China Power

China’s Nationalist Cancel Culture

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China Power | Society | East Asia

China’s Nationalist Cancel Culture

In China, celebrities can be blacklisted in the span of days – or even hours – for perceived offenses against national dignity.

China’s Nationalist Cancel Culture
Credit: Illustration by Catherine Putz

It might be the fiercest example yet of cancel culture.

After three-year-old photos of Zhang Zhehan at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine were dug up by web sleuths, the Chinese actor was dropped by all his commercial sponsors, including Coca-Cola and two Japanese brands, in the span of four hours and was immediately expelled from the entertainment industry by Chinese authorities, including the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

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