ‘Verbal Warfare’” Mug slogan: “To Commemorate Participation in the Reciprocal Tariff War of April, 2025”
</div>
Q: So, if I re-edit and publish, how am I supposed to know which sensitive words I should cut out? I didn’t think there was anything sensitive in there …
A: It doesn’t matter what you think—the platform thinks there’s content that’s sensitive or breaks the rules, so you’ve got to cut it.
For more detail on sensitive words, see my modest 2025 guide: "What to do if you’ve stumbled on sensitive words with your public account."
Q: What if I’ve revised it, cut out some of these so-called "sensitive words," and it still won’t let me post it? What am I supposed to do then?
A: Keep cutting! If it won’t let you post, it means you haven’t cut enough, so keep going! Keep whittling away until it lets you post.
Of course, this process of cutting and cutting is torture, because there’s really no way to know which word is sensitive, and all you can do is keep trying to guess what to delete.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, and again, and again …
I once had a post that I revised five times, and it got shot down every time until finally, the sixth time was the charm.
It’s a pretty painful process.
To use an inappropriate analogy, it’s like a man castrating himself with a blade: the first cut’s not clean, so he tries again, but that’s not clean either, so he cuts again, and again, and again …
By the end, it’s hard to say if you’re still "a man", but chances are you’re dead anyway.
<div id="attachment_704856" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704856" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911fb49fd.jpeg" alt="A cartoon figure hurls its severed penis and testicles to the ground" width="600" height="600" class="size-full wp-image-704856" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911fb49fd.jpeg 600w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911fb49fd-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911fb49fd-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd911fb49fd-440x440.jpeg 440w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
“What’s the point in keeping this thing?!”
</div>
Anyone who posts to a public account will understand how hard original writing is.
Each painstaking article feels like a beloved son or daughter.
When a piece gets blocked from being posted, or deleted once it’s up, how can you not feel like a grieving parent? How can it not drive you mad?
As the saying goes: one treasures an old, worn broom, and cherishes one’s own humble writing.
If you don’t love your own writing, how can you expect anyone else to?
It’s like a woman who doesn’t love herself—how can she expect love from a man?
Today marks seven days since the death of that post of mine. I solemnly offer this post as its eulogy.
Its title was: "The Personal Experience of 38-Year-Old Teacher Ah Qiang: As the China-U.S. Trade War Rages, a Liberal Arts Department Descends Into ‘Verbal Warfare’”
<img decoding="async" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd9120285d9.jpeg" alt="A birthday-style "1" candle" width="287" height="176" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-704857" />
Q: What’s your opinion on public account posts getting shot down?
A: I have no opinion, and feel nothing but gratitude toward the public account platform.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A: As I once wrote: "Castration is a new beginning; you lose your balls, but win your freedom." (From my humble piece "Out of Touch With Her Ex for More Than Six Months, Ma Dongmei Celebrated His Birthday Like This.")
I respectfully submit this piece for our mutual encouragement!
I wish you all successful posting! Long may your excellent posts and good fortune endure!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What can you do if your public account post is shot down? Part 2, August 9, 2025
[…] In the last two weeks, this account has had four posts shot down: about Yang Lanlan [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/cdts-404-deleted-content-archive-summary-for-september-2025/">background</a>], Liuzhou debt [<a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-economy-debt-borrowing-33f08b5e">background</a>], online censorship, and the accident on July 23 [likely a reference to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2011/07/directives-from-the-ministry-of-truth-wenzhou-high-speed-train-crash/">the 2011 Wenzhou train collision</a>].
Your author felt there was nothing out of the ordinary about these posts of his, but still they were shot down.
Shot down: dead, on ice, over, zeroed, forcibly deleted by the platform.
The dead won’t come back, and neither will those WeChat posts.
Rein in your grief and accept fate!
I humbly offer this sacrifice to their memory!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What can you do if your public account post is shot down? Part 3, August 21, 2025
This account had another three posts shot down:
One was today’s cartoon, "Youth Asks Zen Master: Will Guangdong’s Mosquito Eradication Campaign Succeed?" [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/translations-on-chikungunya-and-mosquito-eradication-in-guangdong-hand-over-your-keys-or-well-pick-the-locks/">background</a>]
The other two were from a month ago: "Why is ‘Seeking Truth From Facts’ So Hard?" and "What to Make of the Tianshui Children’s Lead Poisoning Incident?" [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/07/translations-official-report-on-tianshui-kindergarten-lead-poisoning-case-exposes-the-failure-of-an-entire-system/">background</a>]
The platform apparently "received complaints" about those two. I wonder who could have sent them?
Don’t speak, don’t argue, just shut up and accept your fate.
Though they were just minor posts that never broke 100 views … still, one treasures an old, worn broom, and cherishes one’s own humble writing.
