A table of stories, censorship, and creativity.

FÀN, pronounced like “fan,” is the pinyin spelling of the Chinese character 饭, meaning “meal.”

In the fandom communities of mainland China, however, 饭 refers to the creative content served to fans—stories, fan art, fan videos, and other forms of 产出 (output or fanworks). Because of this food metaphor, consuming fan content is often described as 吃饭 (eating a meal), and the creators who make them are in a way called 厨子 (chefs). However, what fans consume isn’t just content, but emotional nourishment, crafted with care by people who share their love and passion within a chosen community.

This project is intended for content creators, as well as anyone curious about how fandom culture navigates the landscape of censorship in mainland China. Through interviews with narrators, it brings together their fanworks, their reflections on making and sharing content, and their lived experiences with platform moderation and content takedowns. By gathering these voices and “serving” them to visitors, this site invites you to sit down at the table—to taste not only what’s been made, but also what it took to make it.