Beginning in July 2017, thegovernment of the People's Republic of China has implementedrestrictions on images of the anthropomorphic teddy bearWinnie-the-Pooh, particularlyDisney’s depiction of the character from the works ofA. A. Milne. The censorship arose after internet users began employing images of Winnie-the-Pooh insatiricalinternet memes to compare the character withXi Jinping, thegeneral secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.[1]TheChinese Communist Party (CCP) reportedly viewed such comparisons as an act of ridicule and symbolic dissent, leading to the removal of the imagery across Chinese social media platforms, since the character have become symbol of resistance to China. Nevertheless, there is no comprehensive prohibition on all content related to Winnie-the-Pooh in China. Books and merchandise featuring the character remain available for sale, and two Winnie-the-Pooh-themed attractions continue to operate atHong Kong Disneyland andShanghai Disneyland.[2][3]
TheChinese Communist Party (CCP) employs extensive censorship of topics it considers dissident or unflattering. For instance, the Chinese government has censored topics regarding theCultural Revolution's violence,Falun Gong, the1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre,persecution of Uyghurs,Tibet, andTaiwan.[4]
The Chinese government's censorship, which was initially limited to themainland, is now spreading to other regions, such asTaiwan. For instance, in 2017 Taiwanese universities were asked to refrain from discussing sensitive issues in class, including unification/independence or "One China, One Taiwan". Due to the financial benefits of fee-paying mainland students, over 80 of 157 universities agreed to the demands, which compromised their academic independence.[4]
Chinese Internet users have comparedGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh: the comparisons serve to satirize Xi's publicly projected image. Xi attempts to portray himself as serious, whereas Winnie-the-Pooh is a comedic cartoon character for children.[1]
Comparisons between the cartoon character and Xi Jinping date back to 2013, when theChinese leader visitedBarack Obama in the United States. An image of the two leaders walking was immediately compared to that of the bear and his friendTigger. The humorous tone on social media that day was repeated on other occasions with other leaders, including Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe, who Internet users saw as having a reasonable resemblance to Pooh's friendEeyore. Very reluctant to permit any humorous comment about Xi, authorities ended up condemning the bear when some political activists anddissidents used it to express their discontent.[5]
The Chinese government has blocked images and mentions of Winnie the Pooh on social media because Internet users have been using the character to mock CCP general secretary Xi Jinping. This is part of a larger effort to restrict bloggers from getting around censorship in China.[1] Notably, the 2018 film Disney Live-ActionChristopher Robin was not shown in China and there have been speculations that it may had been due to censorship. However, some analysts argued the decision may have been unrelated to political concerns, citing China’s annual quota of 34 foreign films in the Chinese market. Additionally, the 2011 theatrical releaseWinnie the Pooh also did not screen in China—predating both the controversy and Xi Jinping’sgeneral secretaryship.[6][3] The government is not only concerned with avoiding the ridicule of its leaders but also with preventing the character from becoming an online euphemism for theCCP general secretary.[1]
In 2018, according to Business Insider News, China ordered that the Winnie the Pooh theme could be banned and replaced with a new one due to censorship of internet memes.[7] However, in 2023, Winnie the Pooh-themed rides still remain operational available to the public.[8][9]
In May 2021, aperformer dressed up as Winnie-the-Pooh in Shanghai Disneyland was beaten by a child tourist. Mass media in China used the term "Pooh Pooh Bear" (Chinese: 噗噗熊) in reports about this incident because the word "Winnie" has been censored. However, search results of "Pooh Pooh Bear hurt in Shanghai Disneyland" were censored on Weibo after this incident happened.[10][11]
When Xi visited the Philippines, protestors posted images of Pooh on social media.[12] Other politicians have been compared toWinnie-the-Pooh characters alongside Xi, including Barack Obama as Tigger,Carrie Lam,Rodrigo Duterte,[13] andPeng Liyuan asPiglet,[14] andFernando Chui and Shinzo Abe as Eeyore.[15]
Some dissidents such asLiu Xiaobo and his wifeLiu Xia were photographed holding Pooh mugs as an act of protest.[16]
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan) criticizing China because of banned Winnie The Pooh film over being internet memes.[17][2]
Hong Kongers used costumes and masks of characters such as Winnie the Pooh whenprotesting against the Chinese government duringPro-democracy.[18]
