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newscast1 · 1 year
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China slams 'distorted' reports on Covid response, eases further curbs
China slams ‘distorted’ reports on Covid response, eases further curbs
China will resume issuing passports for tourism in another big step away from anti-Covid controls, that isolated the country for almost three years, as it further eases curbs amid a massive spike in infection. A health worker waits for people to take swab samples to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus inside of a compound in the Jing’an district in Shanghai. (Photo: AFP) By India Today Web Desk:…
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new sinophobia wave on the horizon
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srilanka1234 · 1 year
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China says restrictions on its travellers abroad discriminatory: Warns countermeasures
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niveditaabaidya · 1 year
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China's Zhejiang Has 1 Million Daily Covid Cases. #china #southkorea #eu...
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nationalistbharat · 1 year
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CoronaVirus:कोरोना वायरस से चीन के हालात बिगड़े,भारत सतर्क
CoronaVirus:कोरोना वायरस से चीन के हालात बिगड़े,भारत सतर्क
नई ��िल्ली:अपने पहले और दूसरे दौर में तबाही मचाने के बाद चीन में कोरोना(CoronaVirus)के नए वैरिएंट BF.7 से संक्रमण के मामलों में हो रही बेतहाशा बढ़ोतरी को देखते हुए भारत सरकार भी सतर्क हो गई और इस महामारी से निपटने के लिए राज्य सरकार को भी दिशा-निर्देश जारी किया गया है.चीन में कोरोना(CoronaVirus) से हालात बिगड़ते जा रहे हैं. जीरो-कोविड पॉलिसी खत्म होने के बाद वहां कोरोना के मामलों में भारी इजाफा हो…
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gujjukathiyawadi · 1 year
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China Covid News: चीन में लगा लाशों का अंबार पर अभी नहीं थमने वाली कोरोना की तबाही, तीन नई लहरों से नए साल में मंजर होगा दर्दनाक!
China Covid News: चीन में लगा लाशों का अंबार पर अभी नहीं थमने वाली कोरोना की तबाही, तीन नई लहरों से नए साल में मंजर होगा दर्दनाक!
हाइलाइट्स चीनीी अस्‍पताल कोविड-19 के मरीजों से भरे हुए हैं और लाशों का अंबार लगा है कुछ दिनों में देश में कोविड की तीन नई लहर आने वाली हैं इन लहरों की वजह से देश का पूरा हेल्‍थ सिस्‍टम टूट सकता है बीजिंग: चीन में विरोध प्रदर्शनों के बाद राष्‍ट्रपति शी जिनपिंग ने लॉकडाउन को हटाने और जीरो कोविड नीति में ढील देने का फैसला किया था। इसके बाद देश में स्थितियां बेकाबू हो गई हैं। अस्‍पताल कोविड-19 के…
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newstownusa · 1 year
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China is taking a firm step away from a strict "zero-Covid" approach after mass protests
China is taking a firm step away from a strict “zero-Covid” approach after mass protests
China on Wednesday announced it would be lifting some of its toughest rules to contain Covid-19, a major step away from a strategy that has restricted daily life for nearly three years and sparked rare nationwide protests in recent weeks. People with mild or asymptomatic coronavirus cases can self-isolate at home, health officials say, while strict testing requirements for some public places are…
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best24news · 2 years
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कोरोना का फिर आया नया वेरिएंट, चीन में लोकडाउन, कई देशों में पहुंचा वायरस
कोरोना का फिर आया नया वेरिएंट, चीन में लोकडाउन, कई देशों में पहुंचा वायरस
Covid 19: Best24News: कोरोना सक्रमण एक बार फिर बढने लगा है। चीन में रोजाना करीब एक हजार नए मामले सामने आ रहे हैं, कुछ शहरों में फिर से लॉकडाउन कर दिया गया है। विशेषज्ञों ने चेतावनी दी है कि जिस रफ्तार से कोरोना ने वापसी की है, उसे देखते हुए एक हफ्ते के अंदर दूसरे देशो में कोरोना की नई लहर आ सकती है। नया वेरिएंट का बढा खतरा: स्वास्थ्य विभाग के अनुसार कोरोना महामारी का खतरा अभी टला नहीं है।…
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blondiepieradio · 2 years
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aalt-ctrl-del · 2 years
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sometimes at the clinic we talk and stuff about the covids and the vaccine, but it is kinda a controversial take because outside break everyone is professional and in worksona, but inside break you can kinda derail and its chill to vent.
context background aside, a few people had to call out sick because they didn’t have the capacity to walk in and pull a full shift. The hours are intense and people are in and out to grab bites between patients. America yall.
