CDT’s “404 Deleted Content Archive” Summary for January 2026, Part Three

CDT presents a month-to-month sequence of censored content material that has been added to our “404 Deleted Content material Archive.” Every month, we publish a abstract of content material blocked or deleted (typically yielding the message “404: content material not discovered”) from Chinese language platforms comparable to WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok’s counterpart within the Chinese language market), Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, Zhihu, Douban, and others. Though this content material archived by CDT Chinese language editors represents solely a small fraction of the net content material that disappears every day from the Chinese language web, it supplies helpful perception into which matters are thought-about “delicate” over time by the Get together-state, our on-line world authorities, and platform censors. Our totally searchable Chinese language-language “404 Deleted Content material Archive,” at present incorporates 2,397 deleted articles, essays, and different items of content material. The entry for every deleted merchandise consists of the creator/social media account identify, the unique publishing platform, the subject material, the date of deletion, and extra data.

Beneath is Half Three of CDT’s abstract of deleted content material from January 2026. (Half One included 21 deleted articles; Half Two, 19 articles; and Half Three, 15 articles.) Between January 1-31, CDT Chinese language added 55 new articles, largely from WeChat, to the archive. Matters focused for deletion in January included:

• Maduro and Venezuela: Chinese language reactions to the U.S. seize of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse by U.S. forces; Chinese language and worldwide media protection of Venezuela; and what current occasions could imply for Sino-Venezuelan relations.

• Hebei’s rural heating disaster: Many aged and rural residents in Hebei, braving subzero temperatures, have been unable afford to pay for heating this winter as a result of a mixture of hovering power costs, plummeting natural-gas subsidies, and strict bans on the burning of “free coal” following that area’s “coal-to-gas” conversion that launched in 2017. (This was one of the vital censored on-line matters in January: 16 of CDT’s 55 archived articles final month involved Hebei’s power woes.)

• Sharp birthrate decline: China’s annual birthrate fell beneath eight million in 2025, a file low, fueling on-line dialogue about demographics, pro-natalist authorities insurance policies, and the “interval police.”

• Jia Guolong and Luo Yonghao spat: An acrimonious public dispute between influencer Luo Yonghao and Xibei restaurant chain founder Jia Guolong culminated in each of their Weibo accounts being suspended.

• Gender double requirements and misogyny: There have been a number of posts on sexism and double requirements in society, and public outcry over a controversial resolution to not prosecute a rape case in Heshun county, Shanxi province, as a result of the person concerned was “motivated by the need to start out a household” with a mentally unwell lady.

• On-line influencer “Lao A”: After rising to fame for coining the phrase “kill line” to explain poverty and homelessness within the U.S., Lao A continued to generate controversy over his misogynistic statements about Chinese language girls who dwell or examine overseas.

• Complaints about bare artwork: Stories of complaints a few nude statue of Yang Guifei rising from her tub resulted in a flood of memes and outrageous vogue recommendations about dress her nudity.

• The way forward for Iran: A blogger contemplated the potential for regime change in Iran as diplomatic stress mounts.

• Generational variations: An article requested which technology had it worse—the “Put up-80s,” “Put up-90s,” or “Put up-00s”?

(Be aware that the dates within the abstract beneath consult with when an article was printed on the CDT web site, not when it was deleted from Chinese language social-media platforms.)

41. “What Was 2025 Like for Employees Enduring Excessive Climate Situations?” WeChat account Foodthink
January 20

This piece, republished by a WeChat weblog centered on sustainable meals and agriculture, reproduces chapter 13 (“The Local weather Disaster and Industrial Security Accidents: The Price of Inequality”) of “A Overview of Labor Rights Incidents in 2025,” a year-end report compiled by a volunteer group of labor-rights activists. It makes a compelling case that the burdens of local weather change fall disproportionately on outside and gig staff comparable to supply riders, sanitation staff, and safety guards, who lack sufficient office and labor protections. The authors of the piece reveal systemic failures that culminated in deaths and accidents such because the July heatstroke deaths of a supply rider in Xinyang, Henan; a landscaping employee in Shenyang, Liaoning; a dormitory supervisor at Qingdao College; and a safety guard in Xi’an. The report additionally mentions the case of a person who turned a web based hero (however was chided by railway authorities) after smashing the window of a stalled, sweltering prepare to avoid wasting fellow passengers from heatstroke. Lastly, the piece discusses efforts by labor-rights activists to enhance enforcement of present law-labor protections, elevate employee consciousness of their rights, and defend staff throughout excessive climate situations.

