Creative digital resistance on China’s Virtual Wailing Wall

Abstract

This study examines how China’s Virtual Wailing Wall evolved from a site of public expression into a form of alternative political participation, shaping broader societal dynamics after the zero-COVID policy. Using a mixed-methods approach combining computational and discourse analysis, we look at user-generated comments on Dr Li Wenliang’s Weibo threads between 25 October 2022 and 30 September 2023. Our dataset includes 137,094 comments during the COVID-19 policy period and 76,343 after the zero-COVID policy. Semantic network analysis, the quadratic assignment procedure, and topic modelling reveal notable shifts in linguistic patterns and expressions, while discourse analysis highlights transformations in statement structures, contextual framing, and rhetorical strategies. Findings suggest that the Wailing Wall has been redefined as a space for creative resistance, where users at the grassroots level continue to engage in implicit yet persistent opposition despite strict online censorship. More importantly, individuals have developed a subtle yet politicized form of everyday resistance as alternative participation, embedding their dissent within personal narratives to navigate digital restrictions in China’s online space.