Chinese Protesters Unsure How Far to Go

Allen Wan: “In my almost 13 years in China, I’ve personally witnessed no more than a handful of protests: In Shanghai’s People’s Square during the Jasmine Revolution movement of 2011 and more recently last year in Shenzhen, where angry depositors demonstrated in front of distressed property developer Evergrande’s headquarters in an attempt to get their money back.”

“While people do push back, largely on issues of local importance — the building of a contentious road, say, or concerns about pollution near a village — never could I have imagined thousands of Shanghai residents, young and old, converging along Wulumuqi Road in the famous French Concession on a Sunday night, demanding an end to Covid Zero, among other grievances.”

New York Times: “In a country where dissent is quickly smothered, and most people have never had the chance to protest, many were unsure what to ask for, let alone what could actually happen. The only sure thing seemed to be a sense of urgency — that this was a rare moment that had to be seized.”