China’s censors are moving to stamp out more than just political dissent online. Now, they are targeting the public mood itself — punishing bloggers and influencers whose weary posts are resonating widely in a country where optimism is fraying.

中国的审查机构要消除的远不止于网上的政治异见。如今，审查员正在把公众情绪本身作为靶子，惩罚那些发消极帖子的博主和网红，这些帖子在一个乐观情绪日渐消逝的国家正在引起广泛的共鸣。

The authorities have punished two bloggers who advocated for a life of less work and less pressure; an influencer who said that it made financial sense not to marry and have children; and a commentator known for bluntly observing that China still lags behind Western countries in terms of quality of life.

已遭当局处罚的包括两名提倡少工作、减压生活的博主，一名表示从财务角度看不结婚、不生孩子有其合理性的网红，以及一名直白地指出中国生活质量仍不如西方国家的评论人士。

These supposed cynics and skeptics, two of whom had tens of millions of followers, have had their accounts suspended or banned in recent weeks as China’s internet regulator conducts a new cleanup of Chinese social media. The two-month campaign, launched by the Cyberspace Administration of China in late September, is aimed at purging content that incites “excessively pessimistic sentiment” and panic or promotes defeatist ideas such as “hard work is useless,” according to a notice from the agency.

最近几周，随着中国互联网监管部门对中国社交媒体进行新一轮整治，这几名所谓的愤世嫉俗者和怀疑论者（其中两人拥有数千万名粉丝）的账号已被暂停或关闭。中国国家互联网信息办公室今年9月底启动了这项为期两个月的行动，据该机构发布的通知，此次行动的目的是整治“恶意挑动负面情绪”和恐慌，或宣扬“努力无用论”等失败主义思想的内容。

“In reality, we all experience fatigue and anxiety as a result of work and life, but these real emotions deserve respect and should not be deliberately amplified for traffic. The internet is not a dumping ground for negativity,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV said in an editorial about the campaign.

“现实中，我们都会为工作与生活感到疲惫和烦恼，但这些真实的情感值得被尊重，而不能被人刻意放大、成为博取流量的工具，网络空间不是负面情绪的‘垃圾场’，”中国的国家电视台央视在一篇关于此项行动的网评中写道。

Around the world, officials debate how to keep social media from stoking outrage and polarization that could spill over into real-world violence or harm. The internet regulator in China has framed its campaign in similar terms, expressing concern about messages that stoke divisions based on gender or other group identities or livestreaming content that glorifies self-harm and violence.

世界各地的官员都在讨论如何防止社交媒体煽动愤怒情绪和两极分化，以免演变成现实世界的暴力或伤害。中国的互联网监管机构已以类似措辞来描述这项行动，对那些挑拨性别对立，或挑拨不同身份认同群体之间冲突的信息，以及美化自残和暴力的直播内容表示关注。

But China’s crackdown carries a distinctly political undercurrent. It demonstrates the concern among its leadership about the spread of malaise as the country grapples with economic uncertainty, a volatile rivalry with the United States and growing disenchantment among young people.

但中国的打击行动带有明显的政治气息。这表明，在国家努力应对经济不确定性、与美国的激烈竞争，以及年轻人越来越失去热情等问题之际，领导层对负面情绪蔓延存在担忧。

In recent years, some young people have opted out of the rat race in favor of a minimal life of “lying flat” or given up on goals altogether and “letting it rot.” The accounts of two bloggers known for promoting a minimal “lying flat” lifestyle were blocked from adding followers late last month.

近年来，一些年轻人已选择退出激烈的竞争，采取“躺平”的极简生活方式，或者干脆放弃目标，拥抱“摆烂”的态度。上个月底，提倡极简“躺平”生活方式的两个知名博主的账号被禁止关注，不能增加新的粉丝。

北京的学生拍脸朝下趴在地上的毕业照，以反映他们为了毕业所经历的疲惫和艰辛。

Beijing is concerned that such pessimism doesn’t just discourage citizens from being productive members of society. It could turn into criticism of the ruling Communist Party.

中国政府担心，这种悲观情绪不仅会阻碍公民成为对社会有用的人，还可能演变为对执政的中共的批评。

“The root cause is deteriorating economic and social prospects for many Chinese, which has led to what for any country would be a natural social response — the expression of anxiety and misgiving,” said David Bandurski, the director of the China Media Project, a research group.

