Thousands of people took to China’s streets in November 2022 to denounce the government’s strict zero-COVID policy, displaying blank sheets of paper and raising flower bouquets into the air. Reaching more than a dozen cities, these were China’s most widespread demonstrations to target the country’s top leaders since 1989, when the government crushed the Tiananmen Square protests.
Since then, Beijing has worked to quell most dissent. President Xi Jinping has gone further than previous leaders, overseeing the imprisonment of human rights activists, an increase in internet censorship and surveillance, and the harassment of journalists and academics.
Despite this ramped-up repression, protests still happen every day in mainland China, though they usually focus on local issues and have rarely reached the scale of the November demonstrations. Over the years, people have gathered to call for workplace protections, reparations for man-made disasters, and many other causes. Some were successful, while others were ignored or even repressed.
Here’s a look at protests in the country since 1989—and what drives activists to stand up against all odds.
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