Cancel Culture and Digital Nationalism in Mainland China

Abstract

This chapter examines recent cases of individuals, brands, and media texts being cancelled in the People’s Republic of China after being deemed to denigrate the Chinese people or the authority of the PRC government. These events are situated against a longer history of nationalism shaped by China’s “Century of Humiliation” and the government’s propagation of nationalist education after the 1989 student-led protests. Major cancel events may involve not just grassroots mobilizations, but also state commentary, some in support of cancel actions and other instances seeking to tamp down nationalist outrage. In the case of the Italian company Dolce & Gabbana after it posted racially offensive content, PRC authorities initially supported social media backlash, and then sought to downplay the incident. In 2021, multiple Western apparel brands were cancelled for statements against forced labor in the production of Xinjiang cotton, provoking nationalistic social media and PRC government responses. Controversies over the status of Hong Kong and Taiwan have also led to cancellations. One recent case involving the Thai television series 2gether illustrated the phenomenon of “fandom nationalism,” which the government has praised on various occasions when it aligns with official positions, such as the “One China Principle.”