China Digital Times, which archives material censored or likely about to be censored from the Chinese Internet, has published part one of a two-part roundup of the “most notable” material deleted by the state in 2025 (January 4, 2026).
The banned posts are not all obviously political except insofar as everything in China is political. The Chinese Communist Party is touchy about a lot of different things and, perhaps, would prefer that nobody ever had any thoughts of any kind not somehow molded by the dictates of Xi Jinping Thought.
The topics that were subject to the most censorship in 2025 include:
Public safety incidents. “Lead-poisoning of kindergarteners in Tianshui, Gansu province”; “The deadly Wang Fuk Court housing complex fire in Tai Po, Hong Kong”; “The deaths of six mining students who fell into a tank of slurry while visiting a gold mining facility.”
Nepotism, privilege, bullying. “The school bullying incident in Jiangyou, Sichuan province that resulted in mass protests in support of the bullied schoolgirl and her family”; “The Peking Union Medical College ‘4+4’ scandal [fast-tracking of medical degrees for certain well-connected students] that touched on medical malpractice, extramarital affairs, medical and personal ethics, research and academic fraud, and nepotism and intergenerational privilege.”
Socio-political issues and economic inequality. “ ‘800 Brother,’ the man who set fire to a textile factory that reportedly owed him 800 yuan [$114 USD] in back wages”; “ ‘Credential-Flashing Sister,’ a Mercedes-driving woman in Guangxi who flashed borrowed official credentials to try to intimidate another driver into yielding”; “ ‘Three Major Theories’ that prevailed on Chinese social media this year reflect some of the travails and insecurities afflicting lower-income men: the ‘Unified Theory of Sexual Repression,’ the ‘Laborer Mindset Theory,’ and the ‘Apple vs. Android Theory.’ ”
Miscellaneous. “The heavily promoted release of Chinese blockbuster animated film Ne Zha 2” (a promotional poster for which is shown above); “The demolition of recently built fangcang (temporary field hospitals) in various regions of China”; “Hu Xijin’s criticism of the lack of online freedom of speech”; “The MaskPark Telegram group scandal, in which images and video of women were shared without their consent.”
The above are just a few of the most-censored things from the first half of 2025 as documented by China Digital Times. “Part 2 will follow shortly.”
Also see:
StoptheCCP.org: Most Notable China-Censored Posts of 2025: Part Two
