The Shapeshifting Ghosts: Censorship and Compromise in Post-socialist China
This article examines how ghost narratives in post-socialist Chinese cinema navigate censorship and state ideology to survive, arguing that while recent films reabsorb ghosts into sanctioned national narratives, the resulting textual gaps and tensions between official framing and subversive potential ultimately forge a unique, negotiated form of post-Chineseness.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
For centuries, stories about spirits and ghosts have been a staple of Chinese culture, appearing in ancient literature and folk tales to explore morality, justice, and the mysteries of the dead. These narratives have always walked a fine line, serving as both entertainment and a way to critique society or uphold order. However, in modern China, the relationship between these stories and the state has become a complex tug-of-war. Since the founding of the People's Republic, the government has frequently viewed ghost stories as superstitious remnants of the past that conflict with scientific rationality and socialist values. Yet, despite strict rules against them, these stories have never truly vanished. Instead, they have learned to survive by changing their shape, slipping through the cracks of censorship to remain a part of the national conversation. This ongoing struggle offers a unique window into how contemporary Chinese society negotiates its identity, balancing official state narratives with deep-seated cultural anxieties and the desire for creative expression.
A recent study by researcher Bi Kaihui at the University of Canterbury investigates this phenomenon by looking at how ghost stories are being reshaped in mainland Chinese cinema today. The research focuses on the post-socialist era, a time when China's economy and politics have become a hybrid of state control and market forces. In this environment, the government seeks to promote a unified national image and specific values, such as the "Chinese Dream," while also trying to suppress content deemed politically sensitive or superstitious. Bi examines how filmmakers are navigating these constraints, specifically analyzing two recent animated fantasy films: Xiaoqian (2024) and Curious Tales of a Temple (2025). These movies take traditional ghost tales and repackage them as colorful, family-friendly adventures that fit within the boundaries of state-approved storytelling. The study argues that while these films appear to comply with censorship rules, they do not simply erase the rebellious spirit of the original ghosts. Instead, the tension between what the state allows and what the stories originally meant creates small gaps in the narrative. These gaps allow the films to express hidden social worries and contradictions without directly challenging the government.
The researcher traces the history of this dynamic, showing that ghosts have always been a flexible tool. During the early 20th century, filmmakers used horror to inspire anti-feudal struggles. Later, under Mao Zedong, ghosts were sometimes banned as superstition but other times repurposed as symbols of class enemies to be defeated. In the current era, the approach has shifted again. Filmmakers now use the genre of "fantasy" to make ghosts acceptable. By placing ghosts in a purely magical world filled with dragons, spirits, and mythical landscapes, the films convince the audience that these creatures are not real threats but harmless parts of a fictional story. This technique, known as "fantasization," strips the ghosts of their connection to real-world injustice. For example, in Curious Tales of a Temple, a classic story about a scholar and a female ghost is rewritten to fit a narrative about national crisis and unity. The ghost is no longer a symbol of oppression but becomes a character who is eventually redeemed and integrated into a patriotic story about saving the country.
However, the study finds that this process of rewriting is never perfect. The original power of the ghost story—the feeling that something unresolved is haunting the present—leaks through the cracks of the new, sanitized version. In Xiaoqian, the film tells a story of a woman who becomes a ghost because of forced marriage and oppression. While the movie tries to resolve this by having her find love and peace, the underlying anger of her situation remains visible. The film attempts to show that love conquers all, but the fact that it needs to work so hard to smooth over the story reveals the difficulty of suppressing these deep-seated social issues. Similarly, in Curious Tales of a Temple, the different stories within the movie often clash with each other, creating a sense of unease. The character who is supposed to explain the moral of the story ends up feeling hollow and forced, highlighting that the different parts of the film do not naturally fit together under a single, unified message.
These films, the researcher concludes, create a unique form of "post-Chineseness." This is not a single, solid identity that is either fully loyal to the state or completely against it. Instead, it is a constant negotiation. Viewers are invited to enjoy the beautiful visuals and the patriotic themes, but they are also left with a subtle sense that the story is incomplete or that something is being held back. The ghosts in these movies act as a mirror, reflecting the anxieties of a society that is trying to move forward while carrying the weight of its past. The censorship that tries to control these stories ends up creating a space where those very stories can speak in a coded language, revealing the instability of the official narrative. The research suggests that this is not a failure of the system, but a natural result of trying to manage a complex culture. The ghosts have not disappeared; they have simply learned to speak in a way that is safe enough to be heard, yet strange enough to remind everyone that the past is never truly gone.
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