42. “Why Did Zhai Zhenwu’s Prediction That ‘Introducing a Two-Youngster Coverage Will Result in a Child Increase of 49.95 Million Births in One Yr’ Fail to Materialize?” by Su Ze 2024, WeChat account Su Ze’s Notes on Literature and Historical past
January 20

This text from humanities blogger Su Ze revisits demographer and China Inhabitants Affiliation president Zhai Zhenwu’s spectacularly inaccurate 2014 prediction that stress-free the one-child coverage would lead to an enormous child growth, which Zhai estimated would peak at practically 50 million births per 12 months. (Demographic knowledge launched by China’s Nationwide Bureau of Statistics in January revealed that in 2025, China’s inhabitants fell for a fourth consecutive 12 months, and the annual birthrate plummeted to beneath eight million, roughly the identical stage as in 1738, when China’s inhabitants was solely about 150 million.) In analyzing why Zhai’s prediction did not materialize, Su Ze enumerates the numerous faults of Zhai’s evaluation: counting on outdated or flawed survey materials; failing to take note of exterior components such because the excessive value of dwelling and the expense of elevating and educating youngsters; and wildly overestimating the effectiveness of presidency coverage in shaping reproductive selections.

43. “‘Let’s Change the Topic, Shall We?’ Is Destroying Home AI,” by Hereditary Researcher, WeChat account 小干体 (Xiǎo gān tǐ, “Junior Bureaucratese”)
January 20

This text, from a former investigative journalist who now focuses on writing household memoirs, argues that DeepSeek and different Chinese language LLMs have been stunted by politically-driven censorship that now peppers even barely delicate conversations with the annoying suggestion, “Let’s change the topic, lets?” The creator traces DeepSeek’s speedy rise and fall: after making world headlines in January 2025 and briefly rattling Nvidia’s inventory valuation, DeepSeek’s consumer base plummeted as its growing evasiveness on contested matters led many customers to dismiss it as ineffective. The creator likens these restrictions on home AI to China’s closely censored media panorama, and argues that each are doomed by the identical imposed lack of ability to debate hot-button social points or interact truthfully with actuality. In a humorous conclusion, the creator describes asking Douyin’s AI assistant Doubao about these points: it eagerly critiqued DeepSeek’s censorship drawback intimately, apparently with out recognizing that it suffers from the identical flaw.

44. “Deadbeat Native PSB Beneath Courtroom Order to Prohibit Spending Till Debt Is Paid” WeChat account New Yellow River
January 20

An extended article a few authorized dispute between a personal know-how firm (Tianjin Tiandi Weiye Applied sciences) and Tianjin’s Binhai New Space Public Safety Bureau (PSB) about non-payment for 2 authorities procurement initiatives that the tech firm furnished to the native PSB: a video surveillance system and a traffic-camera upkeep mission. Though a courtroom in Tianjin has dominated in Tiandi Weiye’s favor and ordered the native PSB to limit spending till the debt is paid, the corporate remains to be awaiting cost. (Tianjin Tiandi Weiye Applied sciences was positioned on an export management “blacklist” by the U.S. Commerce Division in December 2022 for its function in facilitating the repression and surveillance of Uyghurs and different Muslim minority teams in Xinjiang.)

45. “Viral Enchantment from Lanxi County, Heilongjiang Province, Asks Public to ‘Voluntarily’ Donate a Day’s Wages to Needy Authorities Workers,” by Li Yuchen, WeChat account Li Yuchen
January 22

Alleged screenshots of a authorities charity-federation drive within the county of Lanxi, Heilongjiang province, calling on residents to “voluntarily donate” a day’s wages to assist struggling authorities staff attracted widespread mockery and criticism on-line. Blogger Li Yuchen is important of the high-pressure nature of the enchantment, in addition to the distribution scheme, wherein supposedly “needy” authorities workers with job safety, social insurance coverage, and housing stipends would obtain 2,000 yuan every, whereas really impoverished rural and concrete residents would obtain only one,000 yuan every. Li describes this as “draining the lifeblood of the poor to transfuse the wealthy.” Li concludes by reminding readers that the viral doc has not been confirmed to be genuine, but when it isn’t, it might be sensible for Lanxi county authorities to difficulty a denial shortly, earlier than it does lasting harm to the native authorities and the charity federation’s credibility.

