Halloween crackdown in China: A warning to brands

What happened Historically, October 31 is the one date in the year when you are most likely to spot a vampire, witch, Playboy bunny, or Spiderman walking down the street. But in China, that is becoming a rarity as the government cracks down on Halloween. Back in 2022, Seoul experienced a crowd-crush incident on Halloween where 153 people were killed in the Itaewon nightlife district, among which were Chinese citizens. Due to the October celebration becoming particularly popular last year in Shanghai, restrictions were implemented across the mainland, in a bid to control crowds – a New Year’s Eve stampede tragedy in Shanghai in 2014 also fueled concern. BBC Chinese reported that on Friday last week, police arrested several people dressed in costume on Julu Road in downtown Shanghai. The topic later trended on Weibo before being apparently taken down. Some reports say that controversial garb is behind the apparent “ban” on Halloween, with fancy dress masks covering faces forbidden. The country’s education bureau has reportedly also banned schools from marking the occasion. The Jing Take Halloween is known for controversial outfits around the world, which is something that President Xi Jinping’s government has been focused on combating through updates to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. Sensitivity to outfits saw a Chinese anime fan detained for wearing a kimono in 2022, while in October last year tourists were kicked out of a park because their hanfu, or Chinese-style clothes, were mistaken for kimonos. Thanks to heightened scrutiny of fancy dress, as well as a focus on crowd control, members of the public this year have been less inclined to mark Halloween. However, according to some netizens, like Xiaohongshu user Qianjinnengmaiwokaixin (千金能买我开心), in areas where police were present, such as Hangzhou, cops were only telling dressed-up people that they could take photos, but not gather in groups. On Gen Z-dominated Xiaohongshu, #halloween (万圣节) has 2.47 billion views. And this year, a plethora of posts of new costumes hailing from the mainland and internationally, suggest that consumers around the world are enthusiastically marking the occasion. From leather-clad devils to takes on Lara Croft, some of the fancy dress on display is risqué, yet most posts feature Chinese people abroad. An event known for sexually-suggestive ensembles in the West, Halloween does not sit well with authorities in China. After all, the government there banned female livestreamers from modeling lingerie, or see-through clothes in 2019, and the recent return of Victoria’s Secret’s fashion show sparked speculation on the brand’s future in the heavily censored market. Despite Lisa from Blackpink making an appearance, triggering widespread attention, some netizens have critiqued the brand’s return as “cheap” and a “regression.” Brands should recognize that despite China being an increasingly open international consumer market, government crackdowns are regular occurrences. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Halloween crackdown in China: A warning to brands

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Published October 31, 2024

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Halloween crackdown in China: A warning to brands