The Hooligans

Rabble-rousers, riffraff, scoundrels, and criminals. Troublemakers, wanderers, deviants, misfits. They’ve gone by many names—but to the Chinese state, they were once known simply as The Hooligans.

The Mao-era crime of “hooliganism” (流氓罪) was notorious for its broad scope and arbitrary enforcement. It became a blunt tool used to silence dissent, police morality, and punish anyone seen as a threat to political or social order, including sexual minorities and political dissidents. The last known person imprisoned under the charge was a protester in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement.

When “hooliganism” was finally removed from the Criminal Code, it didn’t vanish—it evolved. In its place came “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (寻衅滋事), a catch-all offence capable of criminalising almost any act of resistance to the Party’s carefully curated image of civility. Feminists protesting sexual harassment, and blank-paper demonstrators demanding human rights under censorship, have all found themselves caught in its crosshairs.

Sweeping anti-corruption campaigns continue today under the slogan “hunting tigers and swatting flies,” which promises to target both powerful elites and low-level officials. Yet, as with earlier crackdowns, the real target is not only corruption but also disobedience.

For as long as rules have existed, people have found ways to break them. In the face of relentless restrictions, Chinese artists have learned to think beyond imposed boundaries. Refusing to cooperate, daring to defy, and stirring up trouble, the artists in this exhibition speak for those sacrificed to keep the peace.