On November 27, 2022, in Beijing, China, protesters held up blank sheets of paper as a symbol against censorship during demonstrations against the government's stringent zero-COVID measures. Protests erupted across multiple Chinese cities following a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang Province, with many blaming COVID restrictions for the tragedy. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
[People News]“At that time, every day was filled with news of tragedies caused by extreme lockdown measures, leaving a deep sense of helplessness. The dictator would never admit his mistakes, and the people didn’t realize the root cause of these tragedies. I felt I had to do something.” On Sunday (November 17), Chris Zhang, an IT professional from Chengdu and a participant in the White Paper Movement, shared his motivation for joining the protests during a meeting commemorating the movement’s second anniversary. The event was held at the Los Altos Library in California's South Bay area.
According to Voice of America, in November 2022, large-scale protests broke out in dozens of cities and university campuses across China. Protesters demanded an end to the government’s nearly three-year-long harsh “dynamic zero-COVID policy.” The protests initially erupted on November 26, 2022, at Nanjing Communication University. The immediate trigger was a deadly fire on November 24 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, which claimed the lives of 10 residents trapped by lockdown restrictions.
Subsequently, protesters in cities like Beijing and Shanghai chanted political slogans such as “Freedom, democracy, rule of law,” “No to Cultural Revolution, yes to reform,” “Down with dictatorship,” “Step down, Xi Jinping,” “Down with the Communist Party,” and “Rehabilitate June Fourth (Tiananmen Square protests).” In response to this unprecedented wave of dissent, the Chinese authorities hastily abandoned the dynamic zero-COVID policy within days. This marked the first time since the founding of the Communist regime that public outcry forced the government to reverse an enforced policy. However, many participants in the White Paper Movement were secretly targeted by authorities afterward.
The movement derived its name from the blank sheets of paper protesters held to symbolize their opposition to censorship. This wave of protests, also called the White Paper Revolution, was the largest politically motivated mass demonstration in China since the suppression of the 1989 pro-democracy movement.
Chris Zhang’s activism predated the White Paper Movement but was closely related to it. Zhang shared that he was inspired by the bravery of Peng Lifa.
On October 13, 2022, Peng Lifa displayed two banners and used a loudspeaker to call for Xi Jinping’s resignation on Beijing’s Sitong Bridge, burning tires to attract public attention before being arrested by the police.
Peng Lifa’s slogans, such as “No nucleic acid tests, we want food; no Cultural Revolution, we want reform; no lockdown, we want freedom; no leaders, we want votes; no lies, we want dignity; be a citizen, not a slave,” gained widespread attention online and were later adopted by the White Paper Movement a month later.
Chris Zhang decided to use his technical skills to disseminate Peng’s ideas. On October 17 and 18, 2022, he used Apple’s AirDrop feature to send slogans and protest guides to commuters on the Chengdu Metro, reaching over 300 people.
However, on October 20, 2022, Zhang was reported to the authorities. Seven police officers arrested him at his workplace. During his detention, Zhang was slapped multiple times by the police before being taken to the Chengdu Public Security Bureau’s Metro Police Division.
In the coming weeks, Chinese communities worldwide are expected to hold events commemorating the two-year anniversary of the White Paper Movement. One of the earliest events was a sharing session held on the afternoon of November 17 at the Los Altos Library in the San Francisco Bay Area. The session featured Chris Zhang and another young activist from Chengdu, Jack Wei, who recounted their experiences and challenges during their awakening on the streets of Chengdu two years ago.
Jack Wei said that even before participating in the White Paper Movement, he had been closely following the Urumqi fire incident and felt a strong aversion to mandatory COVID testing. Upon learning about a planned White Paper protest on Wangping Street (a street in Chengdu), he didn’t hesitate to take a taxi to the protest site.“During the march, I shouted, ‘Down with the nucleic acid economy! Be a citizen, not a slave!’ At that moment, as a Chinese citizen, I truly felt the sensation of freedom,” Jack said.
Arrest, Detention, and Abuse
Chris Zhang shared the harrowing details of his arrest and detention at the Chengdu Public Security Bureau’s Metro Police Division. He described being strapped to an interrogation chair that suspended his limbs and back for 24 hours. The police demanded the passwords to all his social media and phone accounts, threatening him with a three-to-five-year prison sentence. The police also detained his partner, threatening Zhang with family separation if he didn’t cooperate. They forced him to resign from his job and threatened to investigate his colleagues if he refused.
