Realworld.org reports that Chinese social media users are utilizing puns to get past Internet censors in order to discuss an ever-increasing list of banned topics online.
Some examples given of verboten subjects include the #MeToo movement and China’s zero-Covid policy, and talking about censorship itself.
This particular approach to internet speak — substituting words that sound like or are spelled like others — has been an essential part of being online in China for decades, allowing netizens to use the humor and cleverness of spoken Mandarin to dodge censorship.
How Chinese citizens use puns to get past internet censors. Realworld.org, October 11, 2022
