by John Ai

Young people celebrated this rare occurrence in China. Masks are an opportunity for satire and dissent, without crossing red lines. Security forces and police were deployed across the city, taking some young people into custody. Videos and photos showing people in disguise popped up all over social media, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to express discontent.

Beijing (AsiaNews) – In Shanghai, young people dressed up in various costumes to celebrate Halloween under police surveillance, using this occasion to express dissent without crossing any fateful "red line".

Celebrations, which began over the weekend, lasted into the wee hours of 1 November, concentrated in the central core of the megacity.

People dressed up as Winnie-the-Pooh, medical workers in hazardous materials (hazmat) suits, one young lady covered herself with blank paper, plus a variety of costumes that reflect the country’s social reality and recent events.

Although Halloween is not a Chinese tradition, festivities in Shanghai have gone viral this year with a deluge of photos and videos shared on social media.

In the streets, celebrations were free of any whiff of criticism, but the costumes and activities – with extensive use of satire and irony – hinted at discontent vis-à-vis the authorities and their policies.

One example above all was embodied by Winnie-the-Pooh costumes, which drew applause from man y in the crowd. The cartoon character is a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities, given President Xi Jinping’s resemblance with the famous fictional bear.

The police removed one person dressed as an emperor, for the obvious connotations of "absolute" power.

Young people did not limit themselves to masks. Several young people disguised as medical workers in protective gear with mask became a permanent feature at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At one gathering, some sported head-to-toe white hazmat suits, wielding coronavirus testing swabs and dispensing hand sanitiser to passers-by, a very common practice under the government’s strict zero-Covid rules, which entailed rigid lockdowns that came with a heavy price for the economy and society.

The policy also sparked a wave of protests in the fall of 2022, forcing the authorities to scrap the policy altogether, especially since the virus could not be contained anyway.

During last year's anti-lockdown protests, young people waved blank sheets of paper. Now, a year later, one young woman celebrated the carnival-style festivity covering herself in pieces of blank paper and her picture caught the attention of many, reminding them of the recent past still etched in their memories.

Of course, police monitored every move of the crowds, checking IDs with numerous police vehicles stationed at street corners, as evinced by the many photos and videos posted online.

The authorities also sealed off some areas to prevent access, while some masked people were removed or taken away.

Former Premier Li Keqiang’s death elicited some oblique response in some revellers in Shanghai. One person was dressed as a wreath that read “deep condolences" while another came as a road sign that said: "I am in Shanghai; I want you to die."

Although there was no name, pictures of the costumed person attracted attention online, with many believing that "you" referred to Xi Jinping.

Meanwhile, the authorities are carefully monitoring people who pay tribute to former Premier Li Keqiang, who died recently to prevent condolences from turning into anti-Xi outbursts.

Security measures have been boosted near Li's home in Hefei, Anhui province. Agents have also started checking the cards attached to the floral tributes to see if they have any sensitive content.

Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to whom he expressed his condolences for Li's passing. After initially appearing in Chinese media, the story soon disappeared from the news feed of China’s Xinhua news agency.

According to an official statement, Li Keqiang's body will be cremated today in Beijing, where flags are at half-mast as a sign of mourning.

Avoiding red lines

On social media, Halloween celebrations found wide echo. "It seems that people are still pretty savvy (with respect to the event), despite the high level of political pressure (we are under)," said a young man speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Using the nickname Qi Ao, he was among those who gathered in Shanghai's Xintiandi district on the evening of 31 October. "Some people are expressing their political views through cosplay," he explained. Now, “they are making a political point through Halloween.”

"They are making their voices heard without crossing the government's red lines. People like that have always existed in China," he added, noting that young people now wear costumes to show dissent.

Emily (not her real name), a former resident of Shanghai, agrees. "The pandemic controls may have been lifted, but nothing has really changed for the better, not the political atmosphere, not freedom of speech, not the economy, nor people's ability to make a living," she said.

Although the city is a cosmopolitan financial centre, locals who return after living or studying abroad are "shocked" by what they find.

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• china
• shanghai
• beijing
• halloween
• dissent
• xi jinping
• li keqiang