Overview

The 2022 China COVID-19 Protests or A4 Revolution refers to a protest movement across several cities in China that erupted in late November 2022. The immediate trigger of the protests was harsh coronavirus quarantine restrictions enacted after an uptick of cases (known as the zero-COVID policy) and an apartment fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang province that saw quarantined people die because firefighters weren't able to access the burning building due to lockdown measures. The protests also tapped into a broader discontent with harsh COVID measures in major cities, purported increases in the authoritarianism of Xi Jinping's third term where he installed himself as a potential leader for life, as well as government censorship and other controversial policies. During the demonstrations, many protestors hold or post blank sheets of A4-sized paper online, symbolizing how they are forbidden to say anything against the government but still wish to express their desire for freedom.

Background

The Chinese Communist Party has ruled the People's Republic of China since 1949, administering the country through strong centralized control and limiting the freedoms of its people. Xi Jinping became President of China in 2013, and in 2022 during a meeting on the country's Politburo, moved to become its leader for life by receiving an unprecedented third term as President in which he rewrote China's constitution.^[1]

Xi Jinping's tenure has been characterized by a tightening of the government's already tight grip on China.^[9] His administration has notably carried out a genocide against the Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang province and introduced increased surveillance of citizens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government introduced highly strict quarantine measures as part of a controversial "zero-COVID" policy.^[10] As a result of the policy, many people in China were essentially trapped in their homes for months on end and sometimes had difficulty finding food or accessing resources.

In November 2022, a resurgence of the coronavirus in China led to another tightening of quarantine measures, which was largely unpopular with citizens. On November 24th, 2022, an apartment fire in the city of Urumqi, in Xinjiang province then resulted in several deaths. Many believed that quarantine measures prevented first responders from reaching people who needed help.^[2]

In many major cities in China, peaceful protests broke out against the strict coronavirus quarantine measures and the government's totalitarian policies in general. These were the largest displays of protest and civil disobedience since the events at Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 1989.^[3] Online posts, such as the November 26th post seen below by Twitter user @GFWfrog, which received over 28,000 likes in three days, depicted the protests, the massive crowds and their anti-dictator chanting.^[5]

Developments

A4 Revolution

In late November 2022, the protests rapidly evolved into a broader discontent among Chinese citizens beyond the apartment fire and coronavirus restrictions, though these largely played a role.^[9] For example, to push back against restrictions on free speech in China, protestors held up sheets of blank white paper, later dubbed the "A4 Revolution" named after the size of the commonly used paper. These sheets of paper ironically symbolize how the government prevents people from exercising their free speech.

White paper as a symbol of resistance first became popularized in 2020 in Hong Kong when another protest movement sought to prevent the Chinese Communist Party's tightening of controls over the city's government and people.

On November 29th, 2022, sales of A4-sized paper were reportedly suspended by China's major paper producers, according to media outlets and various accounts online. However, in a statement provided to CNN, paper companies stated that sales had not been suspended and all was normal.^[7]

Weekend of November 26-27

On the weekend of November 26th and 27th, 2022, at least 14 major Chinese cities saw large public protests. In Shanghai, a city that had already seen widespread discontent with strict lockdown measures, protestors congregated at a street called Urumqi Road, which shared a name with the city in Xinjiang where the apartment fire took place.

Because the protestors gathered at Urumqi Road, government authorities decided to remove the street sign, leading many to mock them online. On November 27th, 2022, posts on platforms like Twitter, such as one (seen below) by user @xyczgmyx1 that earned roughly 5,000 likes in two days, mocked the authorities.^[4]

Also on November 27th, the protests in Shanghai and other cities reportedly turned violent, with people posting about mass arrests and the use of violent tactics by government authorities and police.

Protests in China are not rare. What is rare, are multiple protests over the same issue, at the same time, across the country. The protest below, apparently in central Beijing’s liangmaqiao, is astounding #China #protests pic.twitter.com/UHJCqqF1YG

— Tom Mackenzie (@TomMackenzieTV) November 27, 2022

Online Reactions

As media coverage and online discourse surrounding the events in China grew, many social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms sought to provide information and reporting about the protests to people within China and outside of it. For example, footage posted of protests and brutality by security forces spread rapidly on platforms like Twitter, such as a viral video by user jenniferzeng97 on November 27th, 2022, that received over 1.1 million views in three days (seen below).

#Wuhan tonight. Enough is enough with the #CCP’s suppression! pic.twitter.com/grjN5Lgafn

— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferzeng97) November 27, 2022

Some people outside of China also took pictures of themselves holding white paper in solidarity. For example, New Zealand academic Anne-Marie Brady, who specializes in Chinese domestic and foreign politics, earned almost 3,700 likes on Twitter on November 28th (seen below), joining many others who did the same.^[8]

External References