A new law has been recently drafted in China by the Public Security Administration Punishment Law to ban cosplay in the country, saying that it may damage the spirit of the Chinese nation.

As reported by Wanuxi, China is currently trying to ban the act of cosplay after a recent draft law on the public security administration has been released.

According to the new bill on the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, which is currently under review in China, there are 2 noteworthy new provisions in Article 34.

• Wearing costumes, or emblem, or forcing others to wear them in public places damage the spirit or feelings of the Chinese nation
• Engaging in activities that damage the environment and atmosphere of commemorating heroes and martyrs in public places

As soon as the bill was released, it sparked many discussions on online forums in the Chinese community, where the first provision is said to aim at the act of cosplay.

Recently, a lot of cosplayers in China were said to have been criticized for dressing characters that look Japanese or Western at ACG events.

Despite the cosplayers emphasizing that they are merely dressing up as a character from a video game or animation, they claim that they are still insulted and even forced to undress.

The new bill reminded people that last year, the Natsumatsuri events in mainland China were canceled after many protests, especially the one that was planned to be held in Nanjing.

The protests were said to have happened because of people’s dissatisfaction that a Japanese-style summer festival was held despite the history of Nanjing.

Punishment

As of writing, the new bill by the Public Security Administration Punishment Law is still under review and has not been passed.

However, if the bill passes, anyone found engaging in cosplay may be detained for more than 5 days and less than 10 days, or a fine of more than 1,000 Yuan (RM 650) and not more than 3,000 Yuan (RM 1,950).

In more serious cases, the penalty can be a detention from 10 days to 15 days or less and a fine of up to 5,000 Yuan (RM 3,200).