Chinese actor Yu Menglong, 37, died in Beijing on September 11, 2025. Officially ruled an accidental fall, his death has made speculation online, fuelling debates across China and Taiwan. Suppressed domestic discussion collided with diaspora discourse, highlighting tensions between PRC narrative control and cross-border media scrutiny. The case reveals the limits of digital censorship, the power of global fandom, and the complexities of information in a politically charged environment
Since 2021, China’s cultural authorities have tightened control over artistic expression through CAPA’s “Performance-sector norms,” blacklists, and prosecutions that enforce ideological loyalty. Artist Gao Zhen’s detention and the suppression of politically sensitive art abroad highlight a widening campaign to align creativity with Party doctrine. NGOs warn this system, now extending beyond China’s borders, has produced a chilling effect on global artistic freedom.
In August 2025, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre faced unprecedented pressure from Chinese officials to censor artworks critical of Beijing’s policies toward Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kong. The exhibition, exploring global authoritarian cooperation, was forced to remove or obscure names, flags, and political references—ironically becoming an example of the very repression it sought to expose.
