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.
