The China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) issued its “Performance-sector norms” in February 2021, with the rules taking trial effect on 1 March 2021. These norms spell out ten professional and ideological duties for performers and a list of fifteen prohibited acts, including “distorting history,” “inciting ethnic hatred,” engaging in criminal activity, and even lip-syncing in commercial settings. While CAPA and state media focus on “upholding socialist values” and “social morality,” NGOs such as PEN America and Human Rights Watch interpret these rules as enforcing ideological conformity and effectively requiring displays of “love for the Party”.dw+3
The China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) publishes warning and blacklist lists for performers and online celebrities, especially in livestreaming. The most referenced and accessible blacklist is the "warning list" of 88 names from November 2021, publicly summarized and discussed in English by What’s On Weibo, including Kris Wu, Zheng Shuang, and Zhang Zhehan. Since 2018, a total of 446 live streamers and celebrities have been blacklisted, which typically bans them from all major Chinese platforms and industry activities. These lists target those accused of illegal or unethical behaviour, with bans enforced industry-wide.scmp+1.
Since 2018, and intensified with CAPA’s sector rules, Chinese authorities and industry actors have issued warning lists and blacklists to restrict work by performers and live streamers viewed as violating these codes. The best-documented list (88 names) from 2021 marked a turning point. Various industry associations, arts platforms (like Douyin.(Douyin and TikTok are two separate apps owned by the same company, ByteDance)), and state agencies now share or coordinate such lists, making the system fragmented but pervasive; the total number of blacklisted artists is not published, but observers estimate it ranges from hundreds to thousands. Bans are typically one, three, five years or permanent, with sanctioned performers required to seek reinstatement from ethics units before returning to work.whatsonweibo+1
Rights groups and international observers argue this system has led to a chilling effect throughout China’s creative sector, stifling dissent and satire. Major human rights NGOs have cited the rules and blacklist practice in campaigns highlighting suppression of critical or subversive artwork.pen+1
Gao Zhen: A Case Study in Suppression
Artist Gao Zhen was detained on 26 August 2024 while traveling in Yanjiao, Sanhe City, Hebei province, with his wife and U.S.-citizen son. Authorities raided his studio on 26 August 2024; advocates report that police removed 118 pieces in a subsequent inventory action on 17 November 2024, including the Miss Mao series, Mao’s Guilt, and The Execution of Christ.
Gao was formally charged with “slandering China’s heroes and martyrs”—a prohibition first introduced in the 2018 Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs and clarified for criminal prosecution after 2021—and has been jailed in Sanhe City Detention Centre. His wife and son have been placed under an exit ban. According to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, Gao’s health has drastically deteriorated in custody, his right to family contact has been denied, his trial has been repeatedly delayed, and international organizations have mounted advocacy campaigns for his release.theartnewspaper+7
Chinese authorities justify Gao’s prosecution as required to “protect national sovereignty and the honour of heroes and martyrs”. Police and official statements quoted in The Art Newspaper and HRW allege that Gao’s works “distort and vilify former national leaders”. NGOs call these rationales a pretext to criminalize peaceful artistic expression.hrw+3
Transnational Pressure and Official Responses
The tightening climate is also evident abroad. In July and August 2025, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre removed or blacked out works on Hong Kong, Tibet, and Uyghur themes after direct Chinese diplomatic pressure. Exhibition curator Sai (a Myanmar national) subsequently left Thailand for the UK. Chinese embassy officials described the show as “openly promoting Tibetan, Uyghur, and Hong Kong independence,” “spreading false notions,” and praised Thai authorities for “timely measures” to counter what they called “separatist forces”. These remarks, quoted by Reuters and the BBC, reflect China’s declared rationale for intervention abroad.bbc+1
In the United States, two men, Cui Guanghai and John Miller, were charged in spring 2025 with interstate stalking and harassment of a Los Angeles artist known for satirical sculptures of Xi Jinping. DOJ filings and media confirm the politically motivated campaign, underscoring the international reach of China’s censorship regime.courthousenews+3
Emerging pattern of censorship
The pattern emerging since CAPA’s 2021 rules is clear: a blend of professional and ideological codes, blacklists, and direct prosecution now reach across China’s borders and deep into its artistic and diaspora communities. Authorities justify the measures with reference to “core interests” and “national harmony.” NGOs, legal scholars, and international organizations widely criticize them as an assault on artistic freedom and the right to dissent.
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China’s tightening grip on artistic expression is reshaping the global creative landscape.
Since the introduction of CAPA’s “Performance-sector norms” in 2021, artists and performers have faced growing ideological scrutiny, blacklisting, and even criminal prosecution. The case of artist Gao Zhen, charged for “slandering heroes and martyrs,” highlights how far China’s censorship extends — from domestic studios to international galleries.
NGOs warn of a “chilling effect” that threatens not only Chinese artists but global artistic freedom.
#China #ArtCensorship #HumanRights #FreedomOfExpression #CulturalPolicy #GaoZhen #CAPA #CreativeFreedom #Asia #InternationalLaw
