Recently, students from Anlu No. 1 High School, recognized as a 'provincial demonstration school' in Hubei, staged a collective strike due to a significant reduction in their holiday. (Photo provided by interviewees)
[People News] A group of high school students in Hubei Province, aged just 16 and 17, have already begun to experience the pressures of the education system before even entering the workforce. In a courageous act of 'striking back', they are fighting to reclaim their holiday rights.
Why do rebellions occur every year?
Recently, students from Anlu No. 1 High School initiated a collective strike in response to the school's decision to cut the originally planned 20-day summer vacation down to just 5 days. The students displayed a banner that read 'Anti-Autocracy, Advocate Equality' and questioned the school administration, asking, 'Why does someone rebel every year?' According to informed students, the school's eventual concession was largely due to the students' rare spirit of unity.
Videos recorded by students on campus show a large crowd gathered in the school square and the first-floor hall of the teaching building, chanting together for a 'longer vacation', creating a powerful atmosphere.
Meanwhile, teachers and school leaders in the teaching building paused to observe. However, when they noticed the students holding a banner that read 'Anti-Autocracy, Advocate Equality, Give Me Back My 20 Days of Summer Vacation!!!', the atmosphere intensified, causing the school leaders to become alarmed and unable to remain seated. They quickly dispatched personnel to the scene in an attempt to regain control of the situation.
This banner signifies that the students have progressed from merely seeking a holiday break to experiencing a political awakening.
The school quickly dispatched personnel to the scene to engage in a "dialogue" with the students. However, their strategy was not to address the collective demands directly; instead, they sought to indirectly fulfill the requests of a few students for a "longer holiday," attempting to divide and weaken the protesting students.
Video footage reveals that the school offered to grant personal leave to several students who were leading the protests and were outspoken, while the rest of the students were still subjected to the original decision of "only 5 days off."
Nevertheless, this "divide and conquer" approach did not succeed. The leading students were not appeased and continued to remain on site, insisting on their protests. Other students also recognized the school's insincere intentions.
In the video, a male student loudly challenged the school officials present: "Teacher, why do people rebel every year? Have you ever thought about this question?!"
This question quickly went viral online and was seen as the most striking moment of the entire protest.
As long as the students stand united, the school will yield.
According to reports from netizens, under the sustained pressure from students and the continuous circulation of videos from the incident, the school was ultimately compelled to compromise that day, announcing arrangements for students to have a longer holiday.
Chen Haotian (pseudonym), a former student of the old campus of Anlu No. 1 High School who is currently interning after leaving school, shared with The Epoch Times that he has been active in several student group chats and participating in discussions. He noted that the key reason for the school's eventual concession was the rare unity among students, stating, "In fact, as long as the students are somewhat united, the school generally will compromise."
He stated that students initially intended to report to the education bureau or relevant authorities, but "last year, the reporting hotline was completely ineffective, and no one paid attention. The education bureau always just says 'pending'. It’s too corrupt here, which is why everyone later considered offline protests."
Chen Haotian believes that the living conditions at the school are particularly poor, noting that "the school has many strange rules. I couldn’t tolerate that school, so I started my internship in June."
This incident highlights the long-standing dissatisfaction among students, which suddenly erupted during the summer vacation after being suppressed, and it also demonstrates that when students present a unified demand, the school is ultimately compelled to make adjustments.
A gap between words and actions
Since the Chinese Communist Party introduced the "double reduction" policy in 2021, aimed at "reducing the heavy homework burden on students in compulsory education and alleviating the burden of off-campus training," local education bureaus have ostensibly cracked down on off-campus training. However, the competitive nature of the college entrance examination system remains unchanged. Many high schools, particularly prestigious boarding schools, pursue high enrollment rates and academic performance while charging students exorbitant review fees. They continuously shorten holidays for tutoring and drastically compress students' statutory holidays and weekends, which has ultimately fueled the rebellious anger of high school students.
In recent years, collective protests by middle school students have erupted in several cities, including Foshan in Guangdong, Xinyang in Henan Province, Shandong, Hebei, and Yancheng in Jiangsu. These events were driven by the unity and determination of the students, which ultimately forced the schools and local education bureaus to compromise and restore some holidays.
The success of the protest at Anlu No. 1 High School in Hubei Province, which sparked a massive online response, can be attributed to the students overcoming the school's attempts to divide them. The question posed by the students, 'Why do people rebel every year?' became a viral catchphrase, as it directly addresses the systemic contradictions of high-pressure control and the neglect of students' legitimate rights and interests, exposing the grim reality of 'the school forcing students to rebel every year.' The summer vacation was cut from 20 days to just 5, living conditions were poor, and bizarre rules were prevalent. This situation clearly resembles a 'college entrance examination concentration camp' that exploits students under the guise of education.
The political significance of the banner 'Oppose Centralization, Advocate Equality'
What is particularly surprising is that this group of high school students not only demanded a normal 'long vacation,' but they also raised a banner reading 'Oppose Centralization, Advocate Equality' in front of the teaching building.
The students' protest highlights a core conflict: the school's management often operates under a 'one-man rule' model, lacking democratic dialogue and responding to student demands with indifference. The unreasonable deprivation of students' legitimate rights to holidays and rest has led to widespread dissatisfaction. They have bravely challenged authority and engaged in collective resistance, becoming the youngest rights protection group in China. Many of these students involved in the protest refer to themselves as 'uprising' or 'rebellion,' reflecting the rising public discontent and shifting sentiments among the populace in mainland China.
In mainland China, students are seen as thoughtful, energetic, and free from family burdens, making them a vital force for social change, while also being a primary target for the Communist Party authorities focused on 'maintaining stability.'
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