Chris Zhang told Voice of America, "The police forced me to write a self-criticism and record a confession video. Because I am part of a minority group, I was subjected to insults from many officers. In the end, I was given 15 days of administrative detention."
In the detention center, Zhang was made to wear a red vest indicating he was associated with a politically sensitive case and was prohibited from interacting with other detainees. Upon release, he was forced to quit his job, move, and endure social isolation.
Jack Wei also faced physical abuse from the police. “At the protest site, I was surrounded, beaten, and carried into a police van. Someone tried to help, shouting for my release, but they were overpowered,” he said. During interrogation, Wei told the police he opposed the COVID policies and nucleic acid economy. He was coerced into signing a statement of repentance and received a warning.
According to Wei, 40 to 50 participants in the Chengdu protests were detained at the local police station.
After the sharing session, Chris Zhang's partner, Austin Qiu, also recounted his experience during the movement to Voice of America. He said he had seen some of Peng Lifa’s slogans on Twitter and Citizen Daily and had shared them with Chris.
“On October 22, after Chris suddenly went missing, I waited for him until midnight. After 12 a.m., a group of seven or eight people barged into our room with Chris. The police confiscated my phone,” Austin said. He demanded to see a search warrant, but they did not produce one.
He was slapped by the police and interrogated throughout the night. The officers tried to coerce him into saying he was dissatisfied with Xi Jinping, but he did not take the bait. He stated that his discontent stemmed from the pandemic and the inaction of the High-Tech Zone Public Security Bureau, which led him to share Peng Lifa’s slogans. The police threatened to reveal his sexual orientation to his parents. After being detained for 24 hours, he was released, but his phone was confiscated by the Public Security Bureau.
Witnesses: Exiled Abroad, We Have No Regrets
Both Zhang and Wei ultimately fled China.
Chris Zhang, now residing in the South Bay Area of San Francisco, explained why he decided to leave immediately.
"In 2023, the local government barred me from renting housing in their jurisdiction. I was listed as a key target. Even after a year, they wouldn’t let us go. To us, China felt like a giant prison,” he said.
Zhang and Qiu first went to Hong Kong before entering the U.S. on tourist visas. “Every step before leaving felt hopeless,” Zhang admitted.
Looking back, Zhang’s only regret was not researching safety measures before using AirDrop to share messages in the subway. “But no matter how many times I could redo it, I believe I would still be part of the series of protests surrounding the White Paper Movement. I couldn’t stay silent against my conscience,” he said.
Jack Wei left China immediately after being released from 24-hour detention. On December 21, 2022, he flew to Australia, later moving to the U.S. for studies.
He said that he had already been strongly considering leaving the country in the second half of 2022.
"The 'Tropical Rainforest' incident in Chengdu, where someone who revealed the truth was labeled a rumor-monger and detained for 15 days, made me no longer want to stay in this country. So I tried various ways to leave China. Fortunately, in early November 2022, I won a working holiday visa to Australia," Jack Wei told Voice of America.
The "Tropical Rainforest" incident Jack Wei referred to happened on August 29, 2022, when a social media user with the ID "Tropical Rainforest" posted a "prediction" about an impending lockdown in Chengdu and was subsequently detained by the police.
Jack Wei said, "If I had to choose again, I would still join the White Paper Movement. My personality is such that if I didn’t know about it, it wouldn’t matter. But knowing there was a White Paper Movement gathering in Chengdu and not going would be something I’d regret for the rest of my life."
Jack Wei now lives in San Francisco as a student and continues to closely follow China’s democracy movement.
The two-year anniversary sharing session for the White Paper Revolution was organized by Shooting Stars Studio, a local diasporic youth community group in the San Francisco Bay Area. The studio's leader, Duan Jingji, told Voice of America that the two young men had proactively reached out to her to organize the event.
"They broke through themselves, defied the regime, and stepped out into freedom. We need to commemorate and celebrate their freedom," she said. She added, "The exiled participants of the White Paper Movement represent ‘China’s freshest memories and deepest pains,’ as well as the unyielding spirit of young protesters."
Zhao Wei, a volunteer with Shooting Stars Studio and a victim of China’s infamous "709 Lawyer Crackdown," remarked that the White Paper Movement is a shared memory for many young dissidents in China. “The movement is the greatest common denominator for young dissidents. This event is a commemoration, a record of public memory, and a means to unite overseas youth who share universal values,” Zhao explained.