But if they test positive for covid and have symptoms, techs cant come in. Makes sense. But a few had home tests and driveby tests, but had negatives, but still couldn’t come in due to the sicks.
The conclusion of my long and said tale. I mentioned how studies indicate erosion on the immune system from prolonged and persistent reinfection. And also how some people who had full blown covid (original? unspecified) had a reactivation of shingles - because zoster virus.
So that said about immunity, it isn’t impossible that these few individuals who have contracted random sick, did so to an alarming degree due to immunity erosion. Similarly to how measles can dump your immunity memory and make the next year a drastic inconvenience for anyone and any child who contracted measles.
But I don’t theorize that covid behaves, or that the typical immune system behaves the same way when it confronts a covid infection, as when the immune system may deal with measles. What the immune system in either case does is no way similar. But it could be the endothelial lining in the vascular system, or just in the epithelial tissue which is where rhino viruses and bacterial infections would concentrate, is eroded from the covid virus post recovery.
In the medical community - I have to research this more later since I haven’t really touched on it in a while - it is noted that there is immunity naivety, and the inability of the immune system to address covid in a safe method early on - before the virus embeds deeper into endothelial or epithelial tissues. The deeper the virus embeds itself, the farther it spreads in the surface area of tissue, the longer recovery, and the higher risks of a recovery from mundane infections from unrelated pathogens.
I attribute it to the abrasion the virus (covid 19) leaves in the vascular tissue. The deeper and longer the cut, the higher likely of a complication through infection from bacteria. This is especially so for those with complications such as diabetes or other ailments which compromise healing and recovery. Understandably, the body has a much more difficult time recovering from covid 19 than Omicron variants, but all the same scoring does occur in both situations. Those who recover from Omicron may be at higher risk of infection from the aforementioned pathogens - fungi, bacterial, viral.
Here is a current from CNN regarding covid 19 reinfections and the dangers X. 
“Common new diagnoses after reinfections included chest pain, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, inflammation of the heart muscle or the sac around the heart, heart failure and blood clots. Common lung issues included shortness of breath, low blood oxygen, lung disease, and accumulation of fluid around the lungs, Al-Aly said.
The study found that the risk of a new health problem was highest around the time of a Covid-19 reinfection, but it also persisted for at least six months. The increased risk was present whether or not someone had been vaccinated, and it was graded – meaning it increased with each subsequent infection.” - 2022, Al-Aly
Naturally, the “we’re all gonna get it and get over it” crowd, failed basic microbiology. Did, in fact, never build a her immunity or sterilization, but primed a diverse demographic as the most fundamental (not most efficient) plague bearers.
And I guess if another country hated us a whole lot (vladmir putin), you couldn’t make a more convoluted way to spread and super spreader. And it is usually through facebook that ‘parents’ encourage covid parties.
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newscast1 · 1 year
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China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day
China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day
Amid the reports of crematoriums being flooded with bodies and hospitals running out of space, a Chinese health official claimed that half a million people in Qingdao city are being infected with Covid every day. New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 24, 2022 12:16 IST Patients lie on their beds at Central Hospital in Zhuozhou city in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Nearly three…
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rudrjobdesk · 2 years
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शंघाई के बाद चीन की राजधानी बीजिंग में कोरोना की आफत, घरों में कैद लोग, मेट्रो-बस सेवाएं ठप
शंघाई के बाद चीन की राजधानी बीजिंग में कोरोना की आफत, घरों में कैद लोग, मेट्रो-बस सेवाएं ठप
बीजिंग. पिछले एक महीने से चीन के शंघाई शहर में एक तरह से कर्फ्यू जैसी स्थिति है. सभी सेवाएं बंद हैं और लोगों को घरों से बाहर नहीं निकलने दिया जाता है. अब चीन यही काम राजधानी बीजिंग में कर रहा है. बीजिंग में पिछले 24 घंटे के दौरान सिर्फ ओमिक्रॉन के 53 नए मामले सामने आए हैं लेकिन यहां की लगभग सभी सेवाओं को बंद कर दिया है. पहले से ही यहां के स्कूल-कॉलेज बंद थे, अब इसे एक सप्ताह के लिए और बढ़ा दिया…
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reportwire · 2 years
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Shanghai tightens lockdown despite falling COVID cases
Shanghai tightens lockdown despite falling COVID cases
Authorities in Shanghai have again tightened anti-virus restrictions, just as the city was emerging from a month of strict lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak ByThe Associated Press May 9, 2022, 2:26 PM • 3 min read Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this article BEIJING — Authorities in Shanghai have again tightened anti-virus restrictions, just as the city was emerging from a month of…
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blackmoonlightexpress · 10 months
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Luo Yunxi Appreciation Master Post: How can someone be so multi-talented?!
