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Chinese state media regulators are finding their grip on war narratives challenged by viral short-form content, according to a new analysis examining the intersection of propaganda and digital entertainment in modern China.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long used traditional media to carefully craft historical narratives that reinforce its authority and legitimacy. Television programs and films are meticulously scrutinized by Beijing’s regulatory authorities to ensure alignment with official Party ideology, particularly when depicting historical events like the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
This careful narrative control was on full display during September 2025’s grand military parade in Tiananmen Square, which served as the centerpiece of nationwide commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan. The elaborate state-orchestrated events included themed exhibitions at memorial museums alongside the parade, all designed to reinforce the CCP’s central role in the country’s wartime resistance.
The War of Resistance narrative has been particularly crucial to the Party’s internal legitimacy strategy. Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the CCP intensified its focus on patriotic education by redesigning textbooks and establishing mandatory education bases that highlighted Japanese atrocities. This approach deliberately leveraged national humiliation as political capital while positioning the Party as the nation’s savior.
However, the East Asia Forum report identifies a significant new challenge to this controlled narrative: the explosion of ultra-short war dramas on Douyin, China’s domestic version of TikTok, and other digital platforms. These viral videos represent both an innovation in historical storytelling and a subtle challenge to the CCP’s propaganda apparatus.
The emergence of this digital entertainment phenomenon reveals a growing tension between state-controlled commemoration and market-driven content creation. Young Chinese audiences, particularly digital natives, are increasingly consuming historical narratives through these abbreviated, often dramatized formats that blend entertainment with patriotism.
Media analysts note that this trend represents a fundamental shift in how historical memory is transmitted and consumed in China. While these short dramas often support broadly nationalist themes, their creation outside traditional state channels means they sometimes stray from officially sanctioned portrayals or emphasize aspects of history the Party might prefer to downplay.
The proliferation of these viral war dramas has prompted increased scrutiny from Chinese regulators, who face a delicate balancing act. On one hand, the patriotic sentiments these videos often promote align with broader CCP objectives. On the other hand, allowing historical narratives to develop outside strict Party control represents a potential threat to the CCP’s carefully cultivated monopoly on defining national memory.
This dynamic highlights a broader challenge for authoritarian information systems in the digital age. As content creation democratizes and fragments across platforms, maintaining narrative discipline becomes increasingly difficult, even for a state with China’s extensive censorship capabilities.
The report concludes that the struggle over war memory represents more than just a question of narrative authority. It signals a complex negotiation between the Party and Chinese society about who controls historical memory in an era when viral content can reach millions before censors can respond.
As China continues modernizing and its younger generations engage with history through new mediums, the CCP may need to adapt its approach to historical narratives. The tension between rigid ideological control and the commercial entertainment market’s dynamism presents a significant challenge to Beijing’s propaganda strategy in the digital age.
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7 Comments
The CCP’s obsession with historical narratives reveals how crucial ideological alignment is to the party’s legitimacy. This level of propaganda is concerning, as it suggests the Chinese government prioritizes its own political interests over transparency and factual reporting.
While the CCP leverages media to promote its propaganda, the report suggests digital platforms may be challenging this narrative control. It will be interesting to see how the party navigates the evolving media landscape and attempts to maintain its ideological dominance.
That’s a good point. The rise of viral short-form content could potentially disrupt the CCP’s tightly-controlled media environment, though the party will likely double down on censorship efforts to counter this trend.
This report highlights the CCP’s extensive efforts to shape public perception through media oversight and propaganda. Strict regulation of content, especially related to sensitive historical events, reflects the party’s determination to uphold its authoritarian grip on power.
You’re right, the CCP’s stranglehold on the media is extremely concerning for press freedom and transparency. It’s a troubling sign of their unwavering commitment to controlling the narrative, even at the expense of objective reporting.
This report underscores the CCP’s relentless efforts to shape public discourse and cement its authoritarian rule. The party’s tight grip on media is a sobering reminder of the challenges facing press freedom and independent journalism in China.
It’s concerning to see how tightly the CCP controls the media narrative in China. Maintaining absolute control over historical accounts and wartime events is clearly a top priority for the party’s legitimacy. This level of propaganda is worrying for the free flow of information.