China's Democratic Future: Speaking Out Amidst Repression
During the interactive segment of the event, Chris Zhang and Jack Wei joined other Chinese youth and representatives from democracy and human rights organizations to discuss strategies for advancing rights under authoritarian rule and to speculate on the future of China’s democratic movement.
Chris Zhang told Voice of America, "In the 33 years since the 1989 pro-democracy movement, the Chinese government’s control has become increasingly powerful and stringent, forcing dissenters to be more cautious and subtle. However, even under tightening restrictions, people always find cracks to voice their dissent — this is how the White Paper Movement came about."
Zhang said he believes that future democratic movements in China might take more subtle forms of expression and involve more diverse groups.
"After the White Paper Movement, the CCP's crackdown on collective actions will become increasingly severe. In such a high-pressure environment, there won’t be direct confrontations but rather more symbolic forms of dissent. For example, in the past two years during Halloween, young people expressed their dissatisfaction in symbolic ways, and now students are using night cycling to voice their concerns. Previously, participants were mostly young students, but the CCP’s tightening restrictions and economic decline will likely lead to more explosive situations under growing repression, expanding participation to include workers, farmers, and others," he explained.
On November 8, just before the two-year anniversary of the White Paper Movement, university students in Zhengzhou, Henan, sparked a night cycling craze, riding to the nearby city of Kaifeng. Reports indicated that more than 200,000 people participated, forming a convoy stretching tens of kilometers, described as having a momentum reminiscent of the White Paper Movement two years earlier.
Although some students carried CCP flags and sang the national anthem, the event clearly alarmed authorities, who subsequently banned night cycling and imposed lockdown measures on Henan universities, triggering student backlash.
“Students under mounting academic and job pressures used adventurous night cycling to release emotions and find belonging. But after the White Paper Movement, authorities are deeply fearful of youth gatherings, even those with no political implications,” Zhang observed.
Wei remarked, “China’s economic situation is deteriorating rapidly, creating fertile ground for social unrest. Collective rights protection incidents are increasingly common. While past democracy movements were bottom-up, perhaps one day figures like Ren Zhiqiang from within the system might collaborate with external forces, ushering in a new chapter for China’s democratization.”
Returning to Fight Locally?
After the event, Voice of America interviewed Fang Zheng, chairman of the Democracy Education Foundation, a local human rights organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fang emphasized the need to encourage more exiled individuals abroad to speak out and expose the CCP as a rogue regime.
"This state is a terrorist regime. You must first free yourself from fear of it and bravely resist. Like the young people in the White Paper Movement, who courageously took the first step by silently holding up blank sheets of paper — that was the greatest act of defiance against the regime, a silent protest. Taking that first step paves the way for future resistance," he said.
Fang argued that China’s problems must ultimately be addressed within its borders and among its people to achieve real solutions.
He stated, "When it comes to social movements, efforts from abroad are like scratching an itch through a boot. The ultimate solution lies in a group of individuals with ideas, preparation, courage, and responsibility, who can eventually return to China, step to the forefront, and actively contribute to the process of democratic transformation. That’s when true impact will be made."
"I also hope that many people will follow this path, just like during the Xinhai Revolution when revolutionaries bravely returned to China from overseas. I also hope that one day, when the time is right, I too can return to China. But that moment will only come if we collectively create it," Fang Zheng said.
Zhou Fengsuo, a former student leader who was among the 21 most wanted after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and now serves as the Executive Director of Humanitarian China, also attended the November 17 sharing session. He described the gathering as both a "sharing" and a "source of motivation," inspiring everyone to continue moving forward.
After the event, Zhou held up a placard featuring a portrait of Wu Yanan, an associate professor at Tianjin's Nankai University. He called for the CCP to release Wu, who openly supported the White Paper Movement and protected students during the protests.
"Wu Yanan is a young teacher at Nankai University. Because she supported students participating in the White Paper Movement, she was reportedly sent to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and has since disappeared. There have been no updates on her condition. I am calling once again for her release. I also urge students, faculty, and alumni of Nankai University to confirm Wu Yanan’s whereabouts and her current situation!" Zhou said.
News magazine bootstrap themes!
I like this themes, fast loading and look profesional
Thank you Carlos!
You're welcome!
Please support me with give positive rating!
Yes Sure!