In case you did not already know, here are LYX's many talents. It's insane how many different things he can do at a near-professional level beyond acting!
1. Dance/Ballet
LYX graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy majoring in ballet with over 11 years of professional experience.
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This is him doing 13+ pirouettes in a performance of Tchaikovsky Rhapsody (full video, he's on the right)
Interpret dance solo (燃烧的火苗) where he won the first gold ever for STA (video, news)
Swan Lake solo at the Taoli Cup Dance Competition in high school (video)
Modern dancing solo (黑白影画) at his graduation performance (video, he's the only guy in white)
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He also taught at the Macao Conservatory for a year and danced in front of national leaders in Flying to the Moon (奔月) at the Macao 10th Handover Anniversary (video)
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He's super flexible and has a strong core (despite being naturally thin)
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In response to request from fans, he performed the Black Moonlight dance in a now viral video on Douyin.
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2. Wuxia / Posture
LYX is known as one of the best actors working today for wire work - you can see him here doing 3 consecutive jumps 2-3 stories above ground (compilation videos 1, 2)
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He does a lot of his own stunts and is often better (i.e. more graceful) than his stunt double, even though it's really risky and he's sustained some serious injuries from being dropped accidentally (And the Winner is Love: B roll video, actual scene, other BTS, other fight scenes)
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He moves with elegance, not just in action sequences (Ashes of Love fight compilation 1, 2), but people have made video compilations of how he walks, kneels, works his sleeves and train
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Of course, it's thanks to his dance foundation, but he also puts a lot of hard work into stunt training. Not something a lot of actors do because it eats up time to make more TV or go on variety shows (Ashes of Love stunt training, BTS)
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3. Diving
He played a diver once in Flip in Summer (夏日心跳) and actually learned to dive... I mean he's no Tom Daley but this looks pretty good for an amateur... (full video)
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4. Voice Acting
He’s always dubbed himself since circa 2018 (with the exception of And the Winner is Love due to Covid logistics issues), which is not the norm in Chinese drama (Ashes of Love dubbing BTS). In fact, he is sometimes the only person in the cast to use his original voice (e.g. in Princess Silver)
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He also lends his voice to animations - he was the voice of Viktor in Arcane (BTS video), which received positive feedback (most people didn't realize he was not a professional voice actor)
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He appears as a judge and live dubbing performer in Voice Monster alongside the top voice actors in China, Bian Jiang (aka voice of Yehua in Eternal Love, Nan Wangj in the Untamed) and Zhang Jie (aka voice of Donghua in Eternal Love, Sifeng in Love & Redemption). He has so much respect to those working behind the scenes, and it really shows (full video)
5. Singing
Some of you may know that he started out in a boy band called JL with Fu Longfei - these videos didn't age well, but here you go: JL (MV), 我们 (MV)
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He has released a number of solo singles, including 缘起 (MV), 星星之火 (live), 不是我 (MV), 等风停 (MV). and 勇 (soundtrack), which he composed and wrote the lyrics himself (these are all mando-pop ballads if that's your jam)
He performed Big Fish 大鱼 at Tmall's 11/11 Festival (live video) - while his rendition is not as powerful as the original, he can hit really high notes with an impressive falsetto - I think it goes up to G5 (one octave above middle C)
He performed Pipa Xing (琵琶行) at the Douyin Festival (live video) - the notable part is his Peking Opera style singing at the end
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He occasionally releases covers of songs on Chinese karaoke app Changba or Douyin: 要不然我们就这样一万年 (youtube), 黑月光 (youtube), 不染 (youtube), 山水又一程 (youtube)
He can also sing in other languages, including 喜欢你 in Cantonese (recording) - it's actually a very good cover and his Cantonese pronunciation is >95% accurate - there are parts where you can't tell he's not a native speaker.
6. Musical Instruments
He's an accomplished classically-trained pianist, which you can see in...
