Lu Xun Smoking Mural Sparks Debate Over Historical Accuracy and Moral Censorship in Zhejiang】
A mural of China’s literary titan Lu Xun, clutching a cigarette, has become the flashpoint of an unexpected cultural debate in the eastern province of Zhejiang. The image, painted on a wall inside the Lu Xun Native Place scenic area in Shaoxing, is a faithful recreation of the writer at a time when he was known to indulge in smoking. Last month a citizen identified only as Ms. Sun lodged a formal complaint on the government’s 12345 service hotline, arguing that the depiction could “mislead” young people and should be altered or removed.
26 August 2025
The complaint quickly attracted attention on Chinese social media, where users shared the story with hashtags that translated roughly as “Lu Xun’s smoking mural will not be changed.” While a handful of netizens echoed Ms. Sun’s concerns, the overwhelming response was one of defiance. Comments on Weibo praised the scene’s historical authenticity, with many likening the objection to “political correctness” gone awry and even invoking the recent controversy over “poisonous textbooks” as a cautionary parallel.
Against the backdrop of this online furor, the Shaoxing Lu Xun Memorial Hall – the body that manages the historic site – issued a clear statement: the mural will remain untouched. The Zhejiang Provincial Lu Xun Research Association backed the decision, emphasizing that the image reflects a documented facet of the writer’s life and carries “ideological connotations” that belong in the public record. Their combined stance was echoed by a broad swath of the public, many of whom posted short, triumphant messages such as “hard‑headed and good review!” and “Lu Xun’s smoking is a true historical depiction; art should not be blamed for ‘misleading’ anyone.”
The episode is more than a dispute over a single artwork; it encapsulates a clash between public health concerns, parental anxieties and the desire to preserve historical accuracy. On one side, Ms. Sun’s appeal illustrates a growing willingness among parents to police the moral content of public spaces, especially those frequented by schoolchildren. On the other, cultural custodians argue that excising a historically accurate detail amounts to a form of censorship that distorts the past.
For museums and heritage sites across China, the incident sends a clear signal. Institutions must now navigate a delicate balance: presenting authentic, sometimes unflattering, aspects of revered figures while also managing the risk of public backlash in an age where a single complaint can cascade across social platforms in hours. Some observers suggest that the solution lies not in erasing uncomfortable details but in providing richer context—explanatory plaques or audio guides that situate Lu Xun’s smoking habit within the norms of early 20th‑century intellectual circles and juxtapose it against contemporary anti‑smoking campaigns.
The debate also touches on broader questions of artistic freedom and social responsibility. While the mural is not a new work of contemporary art, its continued display raises the issue of where the line is drawn between respecting historical truth and fulfilling a perceived duty to protect impressionable minds. The involvement of state mechanisms, exemplified by the 12345 hotline, underscores how government channels can become arenas for moral adjudication, even on matters as seemingly trivial as a cigarette in a portrait.
In the final analysis, the Lu Xun smoking mural controversy has become a microcosm of China’s evolving dialogue about how history should be presented in the public sphere. The decision to keep the image unchanged reaffirms a commitment to historical fidelity, while the fervent online discussion reveals a society still negotiating the boundaries between cultural heritage, public health advocacy and the ever‑expanding reach of citizen‑driven oversight.