In 2019, a Chinese student was arrested and jailed in China six months for posting a picture comparing Xi to the cartoon character while studying in the United States.[19]
In June 2018, HBOlate-night talk showLast Week Tonight with John Oliver was blocked in China after it spoke about Xi Jinping andcensorship of the media in China including comparisons between Xi and Pooh.[20]
In November 2018, the character was blurred out of the Chinese version of a trailer forKingdom Hearts III.[21] However, the same site that the trailer was posted on later uploaded a screenshot of the same trailer unedited.[22]
In February 2019, the Taiwanese video gameDevotion was found to have contained anEaster egg comparing Xi Jinping to Pooh two days after the game's release. As a result,Devotion was heavilyreview bombed by Chinese gamers on Steam, and the game went from having "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews overall to being "Mostly Negative".[23] The game was removed fromSteam in China on 23 February.[24] In July 2019, the Chinese government revoked the business license of Indievent, the original publisher of the game in China. The official statement from the government stated that the revoking was due to violating relevant laws.[25]
In March 2019, Pooh's Chinese name (Chinese: 小熊维尼; lit. 'little bear Winnie') has been censored from video games such asWorld of Warcraft,PUBG: Battlegrounds andArena of Valor from overwatch.[26]
On October 7 2019, Pooh was featured in theSouth Park episode "Band in China" as a prisoner In China, because of his alleged resemblance with Xi. In the episode, Pooh is brutally killed byRandy Marsh.South Park was banned in China as a result of the episode.[27][28]
On October 10 2019,Omegle was added an image of the American flag on the front page with the words "Xi Jinping sure looks like Winnie-the-Pooh" over it.[29]
On October 16 2019, YouTuberPewDiePie uploaded an episode of his Meme Review series, in which he reacted to memes about the Internet Memes Between Pooh And Xi. Shortly after, PewDiePie reported his content had been banned in China.[30]
In 2021, it was reported the developers ofCyberpunk 2077 had utilized the tag "Winnie the Pooh" for media and content within the game's source code intended to be censored according to guidelines in China.[31]
In October 2021, a songFragile was mocked by the Chinese Government ByNamewee AndKimberley Chen Including Comparison Between Xi Jinping And Winnie The Pooh, However, Namewee Was Banned From Weibo In China.[32]
In 2022,Diablo Immortal was delayed with publications speculating that this was due to an alleged, since-deleted post from the account making reference to "Winnie the Pooh" after China banned Immortal's OfficialWeibo account due to "violating related laws and regulations".[33]NetEase delayed the launch from June 23 to July 25 in China.[34]
In March 2023, Movie distributor VII Pillars Entertainment announced onFacebook thatWinnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, originally scheduled to be released on 23 March, would be cancelled for release in the Hong Kong and Macau regions. This move is suspected to be influenced by the amendment ofHong Kong's film censorship regulations in 2021, which prohibits the public screening of movies that are deemed "potentially harmful to national security". However, VII Pillars Entertainment did not provide any explanation for the decision.[35]
In April 2023, theTaiwanese Air Force released an image of a Taiwanese pilot. The pilot was wearing a shoulder patch depicting aFormosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh. The badge was designed by Alec Hsu in 2022. After the photo went viral, Hsu ordered more patches due to its popularity with civilians and the military alike. "I wanted to boost the morale of our troops through designing this patch," he told the media. The patch is not an official part of the Taiwanese Air Force's uniform, although the military "will maintain an open attitude" to things that raise morale.[36][9]
In 2024, Malaysian rapperNamewee released "Descendants of the Dragon", a song satirizing the Chinese government and its supporters. The music video features numerous references to Pooh, including a person in person in an emperor's robe wearing a pixelated Pooh mask.[37]
On 5 January 2025,CBR reported the Marvel-based video gameMarvel Rivals had banned the phrase "Winnie the Pooh" from chat and showed the message "Text contains inappropriate content" if a player attempts to do so. The game's developer,NetEase is a Chinese company in partnership withMarvel.[38]
On 28 January 2025, theNational Post reported thatDeepSeek apps censored topics controversial to the Chinese government, including Winnie the Pooh. When asked about Pooh's significance in China, the app simply described the children's cartoon character, omitting information about its usage as a controversial symbol in China.[39]
