The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to strengthen internet control, but during the “May Day” holiday, there have been frequent appearances of what appears to be “anti-CCP” and “anti-Xi” information on the Douyin platform, sparking discussions among overseas netizens about the phenomenon of “rebelling on Douyin in the early morning.” In recent years, under the high-pressure rule of the CCP, there has been a boiling of public grievances both online and offline.
Many netizens uploaded screenshots on the overseas platform X, showing that on May 3rd, someone directly posted a picture on Douyin that resembled a long-haired woman bearing a striking resemblance to the CCP leader, Xi Jinping. Some netizens commented, “I wonder if Xi enjoys drinking alcohol? She looks nice on the outside, but I don’t know if she’s good at all.” Another netizen commented, “Comments section reset immediately.”
Some posted a calligraphy artwork saying, “People near ‘易'(ping),” referring to Xi being called “pig head” among the people. Another posted a picture of a black pig head, with comments from netizens in the section saying, “Dirty pig, only knows how to eat, look at the state of the mouth!” and “The fat pig is all over Douyin, why is that?” There was also a picture of a pig in a suit, suspected to be AI-generated, that caught the attention of netizens.
On May 4th, a netizen on X posted that they came across the song “Who Has Yet to Speak Out” from the Hong Kong anti-extradition movement on Douyin. The lyrics of the song include lines like: “Ask who has yet to speak out, all shall not betray our city, born with the right and the heart to be masters of our own fates, who will silently accept their fate, ask who can remain unawakened, listening to the freedom ringing out, stirring up that unwavering conscience and response… with responsibility and freedom to determine the future.”
On May 3rd, an X account posted, “Once it’s late at night, does Douyin’s moderation team go to sleep? You can even see content related to the Tiananmen Square massacre!” Screenshots showed a video that was posted on Douyin that day, depicting scenes of tanks entering the city during the Tiananmen Square protests.
Regarding the frequent appearance of anti-CCP and anti-Xi content on Douyin platform during the early morning hours in mainland China, X netizens commented, “Love watching the rebellion on Dou…