I am Yufeng | Finally, Shanghai will not allow Halloween celebrations either

Text/Yu Feng

Seeing the news, it says that Shanghai will not allow street cosplays this Halloween. “Zhe Ying”, who became popular last year for cosplaying Na Ying, was taken away by the police as soon as she showed up. Julu Road, the cosplay holy land last year, has been controlled. Some people say they can go to Yuyuan Road, but when people arrive at Yuyuan Road, they find that Yuyuan Road is also controlled. “Zhe Ying” posted a video saying it was “to prevent any gathering behavior”.

Last year’s Shanghai Halloween was a hit, and young people transformed the Western ghost festival into a localized carnival, turning it into a grand creative cosplay show. Some people cosplayed stars like Faye Wong and Na Ying, some cosplayed Xiang Tai and Li Jiaqi, playing the “Where is Li expensive?” meme, and some cosplayed 996 programmers, denouncing being exploited.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was cosplaying the Big White for nucleic acid testing. This year, news came out that cosplaying the Big White was prohibited. But as Halloween approached, people found that any form of street cosplay was prohibited.

Last year’s Shanghai Halloween sparked a hot search, and people exclaimed “As expected of Shanghai” and “Only Shanghai can be so confident, open, and inclusive.” Some even left a message, “Seeing Shanghai’s great inclusiveness, I realized the gap between my hometown small county and an international metropolis, and I made up my mind to strive to go to Shanghai.” Shanghai’s local media, such as The Paper, also praised it, calling it “true national self-confidence and cultural self-confidence”.

Last year’s grand occasion also triggered a new climax of “Shanghai praise”. In the early years, Shanghai was always considered the most open, inclusive, and international city in China. When various places ordered a boycott of Western festivals and Christmas, Shanghai still decorated with lights and lanterns, and Christmas trees and little deer were everywhere on the streets. Changtai Plaza even placed a replica of the Statue of Liberty.

But with Shanghai’s lockdown, the “Shanghai praise” subsided. Last year’s Halloween gave “Shanghai praise” another chance to blow. And this year’s Halloween, some “Shanghai praise” have already immigrated.

Obviously, the improvement of Shanghai’s image, the enhancement of cultural tourism soft power, and the attraction of talents by street Halloween are to be yielded in the face of absolute safety.

The safety here is obviously not just personal and traffic safety. A stampede accident once occurred on the Bund, which did not affect the subsequent crowds on the Bund. Ensuring personal safety and alleviating traffic pressure can be done through flow restriction, dispersed locations, etc., instead of directly prohibiting it.

What is even more worrying is that “bad” cosplay trends had already appeared last year. Some people cosplayed the Big White, which was called the best creative idea, and some people cosplayed A-shares for satire. Obviously, this year, some people may also be inspired by this and use cosplay and memes for ridicule and satire. Instead of identifying and prohibiting it at that time, it is better to cut off all possibilities at the source in advance.

Of course, some people say that cosplay is allowed in amusement parks like Happy Valley and Disneyland. Amusement parks all over the country allow cosplay, and most amusement parks even regard Halloween as a money-making opportunity. But compared to street cosplay, amusement park cosplay is controllable and has a smaller impact, especially since the tickets are not cheap, which also prevents some people from participating.

And street cosplay has a lower participation cost, more participants, and a greater influence. Last year, there was a scene that left a deep impression. A driver in a suit and leather shoes drove past the traffic jam on Julu Road and had to get out of the car, but after seeing the cosplay scene, he also joined the happy team with a smile. Happiness can be transmitted across circles and across ages.

The young police officers who maintained order on the streets last year also smiled and said to the young people, “I’m really not cosplay.” Although they were on duty, they also felt the joy and atmosphere. But now, Julu Road has been replaced by a heavily guarded and serious-faced control team.

The Soviets usually don’t like to laugh, and they invented many Soviet jokes. It’s hard for young people to laugh in their lives, so they want to laugh wildly through cosplay and memes on Halloween, showing their remaining imagination and creativity. But now it has gradually become a luxury.