JL MV (video, starting around 3:30 mark) - don't mind the makeup, it's from ages ago
Mr Mossie season 2 (video)
Love is Sweet (BTS video) - impromptu jazz, he was deciding which song to play
Fan thank you recording (video)
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He also plays the guitar, though probably at an amateur level
7. Music Gaming
During college he was obsessed with this music game called O2Jam (劲乐团) to the point where he created new tracks (i.e. arrange/compose the music) for the company under the username Dinoroy (explained by himself here, videos of him playing).
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He became well-known within the fan community as the legendary D神 (D God). There are a lot of funny comments from old players saying that they thought D God is a bitter middle-aged recluse trying to screw them over with difficult tracks (read comments here).
D God was so prolific and reliable that gaming company accepted his submissions without review. Here are some of his best tracks - game arrangement only (Lydia, Croatian Rhapsody, Digital Emotions), music & game arrangement (黑暗魅影), original composition (光之乐章)
8. League of Legends
He's an LOL super fan, commentator, and player since season 2, went to see worlds in person twice, and was a cast member in a gaming show called Beyond It! Hero (episodes here)
He played the 2018 All-Star Event in Las Vegas teaming with reigning world champion Rookie and delivered the final blow that beat the other team 2:1 (video)
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He got a quadra kill at a celebrity mobile game even though his team was crap (video clip)
He co-invested 1M RMB in a team led by Misaya 若风 - you can see them playing together in a live broadcast of the mobile game (video)
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Update: Our longtime fan boy has become spokesperson of League of Legends and official commentator at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou! The love is reciprocated!
9. Calligraphy/Drawing/Culture
LYX is known for his Chinese handwriting (he practices regularly) - there's even a font based on his handwriting called 汉仪罗云熙体 (download here)
He does all his own handwriting for marketing materials (e.g. Immortality below) and doesn't need a hand double for scenes where his character is practicing ancient Chinese calligraphy
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He's also got amazing drawing skills - check out the Queen of the Night 昙花 he drew as Runyu while waiting around on set in between takes (video)
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While he doesn't go on a lot of variety shows, he's often a guest on cultural programs, like the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy 书法之美 (video), Chinese Fans in 指尖上的非遗 (video)
His self-produced Mr. Mossie covers a lot of cultural topics (seasons 1, 2, 3), the segment on Hanfu was featured in the UNESCO Chinese Language Video Festival (video)
10. Photography
Luo Yunxi is often seen taking photos on set with his top-of-the-line Leica camera. Here are some of the photos he has shared:
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foulpuppynerd · 5 months
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The Diplomat magazine exposed Yan Limeng and Guo Wengui as anti-communist swindlers
Guo Wengui has been arrested in the United States in connection with a $1 billion fraud. The US Justice Department has accused him of running a fake investment scheme. Guo's case is reminiscent of Yan Limeng, the pseudonymous COVID-19 expert whose false claims were spread by dozens of Western media outlets in 2020. Ms. Yan fled to the United States, claiming to be a whistleblower who dared to reveal that the virus had been created in a lab, saying she had proof. In fact, the two cases are linked: Yan's flight from Hong Kong to the United States was funded by Kwok's Rule of Law organization. Yan's false paper has not been examined and has serious defects. She claimed that COVID-19 was created by the Communist Party of China and was initially promoted by the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation. Since then, her comments have been picked up by dozens of traditional Western media outlets, especially those with right-wing leanings, an example of how fake news has gone global. Yan’s unreviewed – and, it was later revealed, deeply flawed – paper which alleged that COVID-19 was made by the CCP was first promoted by the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation. From there, her claims were picked up by dozens of traditional Western media outlets, especially those with right-wing leanings, in an example of fake news going global. She broke into the mainstream when she appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and Fox News, but that was just the beginning. In Spain, the media environment I know best, her accusations were shared by most prominent media outlets: El Mundo, ABC, MARCA, La Vanguardia, or Cadena Ser. Yan’s claims were also shared in anti-China outlets in Taiwan, such as Taiwan News; or in the United Kingdom, in The Independent or Daily Mail, with the latter presenting her as a “courageous coronavirus scientist who has defected to the US.” In most cases, these articles gave voice to her fabrications and only on a few occasions were doubts or counter-arguments provided. Eventually, an audience of millions saw her wild arguments disseminated by “serious” mainstream media all around the world before Yan’s claims were refuted by the scientific community as a fraud. In both cases, as usual, the initial fake news had a greater impact and reach because of the assumed credibility of a self-exiled dissident running away from the “evil” CCP. Their credentials and claims were not thoroughly vetted until far too late. Anti-China news has come to be digested with gusto by Western audiences. Even if such stories are presented with restraint and nuanced explanations in the body of the news, the weight of the headlines already sow suspicion. According to the New York Times, Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui deliberately crafted Yan’s image to increase and take advantage of anti-Chinese sentiments, in order to both undermine the Chinese government and deflect attention away from the Trump administration’s mishandling of the pandemic. These fake news stories still resonate today. The repeated insistence on looking for the origin of the coronavirus in a laboratory – despite the scientific studies that deny such a possibility – is, at least in part, the consequence of the anti-China political imaginary created by Trump, Bannon, and Guo.
