05 行进 2026, 08:15
CDT presents a monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, […]
04 行进 2026, 12:15
A pair of recent publications sheds light on different aspects of generative AI’s use in PRC information control activities and, in one case, on how that can backfire. A paper from Stanford’s Jennifer Pan and Princeton’s Xu Xu explores how government regulation shapes output from Chinese companies’ LLM chatbots. The latest in a series of […]
28 二月 2026, 08:15
CDT presents a monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, […]
26 二月 2026, 12:15
This winter, a heating crisis struck rural Hebei after provincial authorities banned domestic coal-burning and then rolled back subsidies for natural gas, leaving many residents facing prohibitively expensive bills. Much of the censored content archived by CDT in January focused on this issue. Deleted commentary included explanations of the financial burden, who was bearing it, […]
25 二月 2026, 08:15
Responses on Chinese social media to state broadcaster CCTV’s annual Spring Festival Gala last week were less than uniformly rapturous. A deleted post from WeChat public account Selling Apricot Blossoms described the broadcast as a brain-pulverizing ideological blender, and encouraged others to ignore it rather than watch it merely to fuel online snark. When CCTV […]
23 二月 2026, 08:15
CDT presents a monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, […]
21 二月 2026, 08:15
The annual Spring Festival Gala aired on China’s state broadcaster CCTV this week, prompting wonder and worry at its display of kung fu-performing robots, and the traditional yearly storm of grumbling on Chinese social media. When CCTV reminded viewers that the show was under copyright, one Douyin user likened this to putting a lock on […]
20 二月 2026, 18:15
Investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were released on bail on Saturday, two weeks after they were detained across provincial borders in apparent connection with their recent report on corruption by local officials in Chengdu. The case against them remains open, however, and Chengdu authorities said on Saturday that investigators had determined that key […]
20 二月 2026, 12:15
Investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were released on bail on Saturday, two weeks after they were detained across provincial borders in apparent connection with their recent report on corruption by local officials in Chengdu. The case against them remains open, however, and Chengdu authorities said on Saturday that investigators had determined that key […]
20 二月 2026, 08:15
Investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were released on bail on Saturday, two weeks after they were detained across provincial borders in apparent connection with their recent report on corruption by local officials in Chengdu. The case against them remains open, however, and Chengdu authorities said on Saturday that investigators had determined that key […]
19 二月 2026, 18:15
Investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were released on bail on Saturday, two weeks after they were detained across provincial borders in apparent connection with their recent report on corruption by local officials in Chengdu. The case against them remains open, however, and Chengdu authorities said on Saturday that investigators had determined that key […]
19 二月 2026, 08:15
Investigative journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were released on bail on Saturday, two weeks after they were detained across provincial borders in apparent connection with their recent report on corruption by local officials in Chengdu. The case against them remains open, however, and Chengdu authorities said on Saturday that investigators had determined that key […]
14 二月 2026, 08:15
CDT presents a monthly series of censored content that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content Archive.” Each month, we publish a summary of content blocked or deleted (often yielding the message “404: content not found”) from Chinese platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart in the Chinese market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, […]
11 二月 2026, 08:15
Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday on charges of sedition and foreign collusion. Six other Apple Daily staff members also received sentences of up to 10 years. Extensive coverage at Hong Kong Free Press describes the background of the case and […]
11 二月 2026, 08:15
This weekend marked the sixth anniversary of the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, the courageous young ophthalmologist who, along with seven others, was branded a “rumormonger” and punished for attempting to warn people about a mysterious “SARS-like virus” before either the Wuhan or central governments had acknowledged the emerging coronavirus pandemic. (CDT has also published […]
10 二月 2026, 18:15
On February 1, public security officers from Chengdu detained investigative reporter Liu Hu as he was en route to Beijing, and his colleague Wu Yingjiao, who was in Hebei at the time. The two face criminal charges of “illegal business operations” and “false accusations and framing.” A now-censored report from journalism collective Aquarius Era, excerpts […]
10 二月 2026, 12:15
On February 1, public security officers from Chengdu detained investigative reporter Liu Hu as he was en route to Beijing, and his colleague Wu Yingjiao, who was in Hebei at the time. The two face criminal charges of “illegal business operations” and “false accusations and framing.” A now-censored report from journalism collective Aquarius Era, excerpts […]
10 二月 2026, 08:15
On February 1, public security officers from Chengdu detained investigative reporter Liu Hu as he was en route to Beijing, and his colleague Wu Yingjiao, who was in Hebei at the time. The two face criminal charges of “illegal business operations” and “false accusations and framing.” A now-censored report from journalism collective Aquarius Era, excerpts […]
05 二月 2026, 08:15
On Sunday, public security officers from Chengdu detained investigative journalist Liu Hu, as well as his colleague Wu Yingjiao, who was in Hebei at the time. The two are reportedly accused of false accusations and illegal business operations in connection with their recent work together. An article posted to WeChat by the journalism collective Aquarius […]
04 二月 2026, 18:15
After the carnage, there aren’t even enough people left to form a WeChat group. [Chinese] Last week’s announcement of investigations into Generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli has profound implications for China’s elite politics and near-term military capacity, but it also left China’s Central Military Commission with just two members, down from its former seven. […]