Mediating forgetting as memory activism: The Hedao community’s independent documentary and online activism in contemporary China

Memory activism under authoritarian regimes remains underexplored. In contemporary China, counter-memories face systematic censorship and repression. How can activism persist in such conditions? What do activists aim to remember and how do they ensure the survival of their work? This article examines the Hedao community’s documentary and digital archiving efforts (2012–2024) to promote remembrance of their experiences as child labourers during the Cultural Revolution and their struggles for compensation under suppression. Through textual analyses of three documentary series, thematic analysis of 73 archives and document research, I argue that their memory work engages in what I term mediating forgetting. Drawing on amnesiology, I propose that forgetting – the reduced accessibility and availability of certain information – is not merely a state to be countered but also both an object of remembrance and a strategic tool for memory activists. First, the Hedao community’s documentaries expose how contested memories were deliberately erased or concealed by the regime and its consequence, fostering awareness and reflection on forced forgetting. Second, their digital archives safeguard censored counter-memories. Third, the community deliberately preserves their work in hard-to-access digital spaces. This strategy, termed ‘status of latency’, allows them to evade immediate suppression while ensuring their work remains intact for future rediscovery, sustaining the potential for mnemonic and social change over time. This study offers a comparative perspective for current discussions on memory activism and opens up a new opportunity to explore the significance of forgetting, rather than only remembering, in memory activism studies.