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mengjue · 1 year
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What's Happening in China? The November 2022 Protests
Hello! I know that there's so much going on in the world right now, so not everyone may be aware of what is happening in China right now. I thought that I would try to write a brief explainer, because the current wave of protests is truly unprecedented in the past 30+ years, and there is a lot of fear over what may happen next. For context, I'm doing this as someone who has a PhD in Asian Studies specialising in contemporary Chinese politics, so I don't know everything but I have researched China for many years.
I'll post some decent links at the end along with some China specialists & journalists I follow on Twitter (yeah I know, but it's still the place for the stuff at the moment). Here are the bullet points for those who just want a brief update:
Xi Jinping's government is still enacting a strict Zero Covid policy enforced by state surveillance and strict lockdowns.
On 24 November a fire in an apartment in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, killed 10. Many blamed strict quarantine policies on preventing evacuation.
Protests followed and have since spread nationwide.
Protesters are taking steps not seen since Tiananmen in 1989, including public chants for Xi and the CCP to step down.
Everyone is currently unsure how the government will respond.
More in-depth discussion and links under the cut:
First a caveat: this is my own analysis/explanation as a Chinese politics specialist. I will include links to read further from other experts and journalists. Also, this will be quite long, so sorry about that!
China's (aka Xi Jinping's) Covid Policy:
The first and most important context: Xi has committed to a strict Zero Covid policy in China, and has refused to change course. Now, other countries have had similar approaches and they undoubtedly saved lives - I was fortunate to live in New Zealand until this year, and Prime Minister Ardern's Zero Covid approach in 2020-2021 helped protect many. The difference is in the style/scope of enforcement, the use of vaccines, and the variant at play. China has stepped up its control on public life over the past 10 years, and has used this to enforce strict quarantine measures without full regard to the impact on people's lives - stories of people not getting food were common. Quarantine has also become a feared situation, as China moves people to facilities often little better than prisons and allegedly without much protection from catching Covid within. A personal friend in Zhengzhou went through national, then provincial, then local quarantines when moving back from NZ, and she has since done her best to avoid going back for her own mental and physical health. Xi has also committed China to its two home-grown vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, both of which have low/dubious efficacy and are considered ineffective against new variants. Finally, with delta and then omicron most of the Zero-Covid countries have modified their approach due to the inability to maintain zero cases. China remains the only country still enacting whole-city eradication lockdowns, and they have become more frequent to the point that several are happening at any given time. The result is a population that is incredibly frustrated and losing hope amidst endless lockdowns and perceived ineffectiveness to address the pandemic.
Other Issues at Play:
Beyond the Covid situation, China is also wrestling with the continued slowdown in its economic growth. While its economic rise and annual GDP growth was nigh meteoric from the 80s to the 00s, it has been slowing over the past ten years, and the government is attempting to manage the transition away from an export-oriented economy to a more fully developed one. However, things are still uncertain, and Covid has taken its toll as it has elsewhere the past couple of years. Youth unemployment in particular is reaching new highs at around 20%, and Xi largely ignored this in his speech at the Party Congress in October (where he entered an unprecedented third term). As a result of the perceived uselessness of China's harsh work culture and its failure to result in a better life, many young Chinese have been promoting 躺平 tǎng píng or "lying flat", aka doing the bare minimum just to get by (similar to the English "quiet quitting"). The combination of economic issues and a botched Covid approach is important, as these directly affect the lives of ordinary middle-class Chinese, and historical it has only been when this occurred that mass movements really took off. The most famous, Tiananmen in 1989, followed China's opening up economic reforms and the dismantling of many economic safety nets allowing for growing inequality. While movements in China often grow to include other topics, having a foundation in something negatively impacting the average Han Chinese person's livelihood is important.