The dead won’t come back, and neither will those WeChat posts.
Alas, accept my tribute! Accept my tribute!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What can you do if your public account post is shot down? Part 4, August 31, 2025
This account had the following four posts shot down in the past week:
Cartoon | “Seeing the Essence Beneath the Surface: What They Call State-owned Is Official-owned; What They Call ’To Each According to His Need’ Is ‘To Each According to His Power’"
Cartoon | “Eureka Moment for India’s Masses, After Dealing With Lead Poisoning, Sewage-Tainted Tap Water, Official ‘Badge-Flashing,’ and Intrusive ‘Disinfections’ of Their Homes: If Only They’d Pushed Their Kids to Get Government Jobs!” [In an unsuccessful attempt to avoid censorship, the author has used "India’s Masses" as a stand-in for "China’s Masses."]
Cartoon | “Youth Asks Zen Master: If They Can Enforce Mandatory Social Insurance, Why Not Eight-Hour Days and Overtime Pay, Too?” (The Master’s reply: "Because the latter two can’t be embezzled.”)
Essay | “As the Tiger-head Guillotine Rusts, Why Are We Still Waiting for Our Zhan Zhao and Bao Zheng? A Thousand Years of Challenges to Justice”
[Bao was a virtuous Song Dynasty official, and a symbol of justice; Zhan was his fictional sidekick. Their legendary adventures were the subject of the wuxia novel "The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants" and a number of later screen adaptations. The fictional “tiger-head guillotine” was used for beheading corrupt officials and treacherous ministers; the “dog-head guillotine” and “dragon-head guillotine” were used for executing commoners and imperial relatives, respectively.]
[…] One treasures an old, worn broom, and cherishes one’s own humble writing.
My posts were shot down, alas!
I humbly offer this sacrifice to their memory! [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/721330.html">Chinese</a>]
<div id="attachment_704858" style="width: 615px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704858" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd9e9255d7b-605x1024.jpeg" alt="A smiling candle with the caption text in a thought bubble" width="605" height="1024" class="size-large wp-image-704858" srcset="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd9e9255d7b-605x1024.jpeg 605w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd9e9255d7b-177x300.jpeg 177w, https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-721330-68cd9e9255d7b.jpeg 709w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />
“Post deleted” “Alas! I humbly offer this sacrifice to their memory!”
</div>
</blockquote>
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</item>
<item>
<title>China Media Project – Hubei Hit-and-Run Escapes the Headlines</title>
<link>https://chinamediaproject.org/2025/10/29/hubei-hit-and-run-escapes-the-headlines/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 02:25:01 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704860</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>CDT Quote of the Day: Local Media Excuses Failure to Report on Elementary School Vehicular Attack—“Our Hands Are Tied, Too”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/10/cdt-quote-of-the-day-local-media-excuses-failure-to-report-on-elementary-school-vehicular-attack-our-hands-are-tied-too/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 23:58:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></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[CDT translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[child safety]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[death toll]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[elementary school students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hubei]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[media controls]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[murders]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizen comments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[parents]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[police]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[public safety]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[quote of the day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[schools]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[self-censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship complicity]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[traffic accidents]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[traffic safety]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[translation excerpt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[videos]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[violence]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704842</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Police and media silence after a car plowed into a large crowd of students and parents near an elementary school in the city of Shiyan, Hubei province, has angered many Chinese netizens. Video shared online showed a white sedan running a red light, accelerating, and driving straight into a crowd of students and parents waiting […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722105.html">Police and media silence</a> after a <a href="https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1981020404698562913">car plowed into a large crowd of students and parents</a> near an elementary school in the city of Shiyan, Hubei province, has angered many Chinese netizens. Video shared online showed a white sedan running a red light, accelerating, and driving straight into a crowd of students and parents waiting on a traffic island near Chongqing Road Elementary School. Photos from the aftermath showed injured adults and children lying on the ground, and scattered books and shoes. The incident occurred on October 22 at 5:29 p.m. local time, just as parents were picking up their children from school. Eyewitnesses said that many students and parents were injured, and multiple victims were given CPR at the scene. Local residents later reported that as many as 22 people were being treated in local hospitals.
An <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/10/image-1761566922590.png">official police statement</a> did not appear until three days after the incident, with no explanation for the delay. Issued by Shiyan City Public Security Bureau’s Maojian District Substation, the statement described the incident as a vehicular accident resulting in one fatality, four serious injuries, and several minor injuries. It said that the driver, a 48-year-old man surnamed Chen, had been detained on suspicion of “endangering public safety through dangerous means,” a serious criminal offense, although it did not specify whether Chen had been intoxicated or otherwise impaired, or whether he had intentionally driven into the crowd.
