Shanghai Tightens Control Over Halloween, Bans "Cosplay"

At the end of October 2023, during Halloween in Shanghai, young people dressed up in various costumes to satirize current events. (Screenshot compilation)

October 19, 2024 – As Halloween approaches, the Shanghai police have upgraded their security measures, with reports suggesting that authorities will ban "cosplayers" on the day. Last year’s Halloween in Shanghai saw many satirical costumes, including depictions of Winnie the Pooh to mock Xi Jinping.

Radio Free Asia reported on October 18 that Shanghai police have intensified security measures ahead of Halloween, particularly in the Huangpu District, strictly controlling Halloween-related costumes and elements.

An internal notice from a neighborhood committee in Huangpu District mentioned that the police have requested that cosplayers be banned from appearing on Halloween. If discovered, they will be immediately stopped and dealt with.

Many young Chinese netizens have been discussing Halloween celebrations in Shanghai on social media.

A resident of Huangpu District, Ms. Ma, told Radio Free Asia that the police had already issued an internal notice: "Shanghai has already issued a notice in advance, banning various costumes, such as bats and skeletons. Costumes that appear frightening are not allowed. The notice states that costume wearers should first be advised to stop, and if they don't comply, force will be used." (See extended reading: "Evening News: Shanghai Halloween Recreates Sensitive Events in China")

It is reported that this year, the police will adopt the principle of "whoever finds, escorts; whoever finds, removes makeup," ensuring that no violations of costume regulations occur in public areas.

Additionally, both online and offline Halloween promotional activities have been strictly restricted, with a clear ban on using the term "Halloween" and associated elements.

Ms. Ma commented, "There is increasingly tighter control over ideology, but young people tend to have a rebellious mindset. The more you restrict them, the more they want to try it."

The report noted that the CCP is currently intensifying social management and control of online discourse, with many Western cultural festivals or activities coming under stricter supervision and restrictions. Halloween’s regulation reflects this trend.

Under the CCP's severe crackdown on free speech, Chinese citizens rarely criticize government policies openly. However, last year’s Halloween in Shanghai saw an unusual display of "freedom of expression" despite the presence of police. Young people gathered in areas like Julu Road, wearing various creative costumes. Some wore models of surveillance cameras on their heads, clearly referencing the CCP’s pervasive surveillance system. Others dressed as battered tech workers, symbolizing the collapsing tech industry. Some held signs reading "Though far, we will punish," impersonating Wu Jing, mocking the CCP’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy.

One person dressed as Winnie the Pooh danced, and another wore an emperor’s outfit, clearly mocking Xi Jinping.

Due to the dismal performance of the Chinese stock market, someone carried a banner with the Shanghai Stock Index and a bundle of "leeks," a symbol mocking the government's exploitation of small investors. Others dressed as characters from the Cultural Revolution-era film Farewell My Concubine, with one character, Cheng Dieyi, wearing a sign that read "Down with Cheng Dieyi."

A young person even portrayed "Lu Xun," delivering speeches on the street, encouraging young people to speak out until the police chased him away.

In one video, two people dressed as "Big Whites" (the pandemic enforcers during the lockdowns) were escorted away by police. Some participants had pieces of white paper attached to their clothing, a reference to the "White Paper Movement" protests from the previous year.

On November 24, 2022, a fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in the Jixiangyuan residential area resulted in 10 deaths and 9 injuries. By the end of November 2022, Shanghai saw historic protests against strict "zero-COVID" measures. On Urumqi Middle Road in Shanghai, angry crowds chanted slogans like "Xi Jinping step down" and "Communist Party step down." These protests quickly spread to other cities and were later seen as a trigger for the CCP’s sudden decision to cancel its strict COVID policies in December of that year.

Editor: Ning Feng