46. “Shanxi Heshun County Procuratorate: Rape with the Intent of Forming a Household Is Not a Crime,” by Li Yuchen, WeChat account Li Yuchen
January 25

Certainly one of 4 deleted items on this subject archived by CDT in January, this text excoriates prosecutors in Heshun county, Shanxi province, who declined to pursue rape fees towards a person surnamed Zhang who “took in” Bu Xiaohua, a younger lady affected by schizophrenia, lived along with her in a distant mountain village for over a decade, and fathered her youngsters, at the least one among whom was reportedly bought for adoption. Even supposing beneath Chinese language legislation, Ms. Bu’s psychological sickness precludes her from with the ability to consent to sexual relations on the grounds that she “lacks a capability for sexual self-defense,” prosecutors pointed to Mr. Zhang’s “intent to kind a household” with Ms. Bu as proof that his actions didn’t represent rape. This information sparked huge public outrage in China, with many authorized consultants and anti-trafficking activists weighing in on the damaging implications of the prosecutors’ inaction in an period of more and more intrusive pro-natalist insurance policies and propaganda. The subject has additionally been the goal of on-line censorship: a Weibo hashtag about Ms. Bu was censored after being seen greater than 160 million occasions. (Ms. Bu, who holds a grasp’s diploma in engineering and was thought-about lacking for 13 years by her household, has since been reunited along with her brother and sister-in-law and is reportedly receiving medical and psychological therapy. Prosecutors in Heshun, after declining to prosecute Zhang, charged two different village males with raping Ms. Bu whereas Zhang was both drunk or absent.)

Li Yuchen’s prolonged article describes Ms. Bu’s harrowing ordeal, criticizes the varied people who have been complicit in mistreating and exploiting her, and tears aside the deceptive and euphemistic language utilized by prosecutors to justify their resolution to not prosecute Zhang: “concerned in a secure cohabitation,” “with the intent to kind a household,” “brought about negligible hurt,” and “basic distinction from rape.” Li concludes by sounding the alarm about what this case portends:

If at the moment, they refuse to prosecute rape when it’s dedicated “with the intent to kind a household,” what crimes will they determine to let slide tomorrow beneath different auspices?

When the rule of the legislation might be arbitrarily expanded or contracted, when the road between guilt and innocence might be blurred by just a few alternative euphemisms, none of us can really really feel secure.

When illiterates espouse atavistic views dismissing girls’s autonomy, we are able to name it ignorance, however when those self same views are written in black and white on an official judicial doc, we should name it what it’s: the dying of the rule of legislation. [Chinese]

47. “The Price of ‘Elementary Distinction’: How the Heshun Case Undermines the Authorized Definition of Rape,” by Yan Senlin, WeChat account 吾我五木 (Wú wǒ wǔ mù)
January 25

This text features a broadly cited authorized commentary on the Heshun case by lawyer Yan Senlin, who submitted requests for data disclosure on the case. Yan briefly recounts the background of the case, critiques related sections of the Chinese language felony code, analyzes the authorized reasoning behind the choice by Heshun prosecutors to not cost defendant Zhang with rape, and discusses the implications of that call and what kind of precedent it’ll set. A piece by SCMP’s Meredith Chen cites Yan’s commentary on the case:

The rationale despatched a troubling sign because it successfully “redrew the boundary of what constitutes rape”, mentioned Yan Senlin, a Chengdu-based lawyer.

“Safety beneath felony legislation for ladies with psychological disabilities is quietly shifting away from whether or not they have the capability to present sexual consent in the direction of whether or not they have been ‘effectively handled’ or positioned inside a household relationship,” Yan mentioned in an article posted on social media final month. The put up was later taken down.

In apply, this created a authorized loophole that endangered girls with psychological disabilities, a gaggle already extraordinarily weak, Yan mentioned, including that when such an interpretation turned entrenched, “the potential systemic dangers and long-term penalties are tough to overstate”. [Source]

48. “Why Did Harvard’s Jin Keyu Select to Be With an Indebted Businessman With 9 Youngsters?” WeChat account IrisInTheSky
January 26

This gossipy article discusses a viral scandal surrounding Jin Keyu, the Harvard-educated economist and Hong Kong College of Science and Expertise professor of finance. It facilities on her romantic relationship with Yu Haijun, a Zhejiang auto-industry tycoon described as a rough-edged entrepreneur who reportedly has 9 youngsters throughout a number of relationships. The article additionally mentions Yu’s monetary woes, which embody the chapter of his firm and court-ordered limits on his spending. The piece additionally mentions former Harvard president Lawrence Summers, who reportedly emailed Jeffrey Epstein round 2018 asking for recommendation on pursue Jin, however there is no such thing as a proof that Jin reciprocated in any means. The creator means that the sensible and completed Jin deserves a extra worthy romantic associate, but in addition acknowledges that Jin’s personal life shouldn’t be used to dismiss her real educational {and professional} achievements.