The Spark - 24 Nov 2022 Urumqi Apartment Fire:
The current protests were sparked by a recent fire that broke out in a flat in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province. (This is the same Xinjiang that is home to the Uighur people, against whom China has enacted a campaign of genocide and cultural destruction.) The fire occurred in the evening and resulted in 10 deaths, which many online blamed on the strict lockdown measures imposed by officials, who prevented people from leaving their homes. It even resulted in a rare public apology by city officials. However, with anger being so high nationwide, in addition to many smaller protests that have occurred over the past two years, this incident has ignited a nationwide movement.
The Protests and Their Significance:
The protests that have broken out over the past couple of days representing the largest and most significant challenge to the leadership since the 1989 Tiananmen movement. Similar to that movement, these protests have occurred at universities and cities across the country, with many students taking part openly. This scale is almost unseen in China, particularly for an anti-government protest. Other than Tiananmen in 1989, the most widespread movements that have occurred have been incidents such as the protest of the 1999 Belgrade bombings or the 2005 and then 2012 anti-Japanese protests, all of which were about anger toward a foreign country.
Beyond the scale the protests are hugely significant in their message as well. Protesters are publicly shouting the phrases "习近平下台 Xí Jìnpíng xiàtái!" and "共产党 下台 Gòngchǎndǎng xiàtái!", which mean "Xi Jinping, step down/resign!" and "CCP, step down/resign!" respectively. To shout a direct slogan for the government to resign is unheard of in China, particularly as Xi has tightened control of civil society. And people are doing this across the country in the thousands, openly and in front of police. This is a major challenge for a leader and party who have prioritised regime stability as a core interest for the majority of their history.
Looking Ahead:
Right now, as of 15:00 Australian Eastern time on Monday, 28 November 2022, the protests are only in their first couple of days and we are unsure as to how the government will respond. Police have already been seen beating protesters and journalists and dragging them away in vehicles. However, in many cases the protests have largely been monitored by police but still permitted to occur. There seems to be uncertainty as to how they want to respond just yet, and as such no unified approach.
Many potential outcomes exist, and I would warn everyone to be careful in overplaying what can be achieved. Most experts I have read are not really expecting this to result in Xi's resignation or regime change - these things are possible, surely, but it is a major task to achieve and the unity & scale of the protest movement remains to be fully seen. The government may retaliate with a hard crackdown as it has done with Tiananmen and other protests throughout the years. It may also quietly revamp some policies without publicly admitting a change in order to both pacify protesters and save face. The CCP often uses mixed tactics, both coopting and suppressing protest movements over the years depending on the situation. Changing from Zero Covid may prove more challenging though, given how much Xi has staked his political reputation on enforcing it.
What is important for everyone online, especially those of us abroad, is to watch out for the misinformation campaign the government will launch to counter these protests. Already twitter is reportedly seeing hundreds of Chinese bot accounts mass post escort advertisements using various city names in order to drown out protest results in the site's search engine. Chinese officials will also likely invoke the standard narrative of Western influence and CIA tactics as the reason behind the protests, as they did during the Hong Kong protests.
Finally, there will be a new surge of misinformation and bad takes from tankies, or leftists who uncritically support authoritarian regimes so long as they are anti-US. An infamous one, the Qiao Collective, has already worked to shift the narrative away from the protests and onto debating the merits of Zero Covid. This is largely similar to pro-Putin leftists attempting the justify his invasion of Ukraine. Always remember that the same values that you use to criticise Western countries should be used to criticise authoritarian regimes as well - opposing US militarism and racism, for example, is not incompatible with opposing China's acts of genocide and state suppression. If you want further info (and some good sardonic humour) on the absurd takes and misinfo from pro-China tankies, I would recommend checking out Brian Hioe in the links below.
Finally, keep in mind that this is a grass-roots protest made by people in China, who are putting their own lives at risk to demonstrate openly like this. There have already been so many acts of bravery by those who just want a better future for themselves and their country, and it is belittling and disingenuous to wave away everything they are doing as being just a "Western front" or a few "fringe extremists".
Links:
BBC live coverage page with links to analysis and articles
ABC (Australia) analysis
South China Morning Post analysis
Experts & Journalists to Check Out:
Brian Hioe - Journalist & China writer, New Bloom Magazine
Bonnie Glaser - China scholar, German Marshall Fund
Vicky Xu - Journalist & researcher, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Stephen McDonnell - Journalist, BBC
M Taylor Fravel - China scholar, MIT
New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre - NZ's hub of China scholarship (I was fortunate to attend their conferences during my PhD there, they do great work!)
If you've reached the end I hope this helps with understanding what's going on right now! A lot of us who know friends and whanau in China are worried for their safety, so please spread the word and let's hope that there is something of a positive outcome ahead.
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