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, and why; heartfelt pleas on behalf of those affected; anger at local authorities spending money on drones to catch illicit coal-burning instead of on subsidies to mitigate the crisis; and barbed suggestions that shivering farmers could warm themselves with the glow of “positive energy” emitted by official propaganda.

The topic became so sensitive that even milder commentary was censored. This is a common pattern in the absence of clear red lines, with platforms often choosing to err on the side of caution by simply “cutting down everything.” The post translated below, from WeChat public account 红衣投笔吏 (Hóngyī tóubǐ lì, "The Red-robed Scribe") in mid-January, laments the deletion of an earlier piece despite careful efforts to write accurately, cautiously, and with a zesty infusion of positive energy. The frustrated author seeks enlightenment first from Doubao, a chatbot from Bytedance, and then from a Cyberspace Administration official they had met previously. The official tersely explains that the whole topic has become sensitive, and that the post was likely deleted based on keyword scans without even being read by a human moderator.

The LLM output is not authoritative, but reflects some of the more innocuous ways in which Chinese social media users attempt to navigate censorship risks. The bot mentions that politically sensitive topics exist, but its implied solution is to steer clear of them, rather than sneak through. (For more subversive advice on the matter, see a previously translated series of sardonic Q&A posts, “What Should I Do if I’ve Accidentally Used a Sensitive Word in My WeChat Post?”) Doubao recommends that arguments be thoroughly supported with information from official sources. Ironically, though, the post author concludes that embedding a state media video without permission may have been what triggered the deletion.

Around 11:00 p.m. on January 11, as I was finishing off an old draft to post on my WeChat public account, I suddenly realised that a piece I’d posted on January 8 about "heating" had been deleted by the platform for "violating regulations." Soon after that, I saw a "post handling notice" from the platform safety assistant: "Hello, this post has been deleted after being determined to be in violation of the ‘Regulations on the Management of Internet User Public Account Information Services.’"

I clicked straight through to those regulations and went over the provisions one by one, and couldn’t see how the deleted post had violated any of them. After 10 years working in news and communications, I’m well aware that writing must be truthful. The content of that January 8 post had also appeared in several official media reports. I’d seen the news reports from official media, and been deeply moved because they reflected what my family and several friends have been through. I didn’t even start writing until I’d done thorough interviews with relatives and friends who’d had similar experiences!

Because the post dealt with people’s livelihoods, after diligently conducting those interviews, I was especially cautious when I wrote it up: looking at every angle, considering what I could and couldn’t write, and how to express the plight of ordinary people at the grassroots level without violating regulations, all while praising national policies that benefit the people and promoting positive energy, and so on.

In just three days, my diligently, rigorously composed text was read 13,000 times and received more than 100 Likes—how could they think it broke the rules? I consulted several respected members of the Writers’ Association and a number of big-name WeChat bloggers, and even asked Doubao [Bytedance’s LLM chatbot]. I got all kinds of responses, but none of the reasons people suggested seemed to apply to this case.

Naturally, Doubao said that if I felt I’d been wronged, and thought that the platform had erred in deleting the post, I could file an appeal. I thought about it, but I’d basically just hammered it out to kill time one evening, and the deletion of a single post doesn’t really affect me personally, so it didn’t seem worth the hassle of appealing.

But my failure to get to the bottom of it kept gnawing at me. Suddenly I remembered an online propaganda training course I’d taken part in last November. One of the sessions had been on online public opinion management. The instructor had years of experience in the field, and was currently serving as a senior Cyberspace Administration official. So I dug up his WeChat details and asked for his advice.

His reply was reassuring. Taking another look at Doubao’s response, I finally saw why they might have felt the post broke the rules. First, I’d embedded a video from state media without permission. Secondly, the post may have contained a small number of sensitive words that triggered a false alarm. Below, I’ve pasted the online public opinion instructor’s WeChat reply and Doubao’s response. I think you’ll find them illuminating.

Teacher, hello! I posted this article nearly a week ago. I’ve been in communications for nearly ten years so I’m pretty familiar with online public-opinion norms. I interviewed several suitable people for the piece, and did some research into the relevant policies and regulations. In writing it, I chose my words carefully, kept a positive tone, and stuck to the facts. So why would the platform delete it a week later?

I feel that the article handled the issue with very positive energy, offering constructive criticism. I chose an angle favorable to the state, and there was no defamatory content or improper editorializing. Why would the platform say it broke the rules, and delete it?

This topic’s been very sensitive lately.

I see, thank you, [REDACTED]. The platform doesn’t read the content, it just scans it for sensitive words? LOL

Right, they don’t read it, they’re only interested in keywords.

Thank you ????

I’ll write more carefully in the future!

Question to Doubao: Why might WeChat find a factually accurate post on a public account to be in violation of its rules, and delete it?

Doubao’s response:

I completely understand your current feelings of puzzlement and unfairness. I’d also feel upset and confused if I were in your shoes, and something I’d written had been taken down despite being clearly accurate.

Even "factually accurate" posts on WeChat public accounts can be taken down if they cross "hidden red lines" that aren’t explicitly stated in the platform rules or legal regulations. Here are a few possibilities based on WeChat platform standards and common causes for deletion:

1. Content moderation error

Sensitive words or gray-area phrasing: some apparently objective content, even if it’s factually correct, can trigger automatic censorship systems if it touches on sensitive areas such as politics, societal incidents, historic figures, etc., or if it uses what platform algorithms consider "high-risk terms" such as euphemisms for designated events or cites controversial data. For instance, interpretation of policies or analysis of social phenomena might easily be deemed to be "inappropriate commentary" if they are not strictly aligned with official messaging.

Insufficient evidence: If the post includes factual statements on matters like reports to authorities, disputes, or data disclosure, it may be classed as potentially misleading "unverified information" if it’s not backed by thorough evidence or official sources such as government announcements or reports from authoritative media.

2. Disparity between platform rules and the law

Advertising and marketing violations: If the post contains product or service endorsements and is not labeled as an ad in accordance with the rules, or if it involves industries that require prior approval such as medical treatments, finance, or education, then it may be penalized for violating "promotional rules" even if the content is accurate.

Copyright and licensing issues: If you use images, data, or quotes from other people without attribution or prior permission from the original source, then even if the content is accurate, your article may be flagged for "rights infringement" and blocked on copyright grounds.

3. Complaints and reports triggering review

Cumulative user reports: If your article touches on controversial topics or the interests of designated groups, it may become a target for user reports. When dealing with a large number of complaints, the platform may use shortcuts such as keyword matching or streamlined manual review that can lead to errors.

Past infractions: If your account has a record of minor violations like post deletions or warnings, this can negatively influence the system’s handling of subsequent matters, leading to harsher penalties.

Recommendations for appeal:

1. Check the violation notice: Look at the "violation record" in your WeChat public account dashboard for the specific reason(s) for the deletion, such as "violated Section X of the WeChat Public Platform Terms of Service," for a clearer explanation of the issue.

2. Prepare materials for appeal: If the judgment was indeed incorrect, you must gather evidence to support your article (such as links to official sources, or supporting screenshots), explain how the content is compliant, and submit this through the platform’s appeals channel, emphasizing that it is factually accurate and does not violate any specific rules or provisions."

3. Revise the wording: If your appeal is unsuccessful, you can try to rephrase sensitive language, add authoritative sourcing, and repost, or contact WeChat’s customer service for a more detailed explanation of the violation.

It’s clear from this that, when posting online, just staying within the laws and regulations isn’t enough: you have to be meticulously careful! Readers, have you had similar experiences? Have your posts been wrongly deleted, too? Let us know in the comments! [Chinese]