Beijing [China]: Three banners promoting democracy appeared on a highway overpass in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China, early Tuesday morning, echoing past acts of protest against authoritarian rule.
According to a post on X, cited by Radio Free Asia (RFA), the banner display seemed inspired by ‘Bridge Man’ Peng Lifa—who in October 2022, unfurled similar protest signs on Beijing’s Sitong Bridge, sparking the now well-known White Paper movement.
That movement, which saw demonstrators across several Chinese cities holding up blank sheets of paper, symbolized the silencing of public opinion by authorities during the country’s harsh pandemic restrictions and broader suppression of freedoms.
The new banners in Chengdu carried pointed messages such as:
“Without political system reform, there will be no national rejuvenation,”
“The people do not require a political party with unchecked authority,”
and
“China does not need anyone to show the way; democracy is the way.”
These were shared on X by Li Ying, a citizen journalist and artist known for their role during the White Paper protests, as reported by RFA.
Shortly after the original post at 6:20 a.m. Tuesday (Beijing time), a follow-up confirmed the banners had been hung from a bridge near the Chadianzi Bus Station in Chengdu. Local residents identified the precise location as a bridge by the Third Ring Road Interchange in Jinniu District.
Human rights advocates said the protest reflects growing political frustration among ordinary citizens, even if it’s rarely visible.
“In the past few decades of the CCP’s governance, many individuals have called for democracy. Although the voices of the people are faint, there are persistent calls to break through the darkness and aspire for light,”
said Guo Min, a former police officer turned political activist now living in the United States, in an RFA interview.
A Chengdu-based activist added that the banners signify deep unrest within society.
“It is a raw expression of dissatisfaction with the system and a sense of hopelessness regarding reality,”
the activist told RFA.