“根本原因在于许多中国人的经济和社会前景正在恶化，这已引发了在任何国家都会出现的自然的社会反应，即焦虑和疑虑的表达，”研究机构中国传媒研究计划主任班志远(David Bandurski)说。

“Such sentiment, the leadership worries, might be infectious,” Mr. Bandurski said.

“领导层担心，这种情绪可能有感染力，”班志远说。

Local governments and social media platforms have jumped into action to carry out the regulator’s orders.

地方政府和社交媒体平台已为执行监管机构的命令迅速行动起来。

In the city of Zhengzhou in central China, officials said two social media account owners were investigated for portraying the city in an unflattering light. In Xi’an, the local internet regulator said it punished the holders of five social media accounts for “spreading false information” about housing prices and real estate regulations.

中国中部城市郑州的官员们称，两个社交媒体账号的所有者在接受调查，因为他们的帖子有损城市形象。西安当地的互联网监管机构称，已对五个社交媒体账号的所有者进行了处罚，因为他们“发布房地产领域虚假不实政策信息”。

Weibo, a popular microblog, said last week that it suspended more than 1,200 accounts that “spread rumors” about the economy and government welfare programs.

热门的微博平台上周称，已关停1200多个“传播经济金融、社会民生等谣言信息”的账号。

The internet regulator ordered platforms to root out posts that use isolated news events to point to broader social problems, a style of commentary that the authority condemned as “malicious misinterpretation” that fuels cynicism about society.

中国互联网监管机构要求各平台铲除那些借孤立新闻事件指向更广泛社会问题的帖子，当局谴责这种评论方式是加剧人们对社会的愤世嫉俗情绪的“恶意歪曲”。

People in China often use such posts to vent frustration or share their fears and questions. Recent incidents such as food safety scandals at schools had residents questioning the transparency and accountability of government officials. Last year a series of random attacks on civilians, attributed to aggrieved residents seeking “revenge on society,” prompted discussion about deep-seated inequality and mental health in China today.

中国人经常用这种帖子来发泄不满，或分享他们的恐惧和疑问。最近发生的事件（如学校的食品安全丑闻）让居民对政府官员的透明度和问责制产生了怀疑。去年，一系列针对平民的随机袭击事件被归咎于愤愤不平的居民寻求“报复社会”，曾引发人们对当今中国根深蒂固的不平等和心理健康问题的讨论。

Most recently, internet users fixated on the death of a Chinese actor, Yu Menglong, whose body was found outside a multistory building in Beijing last month. The authorities, based on a statement from Yu’s mother, said he had fallen accidentally. But in the days after, Chinese platforms were awash with unproven theories that the authorities had covered up foul play or that it had been suicide.

最近，网民们对中国演员于朦胧的死高度关注。上个月，他的遗体在北京一栋高层建筑外被发现。当局称他意外坠楼身亡，这个说法来自于朦胧的母亲。但在随后的几天里，中国各大网络平台上充斥着未经证实的理论，有的称当局掩盖了谋杀，有的称他是自杀身亡。

His death fueled questions about power and corruption in the entertainment industry, as well as about transparency on the part of the police. Weibo limited discussion of Mr. Yu and suspended more than 1,500 accounts for posting about him.

于朦胧的死引发了人们对娱乐圈的权力和腐败，以及警方透明度的质疑。微博限制了有关于朦胧的讨论，并暂停了1500多个发布有关他的帖子的账户。

演员于朦胧2021年在中国成都的一次公开露面。他已在今年9月去世，他的死引发了人们对娱乐圈里的权力和腐败问题的猜疑。

Chinese state media have also sought to cast the online cleanup as an effort to target those who are peddling despair for clicks.

中国的官方媒体还试图将这项网络整治行动描述为针对那些为了点击量散播绝望情绪的人的行动。

The state broadcaster CCTV warned about posts that convey a bleak picture of life in China: “Parents have unfilial children. Men are surrounded by materialistic women. Women are trapped by bad men who cheat. The workplace is full of unmotivated young people.” Such stories, it warned, were the work of “emotional predators” feeding the gloomiest stories to draw attention.

