The Bizarre Lives of Chinese Internet Memes

And 3 Things They Reveal About How China is Governed

A person labeled ‘untrustworthy’ stands in front of barriers preventing them from riding the high speed train, purchasing luxury goods and items, and becoming an exectuive

Though they are likely not the first place one might think to look, Chinese internet memes reveal a lot about how the country is governed. More digestible than a three-hour monologue from Chairman Xi Jinping, the Chinese government’s propaganda apparatus spends a great deal of time crafting memes that convey the content of policies and projects in satirical, colourful, and often downright absurd ways.

These memes and the public reactions to them open a window unto complex citizen-government interactions in China today that the mainstream English discourse often overlooks or chooses to ignore. Using the Social Credit System Project (SCSP) as a case study and drawing on the author’s recent research based on video interviews with residents from twenty different cities in China, this article demonstrates how the country’s vibrant landscape of internet memes can enhance our understanding of state-citizen relations.

‘New Law on Environmental Protection’ chasing off ‘pollution’ with a spear

Scene 1 : Corrupt Cadres

It’s important to first iterate what isn’t portrayed in the colour of internet memes. You…