Shanghai Deploys Massive Police Force to Block Halloween Activities – What Is the CCP Afraid Of

At the end of October 2023, in Shanghai, young people dressed up as various characters to mock current affairs. (screenshot composite)

October 28, 2024– Halloween is originally a Western holiday where people dress up as various characters for entertainment, and children go door to door for treats, along with the display of various pumpkin decorations. But in China’s largest city, Shanghai, Halloween celebrations have become taboo. This past weekend, Shanghai police patrolled the city’s central streets, cracking down on Halloween celebrations in this relatively most international Chinese city.

Last year’s Halloween in Shanghai saw many young people dressed as characters that sparked association and reflection. Young people used Halloween to release long-held emotions, using role-play to satirize and critique the CCP’s current politics.

According to a report by Reuters on October 28, the Shanghai city government seems to be trying to prevent a repeat of last year’s Halloween revelers flooding into the city center, when people dressed up in costumes to mock China’s stock market, youth unemployment, and strict pandemic policies.

This weekend, Shanghai police were present to suppress, and posts about the crackdown on Halloween activities, along with ongoing rainfall, kept Shanghai’s festivities to a minimum.

Reuters witnesses saw at least six people in costumes appear in Shanghai’s Zhongshan Park last Friday evening, where they were taken away by police.

Although there has been no official citywide ban on Halloween, local district officials issued notices to businesses before the weekend, encouraging family-friendly celebrations and advising adults to refrain from wearing costumes.

The owner of a bar and restaurant in Jing’an District told Reuters on Friday that they were asked to sign an agreement issued by the local government, promising not to organize any events like costume contests “to maintain [so-called] good social order and public image.”

Reuters reviewed a copy of the directive signed by this owner. Jing’an police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The owner said that on Friday night, a partygoer in Jing’an District was detained by police for dressing up, taken to an administrative building, and required to remove their makeup. For privacy reasons, the owner declined to reveal their identity.

By Saturday, news of the Halloween crackdown in Shanghai had become a hot topic on Chinese social media sites, including Weibo.

“Even in relatively open Shanghai, the scale of freedom continues to shrink,” one user posted.

Halloween celebrations at Shanghai Disneyland Resort and Happy Valley Amusement Park, which were officially approved by the CCP, were able to proceed as planned.

A signed commentary article published on the Epoch Times website stated that young people use forms of performance art, such as role-playing and scenario reenactment, to express truths that cannot be posted online—exactly what the CCP fears most.

The article also stated that the main participants in Halloween parties are mostly young people, who are under unprecedented pressure today. Amid various forms of “involution,” many young people have chosen to “lie flat” or “give up,” with some choosing “to burn incense” or make plans to “escape” (emigrate), reflecting the current social situation in China, where individuals see no way forward and the country has no future. Meanwhile, the CCP further restricts freedom of speech while recklessly exploiting people, leaving young people with no place to express their frustration. In today’s atmosphere of despair, the shift from anger to disappointment and from despair to eruption could happen in an instant. The social realities reflected by role-play awaken the public, and only an awakened public can unite, abandon fear, and resist tyranny. This is the reason the CCP police strictly control costume appearances.

Editor: Ye Ziwei