- 2 days ago
Is China really trying to regulate cosplay? In this video, we explore the growing concerns about government control over cosplay culture, fan expression, and public events. From proposed morality laws to restrictions on clothing, online content, and convention behavior, we examine how China’s policies are shaping the future of cosplay communities across the country.
We also look at how these rules affect cosplayers, photographers, anime fans, and creators, as well as how China’s stance differs from Japan’s more flexible approach. With rising censorship, crackdowns on “immoral” content, and increased surveillance of fan culture, cosplay in China is becoming a hot topic in the global anime community.
If you want to understand the intersection of politics, fandom, fashion, and freedom of expression, this video breaks down everything happening behind the scenes.
We also look at how these rules affect cosplayers, photographers, anime fans, and creators, as well as how China’s stance differs from Japan’s more flexible approach. With rising censorship, crackdowns on “immoral” content, and increased surveillance of fan culture, cosplay in China is becoming a hot topic in the global anime community.
If you want to understand the intersection of politics, fandom, fashion, and freedom of expression, this video breaks down everything happening behind the scenes.
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00:00Let's imagine for a moment a group of young anime fans walking the streets,
00:04dressed in bright costumes of their favorite characters.
00:08In the recent past, such a scene might have gone unnoticed, but today things have changed.
00:13The Chinese government has set its sights on precisely this type of cultural expression.
00:18Under Xi Jinping's leadership, Beijing has intensified ideological and cultural censorship,
00:25using its core socialist values as an excuse to regulate entertainment.
00:29In fact, in 2023, reports circulated of a bill that would punish anyone wearing costumes that hurt national feelings with jail time,
00:39vague wording that many interpret as targeting traditional Japanese costumes and cosplay.
00:45Thus, in practice, costumes and fun have become political issues.
00:50In the words of the authorities, it is a matter of protecting public morals.
00:53For example, at China Joy, the largest video game and anime expo,
00:59the sale and exhibition of many series was banned,
01:02classifying them as media that violates core values and public order and morals.
01:08These cultural censorship rules range from banning any excessive or Japanese-style content
01:13to finding cosplayers who show more than two centimeters of cleavage or wear inappropriate clothing,
01:20demonstrating that even costumes are scrutinized.
01:22In short, the Chinese legal context seeks to sanitize all entertainment,
01:28labeling any fashion or fantasy that does not fit with its national ideology as immoral,
01:34feminized, or ideologically weak.
01:37Concrete examples of this crackdown were not long in coming.
01:41Here are some of the most notorious cases.
01:43Sujo, August 2022.
01:46A young cosplayer was arrested by the police while taking photos on Sujo's Little Tokyo Street.
01:52She was wearing a yukata, Japanese summer kimono,
01:55recreating a manga character, but an officer rebuked her, shouting,
02:00You're wearing a Japanese kimono when you're Chinese.
02:03The police officer warned that if it were Chinese hanfu, he would not have said anything.
02:08But the simple fact of dressing in Japanese style made her a provocateur.
02:12After hours of detention, she was released and her cell phone was confiscated.
02:17This viral episode outraged internet users,
02:21who criticized the fact that even a supposedly harmless costume was perceived as a crime.
02:27Shanghai, October 2023 and 2024.
02:30In recent years, a strict ban on Halloween costumes has been imposed in the center of the metropolis.
02:35In 2023, thousands of young people defied an official announcement and took to the streets in costume,
02:43some even wearing political costumes or satirical references.
02:47Cameras captured dozens of them being arrested by the police.
02:51In 2024, the picture was even clearer.
02:54The authorities strictly prohibited all use of elaborate makeup or strange attire
02:59in public areas and warned bars and clubs that no Halloween decorations would be allowed on Julu Road,
03:05Shanghai's nightlife epicenter.
03:07As one witness summed it up,
03:09Unless the costume is from Disneyland or Happy Valley, nothing is allowed.
03:14Any costume not related to state-owned theme parks was banned.
03:18Even so, many cosplayers moved the party to alternative venues,
03:22such as Zhongshan Park, Hangzhou,
03:25where the police eventually dispersed and arrested them again for the same reason.
03:29Hangzhou, Zhuzhang, October 2024.
03:33As Shanghai intensified its crackdown,
03:35a rumor on social media attracted young people to Hangzhou to celebrate Halloween.
03:40However, the authorities replicated the operation.
03:44Checkpoints on Zhongshan Bai Road confiscated strange costumes
03:48and arrested people participating in the impromptu party.
03:51Social media users shared that cosplayers were threatened
03:54into removing their costumes and makeup,
03:57and some ended up at police stations for disturbing public safety.
04:01Guangzhou, Dongshanku, October 2024.