国家广播机构央视对那些把中国的生活描述为没有希望的帖子发出警告，这些帖子总发“父母看到‘儿女不孝’，男性被‘物质女’包围，女性困在‘渣男出轨’的叙事里，职场中充斥着‘不上进的年轻人’的内容。”央视警告，这些帖子是“情绪捕手”为了吸引眼球散播最悲观的情绪制作的。

But official efforts to curb content that profits from despair may be silencing genuine expressions of frustration.

但官员限制利用绝望情绪牟利的努力也许压制了真实的不满表达。

“The official message of positivity is contrasted by an economic reality that is just starkly different compared with the last decades,” said Katja Drinhausen, head of Chinese politics and society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies. “It will not be enough to keep online negative emotions in check.”

“官方传递的积极信息与经济现实形成鲜明对比，目前的经济现实与过去几十年的截然不同，”墨卡托中国研究中心中国政治与社会研究部主任卡佳·德林豪森说。“这不足以控制网络负面情绪。”

Many people complain about stagnant wages or, more recently, whether China’s introduction of a new type of work visa for science and engineering students will eventually mean fewer jobs for Chinese citizens. (A record 12.2 million new graduates are entering the job market this year, at a time when youth unemployment remains stubbornly high.) The government’s efforts to bolster confidence — by expanding its threadbare social safety net, giving subsidies to families with children and offering a consumer trade-in program — have had limited effect.

许多人抱怨工资不再涨或一个最近的问题：中国针对全世界的理工科学生推出了一个新型工作签证，这是否最终意味着中国公民的就业机会将更少。（今年进入就业市场的应届毕业生人数达到了创纪录的1220万，与此同时，青年失业率仍居高不下。）政府为增强消费信心所做的努力——包括扩大薄弱的社会保障网、为有子女家庭提供补贴，以及向消费者提供以旧换新补贴等——收效甚微。

在国家努力应对经济不确定性、与美国的激烈竞争，以及年轻人越来越失去热情等问题的时候，这项整治行动表明领导层如何担心负面情绪蔓延。

The social media accounts of Hu Chenfeng, an auto repairman turned influencer whose videos have highlighted poverty and inequality in China, have been removed from several platforms. Propaganda officials in Zhejiang have accused him of “worshiping the West.”

曾是汽车修理工、后来成为网红的户晨风的视频关注的是中国的贫困和不平等问题。他的社交媒体账号已被多个平台封禁。浙江的宣传官员指责他“崇洋媚外”。

He is most famous for coining a shorthand for class divides in China — Apple users versus Android users — that in his view highlights the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

他最出名的是抛出了一个中国阶级的身份划分——苹果用户vs.安卓用户——在他看来，这个划分凸显了富人与穷人之间的差距。

“‘Android’ is now an adjective,” he said in one video. “For example, an ‘Android computer’ means your computer is very low-end. An ‘Android house’ means that the house has poor soundproofing, a bad layout and poor lighting.”

“‘安卓’现在成了一个形容词，”他在一段视频中说。“比如，‘安卓电脑’的意思是你的电脑很低端。‘安卓房’的意思是房子隔音效果差、户型不好、采光不好。”

One other influencer, Zhang Zibiao, who goes by Zhang Xuefeng online, a former tutor, was known for arguing that students from poor families stood little chance of breaking into elite professions like finance or medicine without the right social or political connections.

另一位网名为张雪峰的网红张子彪曾是一名家教，他广为人知的主张是，贫困家庭的学生如果没有真正的社会或政治关系，很难进入金融或医学等精英行业。

The crackdown is also an effort to rein in the influence of China’s largest social media platforms. In September, the regulator summoned representatives from several popular platforms for content violations.

此项整治行动也是为了严格控制中国几大社交媒体平台的影响力。监管机构已在今年9月就内容违规问题约谈了几个热门平台的负责人。

The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, said in an editorial that the campaign made clear that platforms could no longer let pessimism proliferate unchecked. “The bugle has been sounded and all parties should act accordingly,” it said.

中共官方喉舌《人民日报》在一篇观点文章中写道，这场整治行动明确表示，平台不能再让悲观情绪肆意滋生。“‘号角’已响，各方当闻号而动，”该文写道。