Ahead of Halloween at the end of this month, Shanghai police in China are reportedly planning to impose a complete ban on Halloween costumes and related events. This appears to be a response to young Chinese people using cosplay to satirically criticize the government during last year's Halloween events.
On the 22nd (local time), the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) cited an internal police document leaked on social media, reporting that "according to the leaked internal document from Shanghai police, police officers, officials, and business owners in Shanghai's Huangpu District are set to implement 'strict control' over Halloween cosplay activities."
The document distributed by Shanghai police around the bustling Huangpu District stated, "All cosplay activities are prohibited, and no Halloween makeup or costumes are allowed," adding, "Initially, persuasion should be done verbally, but if cooperation is not achieved, enforcement measures must be taken."
The police document also stated, "Buildings within the area must not display any Halloween decorations such as pumpkins, ghosts, coffins, or skulls, and elements related to horror or violence are not permitted," warning that "if such activities are detected, the event will be immediately halted." Furthermore, it added, "Halloween-related terms or English words are also banned in promotional materials both online and offline."
RFA pointed out that this crackdown seems to be influenced by last year's government-critical cosplay that appeared during Halloween in Shanghai. Shanghai has long been known as a place with a relatively low resistance to Western culture due to its large foreign resident population, making it one of the most vibrant locations for Halloween culture in China. Notably, last year's Halloween events in Shanghai featured numerous costumes satirizing the government.
At that time, young people in Shanghai dressed up as characters such as "Winnie the Pooh" and "COVID-19 quarantine workers," both subjects of Chinese government censorship. Winnie the Pooh symbolizes Chinese President Xi Jinping, and after some netizens began satirical play, the character became a target of government censorship as a means of criticizing the president. The quarantine worker cosplay was interpreted as a critique of the Chinese government's coercive pandemic control policies, including city lockdowns.
RFA reported that as posts encouraging people to enjoy Halloween festivals on Shanghai streets this year have recently appeared on Chinese social media, authorities seem to have taken action. It noted, "Last year's costumes appeared to be a relatively safe way to deliver a political blow to the authorities without getting involved in trouble, but this year, festival participants may come into conflict with Shanghai authorities."
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