中國並未審查「中國夢核」（Chinese Dreamcore）內容，但官方媒體已警告美化過去的危險。......雖然「中國夢核」為中國Z世代提供了一個情感宣洩的出口，但其「潛在風險不容忽視」。 「它旨在尋找與自己志同道合、同樣在困惑或脆弱中掙扎的人。它尋找的是一個虛擬空間，讓每個人都能暫時放鬆片刻，」她說。 “它讓我們看到彼此的悲傷，並說：’我也有同樣的感受。’這難道不是一種療癒嗎？”

 中國並未審查「中國夢核」（Chinese Dreamcore）內容，但官方媒體已警告美化過去的危險。甘肅省宣傳部門出版的一篇社會科學期刊文章指出，雖然「中國夢核」為中國Z世代提供了一個情感宣洩的出口，但其「潛在風險不容忽視」。

該文章於今年1月發表，指出“如果Z世代無法自控地沉迷於‘中國夢核’的幻想世界，可能會引發文化症狀”，例如存在主義危機和“潛在的意識形態威脅”，從而損害年輕人“健康的價值觀和核心價值觀”的形成。

雖然前幾代中國藝術家曾利用懷舊和復古意象來批判諸如1966-1976年文化大革命等政治動盪時期，但「中國夢核」在一些人看來卻相對膚淺。

「它更像是一個流行的標籤，」黃先生說。 “究竟有多少人能真正從這個話題標籤中汲取有價值且深刻的意義，還有待觀察，這取決於它能否激發出任何持久的創作。”

艾未未女士曾在英國留學，後來又返回中國。她認為，「中國夢核」的意義並非在於批判當下的中國——她認為中國依然充滿機會與進步。對她而言，目的在於探討人們在面對快速的技術變革和不確定性時所感受到的困惑與不安。

「它旨在尋找與自己志同道合、同樣在困惑或脆弱中掙扎的人。它尋找的是一個虛擬空間，讓每個人都能暫時放鬆片刻，」她說。 “它讓我們看到彼此的悲傷，並說：’我也有同樣的感受。’這難道不是一種療癒嗎？”

China has not censored Chinese Dreamcore content, but state media have warned of the dangers of idealizing the past. An essay in a social sciences journal published by the Chinese province Gansu’s propaganda department said that, while Chinese Dreamcore provided an emotional outlet for China’s Generation Z, its “potential risks should not be ignored.”

“If Generation Z becomes uncontrollably immersed in the fantasy of Dreamcore, it could trigger cultural symptoms” such as existential crises and “hidden ideological threats” that could undermine young people’s development of “a healthy worldview and core values,” the article said in January.

While previous generations of Chinese artists used nostalgia and vintage iconography to criticize periods of political turmoil like the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, Chinese Dreamcore is to some relatively superficial.

“It’s more like a trendy hashtag,” Mr. Huang said. “How many people can truly extract something valuable and profound from this hashtag remains to be seen and depends on whether it inspires any lasting work.”

Ms. Ai, who returned to China after studying in Britain, argues that the point of Chinese Dreamcore is not to criticize this current moment in China, which she said was still full of opportunity and progress. To her, it is about addressing the sense of dislocation in the face of rapid technological change and uncertainty.

“It is about trying to find like-minded people also navigating this state of confusion or vulnerability. It’s looking for a virtual space where everyone can be at ease for a minute,” she said. “It’s seeing one’s sadness and saying, ‘I have it too.’ That’s healing, isn’t it?”