‘Zao Cao’ or Making Noise: How Netizens Use Slang to Navigate Censorship

In the digital age, where information moves at lightning speed, Chinese netizens have mastered the art of 'Zao Cao'—literally 'making noise'—to bypass online censorship. This isn't just slang; it's a linguistic rebellion. When direct speech gets flagged, users turn to puns, homophones, and absurd metaphors to keep conversations alive. Think of it as coded poetry for the internet era.

From 'grass-mud-horse' (a homophone for a vulgar phrase) to calling censors 'river crabs' (a pun on 'harmony'), wordplay has become a survival tool. These creative expressions aren’t random—they’re responses to real restrictions. According to China Digital Times, over 10,000 keywords are filtered daily on major platforms. That’s why users adapt fast.

Take Weibo, for example. Posts containing sensitive terms vanish within minutes. But use a meme of a dancing potato labeled 'freedom fry'? It might last hours. The system struggles to decode satire, giving activists and ordinary users alike a narrow window to speak up.

Why 'Zao Cao' Works: A Quick Breakdown

The brilliance lies in ambiguity. Automated filters scan for exact matches, but miss context. So when someone says 'I went to the river crab festival,' everyone knows they didn’t eat crustaceans. They're mocking censorship itself.

Here’s how common slang evolves under pressure:

This isn’t just about jokes—it’s digital resistance. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong found that politically charged topics using coded language see up to 3x more engagement than those using plain terms, precisely because they slip past filters longer.

But it’s a cat-and-mouse game. Once a term goes viral, it gets blacklisted. That’s why new slang emerges constantly—like calling a banned topic 'tomorrow’s weather' or referring to protests as 'group hiking.'

Ultimately, 'Zao Cao' reflects a deeper truth: people will always find ways to speak freely. As long as there’s censorship, there’ll be creativity. And sometimes, all it takes is a well-placed meme or a silly-sounding word to say what really matters.