49. “The Infantilization of Political Life,” by 宪举同学 (Xiànjǔ tóngxué, “Constitutionalist classmate”), WeChat account 黔有虎 (Qián yǒu hǔ, “Guizhou has tigers”)
January 27

The creator of this piece argues that Chinese language political life is turning into more and more “infantilized,” as illustrated by current movies of younger native Folks’s Congress delegates giving obsequious interviews in an exaggerated, sing-song cadence harking back to elementary college student-council members. The creator compares this to “neoteny,” or the preservation of juvenile traits in sure animals. A lot as grownup cats retain the kittenhood behavior of meowing to extract favor from their people, the creator writes, so have these delegates internalized the lesson that childlike deference and flattery is the trail to reward and safety inside the political system. The piece concludes sardonically with the phrase “meow.”

50. “In Suihua Metropolis, Heilongjiang, 2,000 Yuan Reduction for Needy Authorities Workers, However Just one,000 Yuan for the Struggling Plenty,” by Li Yuchen, WeChat account Li Yuchen
January 27

Blogger Li Yuchen writes about receiving a barrage of phone calls from unfamiliar numbers within the metropolis of Suihua in Heilongjiang province after publishing a put up (see article #45) criticizing a charity enchantment there to help “needy” authorities workers. Undeterred by these intimidating calls, Li digs additional into the previous actions of a government-affiliated charitable basis in Suihua, and discovers that whereas associated paperwork from 2023-2026 had been posted on-line, they started shortly disappearing. Li, in fact, consists of in depth screenshots of the paperwork for the good thing about readers. Noting the extortionate tone of the charity enchantment, and the truth that it clearly advantages authorities workers over impoverished residents, he concludes: “This isn’t charity; it’s thuggery.”

51. “The Case of the Feminine Grasp’s Diploma-Holder in Shanxi Reveals a Society That Makes Me Wish to Vomit,” Tang Yishui, WeChat account Tang Yishui
January 27

This text highlights the obvious contradiction of Heshun county prosecutors’ resolution to cost two village males for raping Ms. Bu—prosecutors cited Bu’s analysis of schizophrenia and “lack of capability for sexual self-defense”—whereas declining to cost Zhang, the person with whom she lived and who fathered her youngsters, as a result of their lengthy cohabitation. The creator argues that this end result makes no authorized sense, for it primarily rewards long-term perpetrators who search to legitimize their crimes with the passage of time and excuses comparable to “wanting to start out a household” or “providing shelter” to a lady. The piece condemns not solely overt violence but in addition societal complicity and the glib institutional indifference that rationalizes any variety of crimes towards girls and youngsters. (The article particularly mentions the best way the courtroom referred to the sale of one among Ms. Bu’s youngsters for 40,000 yuan as an “casual adoption as a result of poverty.”) “Whereas we’ve been having on-line arguments about whether or not feminism has ‘gone too far’ lately,” writes the creator, “in the actual world, a whole village has been condoning and tacitly colluding in what is basically trafficking, molestation, and rape.”

52. “Which Era Has It Worst: The Put up-80s, Put up-90s, or Put up-00s?” by 捉刀漫谈max (Zhuōdāo màntán max, “Ghostwriter ramblings max”), WeChat account 捉刀时间max (Zhuōdāo shíjiān max, “Ghostwriting time max”)
January 28

This text compares the fates of three Chinese language generations and argues that every has suffered in distinct methods as China’s period of fast-paced financial development attracts to an finish. These born within the 80s caught the tail finish of the financial growth and benefitted from globalization and rising property values, however they’re now burdened by heavy mortgages, getting older dad and mom, and collapsing middle-class aspirations. These born within the 90s entered an already saturated job market and needed to deal with cut-throat competitors, unstable employment, client debt, and fewer alternatives for upward mobility. Lastly, the technology born after the 12 months 2000 face low financial development, a stagnant job market, and entrenched class stratification, depriving them of both a way of function or materials wealth. The creator concludes that the actual intergenerational “winners” are the entrenched elite who managed to extract worth from every wave of younger individuals in flip.

