China's online influencers are finding it harder than ever to navigate the "red lines": "[Recent state-media] criticisms of Zhang Xuefeng [...are] no different from the Cultural Revolution-era practices of 'criticism for the sake of criticism' and 'elevating all issues to the level of politics.'"

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

China's online influencers are finding it harder than ever to navigate the "red lines": "[Recent state-media] criticisms of Zhang Xuefeng [...are] no different from the Cultural Revolution-era practices of 'criticism for the sake of criticism' and 'elevating all issues to the level of politics.'"

A nostalgic look back at the Chengfu Road (成府路) bookstalls and bookstores of Beijing's university district : chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7214...

Chinese internet users express frustration over the de-platforming of some frugal and very laid-back gamers. One online comment: "You can’t be a slacker, can’t be materialistic, you just have to keep working and grinding away. [...] All we can do is wait until they grind us down to nothing."

“I’m emotionally shellshocked right now,” said one professor in the Texas Tech system. “What does it say about academic freedom? It says we don’t have it.” The professor spoke by phone from the inside of a car to avoid being overheard by colleagues. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...

Chinese internet users express frustration over the de-platforming of some frugal and very laid-back gamers. One online comment: "You can’t be a slacker, can’t be materialistic, you just have to keep working and grinding away. [...] All we can do is wait until they grind us down to nothing."

Update, h/t @cindycarter.bsky.social:

A nostalgic look back at the Chengfu Road (成府路) bookstalls and bookstores of Beijing's university district : chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7214...

Police in China detained a man for comments critical of President Xi Jinping’s military parade, highlighting the ruling Communist Party’s intolerance of dissent. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

CDT's full translation (by @samuelwa.de‬) of a personal essay detailing indie filmmaker Guo Zhenming's interactions with a local cadre after leasing an apartment in Urumqi bsky.app/profile/chin...

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we, the family of Andrew West, confirm his peaceful passing on 10th July 2025. The BabelStone legacy will be continued by colleagues and friends. corp.unicode.org/pipermail/un...

Melissa Chan on the protagonists: "I put everything I learned while reporting in China and thereafter into this work in different ways. [....T]here was far less transposing of our respective identities into the characters and far more our general presence and experiences expressed...in this story."

Badiucao on the novel's visual style: "[Taking back our language] extends to the vocabulary for visual expression. [...F]or me, it is almost an obligation to [...convey] how traditional Chinese forms should not be associated with propaganda, but can actually advocate for freedom."

I highly recommend CDT editor @samuelwa.de's recent interview with Badiucao and Melissa Chan on their graphic novel "You Must Take Part in Revolution":

Interview: @badiucao.bsky.social and @melissakchan.bsky.social on Their Graphic Novel, You Must Take Part in Revolution

We got lots of great questions from @chinadigitaltimes.net, including how we picked the title of our graphic novel, YOU MUST TAKE PART IN REVOLUTION. Here's @badiucao.bsky.social's response. 🔗 Read the full interview here: bit.ly/cdt-revolution

I highly recommend CDT editor @samuelwa.de's recent interview with Badiucao and Melissa Chan on their graphic novel "You Must Take Part in Revolution":

Nut Brother’s Latest Detention Highlights Performance Artists' Precarity

We are now extending the campaign to help fund another crucial item in our budget: translation. Help us keep providing high-quality and timely translations so we can introduce more Chinese voices to the world. This is the most important way we help the world better understand China. Thank you! (2/2)

CDT Quote of the Week: chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/07/onli...

Online Backlash Over “Sexual Nationalism” and Privacy Violations After Dalian Polytechnic University Tries to Expel Student "There’s an implicit equation here: foreign man sleeps with a Chinese woman and then insults her online = humiliation of the Chinese people. It’s classic victim-blaming."

Thanks so much for all the support we have gotten so far. Please help us spread the word!

“This escalation comes amid a tightening censorship regime inside China and dwindling international support for digital rights work due to foreign aid cuts." hongkongfp.com/2025/07/17/c...

Thoughtful piece by my CDT colleague @arthurkaufman.bsky.social‬ about a young woman at risk of being expelled from Dalian Polytechnic for what the university termed “improper contact with a foreigner” that “undermined the national dignity” of China:

We have reached our initial fundraising goal of $10K to fund our server costs. THANK YOU! We are grateful for and awed by all the generous support. (1/2)

The plot has thickened on the Tianshui, Gansu kindergarten lead-poisoning scandal. It seems highly unlikely that the lead was added to the kids' food by cafeteria workers using cheap paint pigments adulterated with lead. chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7194...

Medical officials, humanitarian workers and doctors in Gaza say they have been overwhelmed by almost daily “mass casualty incidents” as they struggle to deal with those wounded by Israeli fire on Palestinians seeking aid at GHF sites www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Great translation by @samuelwa.de of a powerful essay about delivery drivers, caught between the algorithm and traffic surveillance: "Now, even a single wrongful complaint could lead to a red code, lost points, and a ban. [...] Just a QR code coldly deciding whether he can afford to eat tonight."

Done. When I 1st started working on China topics, I'd bemoan the state of Chinese studies by saying that "Anyone who regularly reads @chinadigitaltimes.net 's front page knew more than 90% of "China Watchers". Years later, I realized this said more about how awesome CDT was than anything else.

CDT is hands-down one of the most important public resources available for trying to understand China

If you read this and you care or are curious even the least tiniest bit about China, click through this post and take three minutes to go set up a small recurring monthly donation to CDT. They're a public treasure future generations deserve to have around.

Working at @chinadigitaltimes.net was the highest honor. Though much of CDT's work is archival, it is not a monument to what was. CDT is a future website. It is the only place in the world you can see what a free Chinese internet *will* look like.

"The statistical system is under acute stress at the moment" www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

In recent months, we have lost a significant portion of our funding. Yet we remain committed to helping the world better understand China at this critical juncture in global politics. We are asking for your help to keep our websites up and running. giving.chinadigitaltimes.net/page/serverc...

CDT Quote of the Week: chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/tran...

Translation of Chai Jing Interview With Chinese Civil War Survivor Gao Binghan, Part 2: “War Is Always a Tragedy, Something I Cannot Endorse.”

Thanks to @chinadigitaltimes.net for acknowledging my work in their article on the Net ID system. Concerns about the system are legitimate, but misplaced and too late, because China' "real name system" already effectively killed internet anonymity years ago. chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/righ...

ICE just arrested Brad Lander, the NYC Comptroller and one of the leading candidates for Mayor, without grounds. He was conducting routine immigration court work, escorting individuals from hearings. He asked ICE for their warrant - well within his legal rights. This is political intimidation.

It’s sad to see the dissolution of China Labour Bulletin. Set up by labour activist Han Dongfeng in the wake of Tiananmen. Spoke up for Chinese workers. clb.org.hk/zh-hans/cont...

BREAKING: Judge Breyer orders Trump to return control of the National Guard back to California, saying the call-up was illegal. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

CDT Quote of the Week: chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/tran...

Translations: “What We Commemorate When We Commemorate June 4” "When we commemorate June 4, what we are actually saying is this: We are not one another’s enemies."

👀

Today's banger: youtu.be/m7uk0-vlpP0?... #崔健 #一無所有