04:05Similar scenes unfolded in this Southern Arts District.
04:09Young people in cosplay were seen being questioned and detained.
04:12A local resident pointed out that for many,
04:15costumes express social discontent,
04:18and that dissatisfaction can easily turn into protest.
04:22Without hesitation, the authorities admit
04:24that the government fears these spontaneous gatherings in costume
04:28more than anything else,
04:30judging them to be sensitive because they allude to current issues.
04:34Even the anniversary of former Prime Minister Li Keqiang
04:36became an opportunity.
04:38Cosplay photos alluding to protests filled the streets,
04:42accelerating preventive repression,
04:45canceled events and conventions.
04:46It is not only street parties that suffer from censorship.
04:50In 2024, the Qingdao Comic Con, February,
04:54and the Zeebo, Shandong, convention were abruptly canceled.
04:58The organizers cited security concerns,
05:01but the independent press points to official pressure
05:03following campaigns against the promotion of Japanese and Western culture.
05:08In all these cases, political intervention was the common thread.
05:11According to Chinascope, several manga, anime, and video game expos,
05:17including one by Miho Yeo in the summer of 2024,
05:21were canceled due to fears of foreign culture.
05:24In another example, ChinaJoy 2025,
05:27China's largest digital event,
05:29displayed a blacklist of anime.
05:31Death Note, Devil May Cry,
05:34High School of the Dead, Parasite, etc.
05:36were banned for being considered contrary to public morality.
05:39The official argument for banning the display or sale of any merchandise related to these titles
05:45was to prevent the dissemination of content that violates core values,
05:50public order, and morality.
05:52Public dress regulations.
05:54More subtly, local police have imposed rules against what they consider inappropriate attire.
05:59For example, at events such as China Joy,
06:03a low neckline,
06:05more than two centimeters,
06:06or low-rise clothing could cost a cosplayer a fine of hundreds of dollars.
06:10On the streets, as we have seen,
06:13costumes are only tolerated in highly controlled contexts,
06:16Shanghai, Disneyland,
06:18peaceful theme parks,
06:19while an urban center's any artistic makeup must be removed immediately.
06:24Bars and cafes have been ordered to turn off their fantasy decorations completely.
06:28There must be no Halloween activities,
06:31no decorations,
06:33and no people in weird costumes,
06:35or we will close your bars.
06:36Online platforms.
06:38Censorship has also reached the virtual world.
06:41Chinese authorities have instructed tech giants,
06:44Weibo,
06:45Xiaohongshu,
06:46Douyin,
06:46and even Bilibili,
06:48to remove revolutionary content related to cosplay and pop culture.
06:53According to Time,
06:54the Censorship Commission ordered these apps to delete posts of Halloween costumes that violate socialist values.
07:02Several cosplay creators and streamers have had their accounts penalized or have been forced to self-censor,
07:08as they know that any reference to Japanese anime could cost them their accounts.
07:13In short,
07:14from theme parks to internet forums,
07:16nothing escapes scrutiny.
07:18Each example reveals how the simple hobby of dressing up as manga characters has become a matter of national security for the state.
07:26Faced with this offensive,
07:28the Chinese otaku community has had to adapt and,
07:32in many cases,
07:33protect itself.
07:34The scale of the phenomenon is enormous.
07:36It is estimated that fans of anime,
07:39manga,
07:40and games,
07:41ACG,
07:42in China grew from around 212 million in 2017 to more than 500 million in 2024.
07:48For half of them,
07:49young people aged 18 to 24.
07:52Cosplay is much more than a hobby.
07:55It is a way of expressing their personality and aesthetic taste.
07:59This massive community was valued at more than $12 billion in 2025 thanks to the proliferation of online stores.
08:06Events,
08:07and even professional influencers dedicated to the art of costume design.
08:12However,
08:13under growing pressure,
08:14many fans are opting for self-censorship.
08:17Closed social networks,
08:18private groups,
08:19and encrypted chats are becoming popular among them.
08:22Some cosplayers avoid posting elaborate selfies on official platforms,
08:27preferring to exchange tips and photos on forums moderated only by fans.
08:32For example,
08:33following the arrest in Shanghai,
08:35there was talk on WeChat that fans would organize discrete gatherings in homes or studios instead of crowded squares.
08:43Others practice patriotic cosplay.
08:46They incorporate traditional Chinese elements into their anime costumes to appear more respectful.
08:52It is not uncommon to see trending topics mixing hanfu with animated characters,
08:58attempting to avoid the label of Japanese costume.
09:01A digital exodus is also evident.
09:04Officially banned series and comics now circulate via VPNs and account abroad.