An illustration depicting the doorways open to the post-80s, post-90s, and post-00 generations, respectively. (supply: WeChat account 捉刀时间max)

53. “They Put the Screws on Li Ka-shing, however Misplaced the Ports Anyway …” by Hereditary Researcher, WeChat account 家传老干体 (Jiāchuán lǎogāntǐ, “Hereditary Bureaucratese”)
January 30

This text discusses the collapse of Hong Kong billionaire property magnate Li Ka-shing‘s deal to promote two Panama Canal ports, operated by a subsidiary of Li’s conglomerate C.Okay. Hutchison Holdings, after Panama’s Supreme Courtroom dominated the working contracts unconstitutional on January 29. The creator argues that Chinese language state media’s long-running and bellicose marketing campaign to dam the sale and paint Li as unpatriotic backfired spectacularly. In the long run, it could have prompted the U.S. to stress Panama to revoke the contracts, quite than enable a Chinese language state-owned enterprise like COSCO to take them over. The creator humorously means that Li could have really benefited from the result, because the unilateral contract cancellation entitles him to compensation and relieves him of a geopolitically poisonous asset he wished to dump anyway. The piece closes by praising Li’s legendary pragmatism and foresight. (Observe-up information: In late February, Hong Kong lodged a proper grievance with Panama after the Panamanian authorities took management of the 2 ports. A couple of days later, Panamanian authorities raided the workplace of the C.Okay. Hutchison subsidiary that had operated the 2 ports.)

54. “Lao A’s Schizophrenic Misogyny: Chinese language Male Change College students Courting Overseas Girls Convey ‘Glory’ to Our Nation, however Chinese language Feminine Worldwide College students Courting Overseas Males Are ‘Traitorous and Promiscuous,’” by Wang Wu, WeChat account Postmodern Philosophy
January 31

Philosophy blogger Wang Wu discusses the “schizophrenic misogyny” of on-line influencer Lao A, who rose to fame for coining the phrase “kill line” to explain poverty and homelessness within the U.S. (whereas ignoring struggling nearer to house). Lao A continues to fire up controversy with virulent double requirements hailing Chinese language male college students who sleep with overseas girls as nationwide heroes, whereas lobbing sexist insults at Chinese language feminine college students who date overseas males. The creator mocks Lao A’s weird ideology as “seminal capitalism” and “ejaculatory chauvinism,” and notes that Lao A appears to view girls’s our bodies as territorial sources in a zero-sum geopolitical contest, quite than recognizing girls as autonomous human beings with their very own wishes and company. Drawing on psychoanalytic principle, the creator dissects Lao A’s obsession with “conquering” overseas girls and posits that his true fixation just isn’t on girls in any respect, however on a symbolic battle with overseas males. The piece concludes that this ideology is manufacturing a complete cohort of hypernationalist incels, and that nationalist discourse is devolving right into a miasma of cuckolding anxiousness and reproductive fantasy.

55. “The Grim Actuality Behind Choice To not Pursue Rape Costs in Case of the Trafficked Grasp’s Diploma Holder,” by Mei Xue, WeChat account Aquarius Period
January 31

This investigative report from freelance journalism collective Aquarius Period provides much more element about Bu Xiaohua’s life, the abuse and trafficking she endured, the seemingly crimes towards her and her youngsters that stay unprosecuted, and concerning the chance of many comparable circumstances nationwide. The article quotes lawyer Yan Senlin describing the authorized resolution in Bu’s case as emblematic of a wider systemic failure wherein the state depends on personal people to look after these with psychological disabilities, successfully outsourcing welfare obligations whereas ignoring the systematic abuse that inevitably follows. The investigation revealed that native authorities, together with police and poverty alleviation officers, have been conscious of Bu’s presence and situation for years, but they facilitated her native family registration as an alternative of organizing her rescue. The creator argues that the Chinese language authorized system suffers from a harmful paternalism, the place “kind-hearted adoption” narratives are ceaselessly used to masks human trafficking and sexual exploitation. By failing to implement necessary reporting methods or defend and supply companies for ladies with psychological sickness or developmental disabilities, the justice system treats them as disposable. Finally, the piece requires pressing systemic reform, asserting that these girls’s basic human rights should not be sacrificed to keep up native “social stability” or conventional patriarchal buildings.