Make ordinary life predictable again
Opposition to prolonged, repeated and unclear restrictions, with concerns about healthcare, travel, work, school and basic supplies.
WHITE PAPER MOVEMENT / 2022 / What people wanted to say
Blank did not mean nothing.
It left room to speak.
Holding a blank sheet became a visible form of expression. There was no jointly signed platform: some people first mourned those killed, some opposed lockdowns, and others used the moment to question censorship, rights and political participation.
Read this chapter1 / Demands / Voices from different lives
Remember those killed and explain what happened
Flowers and candles for victims of the Urumqi fire, alongside calls for clear answers about escape conditions, rescue and responsibility.
Let information be discussed
Some participants opposed post removal and censorship and sought room for reporting, public discussion and criticism of policy.
Demand dignity, law and public participation
Some gatherings raised human rights, democracy, political reform and leadership accountability; these were not demands shared by every participant or location.
2 / Words at the scene / Do not turn different voices into one
News accounts recorded slogans such as “We don’t want lockdowns, we want freedom” and “No PCR tests, we want freedom,” as well as calls for broader political change. The words varied by city and moment. A blank sheet could hold different positions—or signal that a speaker was unwilling or unable to put specific words on paper.
This page therefore organizes reported themes rather than claiming a unified platform. The Chinese Wikipedia article also records direct criticism of Xi and the CCP at some locations, including calls for an end to one-party rule or for democratic reform. These expressions were present, but should not be assumed to represent all participants. When quoting a slogan, retain its source, location and whether it was a direct quotation.
Chinese Wikipedia: slogans and varied demands ↗ · Time: participants’ words about lockdowns and freedom ↗ · Journal of Democracy: varied protest demands ↗ · Human Rights Watch: gatherings and reporting ↗
3 / Who spoke / Students mattered, but were not the only participants
Campus gatherings made students important witnesses, but residents, workers, passersby and other members of the public also appeared in shared spaces. Overseas solidarity events had their own organizers and histories. Calling everyone a student, or assuming everyone shared the same political goal, erases these differences.
Where possible, distinguish eyewitness testimony, on-scene reporting, research analysis and secondhand accounts. Do not invent a name or background for an unidentified speaker.