09:09Platforms such as Bilibili,
09:11perhaps the largest video forum for young people in China,
09:15are seeing anime material quickly removed or labeled,
09:18which has led some users to share links with friends or post content on foreign platforms privately.
09:24Although these strategies do not appear in official censuses,
09:27the feeling is that the fandom is choosing to protect itself in less monitored areas.
09:34On a social level,
09:35there is a certain amount of frustration.
09:37Many young people feel that a part of their urban cultural identity has been taken away from them.
09:43A student in Shanghai wrote,
09:45How am I supposed to celebrate a party if I can't wear my cosplay?
09:49It's like they're taking away our language.
09:52However,
09:53the state's response is unwavering.
09:56For them,
09:56there are permissible limits defined by official morality.
10:00The official narrative insists on presenting cosplay as a decadent,
10:04excessively Japanese,
10:06and therefore potentially subversive fashion.
10:09State media question
10:11why young people idolize foreign characters
10:14and criticize feminine makeup styles
10:16or revealing costumes as signs of ideological instability.
10:21The recently proposed law,
10:23which literally mentions kimonas alongside cosplay,
10:27highlights this bias.
10:28Where in traditional Chinese clothing,
10:30hanfu would never be a problem,
10:33commented a professor on social media.
10:35But any costume reminiscent of Japan is viewed with suspicion.
10:39On the contrary,
10:40cosplayers and enthusiasts defend their activity as art and a harmless hobby.
10:45As an Asian news analyst described,
10:47this generation has grown up in a period of prosperity and abundance.
10:51So it feels a strong love for its traditional national identity.
10:55At the same time,
10:56it also shows an affinity for global pop culture.
11:00For them,
11:01cosplay is not a political challenge,
11:03but a means of creative expression.
11:05In fact,
11:06the common perception within these circles
11:08is that transforming into fictional characters strengthens values such as friendship,
11:13effort,
11:14and healthy fantasy,
11:16far removed from any real threat.
11:18This contrast is clear in the police's testimony.
11:21The officers themselves admit that many young people see dressing up as a form of protest or joke,
11:28sometimes even with costumes of political icons,
11:30and that is what terrified the government the most.
11:33Communist Party leaders then interpret any cosplay gathering as a possible seed of dissent.
11:40But for fans,
11:41it is something completely depoliticized.
11:43One of them summed it up,
11:44I'm just following the fashion of the anime I like.
11:47I don't know anything about politics.
11:49Both sides speak different cultural languages.
11:52The official one,
11:54that of stability and national unity.
11:56The young one,
11:57that of personal identity and global entertainment.
12:00In this tense scenario,
12:02the future of cosplay in China is uncertain.
12:05On the one hand,
12:06repression could push many fans
12:08to permanently migrate their interests to more private settings
12:11or even abandon this hobby in public.
12:14Large conventions could continue to be postponed or scaled back,
12:18and descriptions on social media will have to use new euphemisms to avoid censorship.
12:23Some creators are already thinking about dressing up as neutral or official characters.
12:29Comic spoofs of historical Chinese figures, for example,
12:33so as not to attract attention.
12:35On the other hand,
12:36there is a possibility that these restrictions could unexpectedly reshape cosplay.
12:40Perhaps we will see a more conscious fusion with patriotic elements,
12:45cosplays of Chinese folklore heroes,
12:48or local versions of animated heroes.
12:50In a way,
12:51the government itself promotes cultural pride through hanfu,
12:55so it is plausible that a hybrid trend,
12:57anime plus traditional clothing,
12:59will emerge.
13:00Of course,
13:01this path would compromise the original essence of cosplay,
13:06the genuine celebration of Japanese and global fantasy.
13:09The truth is that,
13:11beyond the legal battles,
13:13the desire to fantasize is still alive among young Chinese people.
13:17Cosplay represents a way to dream and belong to a community.
13:22With each new restriction,
13:24voices arise questioning the extent to which the state can dictate personal imagination.
13:30The outcome will depend on whether the fandom finds creative ways to circumvent these obstacles,
13:35whether by reinforcing their passion in private circles,
13:39adapting with permitted symbols,
13:41or,
13:42why not,
13:43cleverly mobilizing the censorship itself,
13:45as happened in Shanghai,
13:47when confronting the band became an artistic performance of protest.
13:51Ultimately,
13:52the future of cosplay in China
13:53is being debated between official repression and youthful resilience.
13:57Will fantasy flourish under the cloak of censorship,
14:01or will restrictions stifle this gigantic cultural movement?
14:06Only time will tell,
14:07but new chapter is undoubtedly being written in the global history of anime and cosplay,
14:13with China at the center of an unprecedented controversy.
14:16For more information,
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