In the days between the incident and the official statement, local media outlets were bombarded with requests for more information and reporting. This prompted one local outlet, the Shiyan Evening News, to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722132.html">pin a helpless-sounding plea to its official account on Douyin</a> (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), and at least one reader to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/10/image-1761566945922.png">post an outraged response</a>:
<blockquote>
Pinned post on the Shiyan Evening News official Douyin account: 
“Our hands are tied, too. 🙏”
Anonymous commenter: 
"’Our hands are tied, too.’ Oh, isn’t that nice ! ! ! Then what’s the point of you? ?” [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2025/10/image-1761566945922.png">Chinese</a>]
</blockquote>
Shiyan Evening News’ mea non culpa calls to mind an incident in 2012, when the Beijing News—after publishing an op-ed accusing the U.S. of “scheming” to help protect blind human-rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng—posted on its official Weibo account a black-and-white photo of a mournful clown taking a drag on a cigarette, with the caption: “In the still of the deep night, <a href="https://chinamediaproject.org/2012/05/05/the-beijing-news-a-clown-with-a-conscience/">removing that mask of insincerity, we say to our true selves, ‘I am sorry</a>.’ Goodnight.”
Given a spate of indiscriminate “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/11/words-of-the-week-revenge-on-society-attacks-lead-to-government-monitoring-of-individuals-with-four-lacks-and-five-frustrations-%E5%9B%9B/">revenge on society</a>” (or “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/11/word-of-the-week-xianzhong-the-ming-rebel-inspiring-massacres/">Xianzhong</a>”) attacks that <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/11/netizen-voices-the-lords-stay-safe-as-always-after-third-mass-casualty-attack/">raised public concern in 2024</a>, many observers wondered whether the Shiyan incident might have been a deliberate attack. There were <a href="https://x.com/YesterdayBigcat/status/1981568436494033369">some rumors</a> that the driver might have been seeking revenge on society after <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722144.html">falling victim to a Ponzi or pyramid scheme</a>—the <a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/654941953_140464">Yongbeida pyramid scheme</a>, which targeted people in Shiyan, was mentioned. Some on social media noted similarities between the Shiyan incident and the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/11/xi-jinping-demands-more-control-after-zhuhai-attack/">November 2024 vehicular attack in Zhuhai, Guangdong province</a>, that <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/02/translations-about-the-speedy-executions-of-perpetrators-of-revenge-on-society-attacks-open-public-disclosure-is-more-important-than-harsh-expedited-punishment/">killed 35 people and injured 43</a> outside a sports stadium. The Zhuhai attack, too, was characterized by a delayed police announcement, a dearth of investigative reporting, and <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/12/2024s-most-notable-censored-articles-and-essays-part-1/">intense social media censorship</a>. (CDT chose the victims of such indiscriminate attacks as <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/01/people-of-the-year-2024-victims-of-indiscriminate-attacks/">2024’s People of the Year</a>.)
CDT Chinese editors have archived three articles, one censored, on the deadly collision in Shiyan. The first, from WeChat blogger Song Qingren, is an <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722078.html">angry broadside against those who behave “like beasts</a>.” Song mentions the driver in the Shiyan attack and a separate incident in which a couple severed elevator cables in a residential building in Inner Mongolia, and quotes Lu Xun and Sigmund Freud and other writers on what might possibly motivate those who seek to inflict such harm on others. The second, from WeChat account Eggbot, notes that 48 hours after the Shiyan car-ramming incident, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722105.html">the public was still waiting for information and the police had yet to issue a statement</a>. The author also mentions the many local residents and parents who, seeking more information on the crash, made calls to traffic police and other local authorities but were turned away with various excuses.
Lastly, a now-deleted in-depth article from WeChat account <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/722126.html">Aquarius Era includes eyewitness accounts</a>, numerous photos, and a diagram of the scene of the collision. One of the parents interviewed describes seeing six or seven children lying on the ground, and security guards performing CPR on some of the injured, who appeared unresponsive. When she passed the scene later, she saw traffic police vehicles and at least nine ambulances. The article also documents numerous examples of online and offline censorship: police shooing people away from the scene of the accident; families of hospitalized victims being assigned local cadres as “minders” and having their cellphones confiscated; muting of parent-teacher group chats; search censorship for “Shiyan” and other related terms on at least four social media platforms; and content about the incident being deleted from WeChat, Douyin, QQ, and RedNote. One person reported that, after posting a video of the accident on Douyin, they received a warning call from local police.
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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>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704839</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_704840" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img 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" />
Park Life – Shanghai, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyscomputer/54597174553/">Andrew Roberts (CC BY-ND 2.0)</a>
</div>
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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="%20https://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>
<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>
<category><![CDATA[public safety]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social media censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[translation excerpt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WeChat]]></category>
<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[Recent News]]></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[Recent News]]></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>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=704791</guid>
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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>
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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>
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