The Most Bizarre Things You Can’t Do in China Today — Explained
Voldemort of dates in China has come.
June 4th is the Voldemort of dates in China—one the regime dares not speak.
It marks the anniversary of a world-shaking massacre that took place across the country, most notably in Beijing, in 1989.
Every year, the authorities go to great lengths to suppress any form of remembrance. This year is no exception. Here are just a few examples of how the state continues to erase history:
No More “8964” Plate
(Credit: InMedia)
What happened –
The owner of a car with the license plate “US 8964” in Hong Kong has shipped the vehicle out of the city. For years, the car was driven through the streets as a symbolic act of protest. But with the political climate growing increasingly hostile, the owner faced mounting pressure and harassment and no longer felt safe to do so.
Context –
“8964” refers to the date of the Tiananmen Square Massacre—June 4th, 1989. Hong Kong once served as the only place on Chinese soil where commemorations could legally take place. That changed in 2020, when the government began dismantling those rights. Since then, acts of remembrance have taken more creative and discreet forms. A license plate became protest. Now, even that has been driven out.
“World of Tanks” gameplay not streamable
(A screen capture of an online discussion on the ban.)
What happened –
Several streamers of the long-running video game World of Tanks found themselves abruptly banned. Notifications cited the reason: “the game does not support live-streaming.” A strange explanation, considering the game has been streamed for years. Most young gamers affected had no idea what they had done wrong.
Context –
The iconic image of “Tank Man”, the lone protester who stood in front of a column of tanks, plastic bags in hand, has become synonymous with the courage of 1989. His defiant stance is credited with halting violence, at least momentarily, and has inspired generations. Because of its symbolic power, Beijing has worked relentlessly to suppress all references to tanks in cultural and online spaces. This year, World of Tanks became collateral damage.
Price Tags Censored
(Screen capture of the group chat.)
What happened –
In a group chat on the e-commerce platform Little Red Book, a moderator reminded sellers not to use the following price points during June:
“0.64; 0.89; 5.35; 19.89; 53.5; 535; 3664; 3689; 6436; 6489”
Some users asked why. There were no official answers. A few responded with laughter—those who understood the significance found it absurd, but knew better than to say more.
Context –
It’s not hard to guess why 64, 89, or 1989 might be sensitive. But “5.35” requires explanation: in Chinese internet slang, where users constantly invent new ways to evade censorship, May 35th is code for June 4th. Thus, 5.35—May 35th—has also made the blacklist.
Deepseek Can’t Answer a Simple Question
What happened –
A Chinese netizen asked the generative AI platform Deepseek, “What happened on this day in 1989?” The answer: “We cannot answer this question.”
Context –
All AI tools operating in China must comply with state censorship. Content related to the Tiananmen Square Massacre is among the most heavily restricted. Whether it’s search engines or chatbots, systems are hardwired to suppress inquiry. Even curiosity is considered a threat.
If memory is power, then the act of remembrance is resistance. For a regime that fears the truth, even numbers—dates, prices, game titles—must be censored. But these small traces remind us: the memory of June 4th lives on, however quietly.