How Covid protests have panned out

Discontent has brewed for months over ‘zero-covid’ policy, with relentless mass testing, localised lockdowns and travel restrictions pushing many to the brink. Here’s what you need to know

Shanghai frustrations

A gruelling lockdown in Shanghai from late March bought the first visible glimmers of widespread dissent against Covid restrictions

Henan bank protests

From May to July, hundreds of bank depositors who lost their money when multiple rural banks in Henan province froze deposits gathered in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to demonstrate

Beijing bridge protest

In October, just days before China was set to open 20th Congress, a protester draped two hand-painted banners with slogans criticising the Communist Party’s policies on a Beijing bridge

Campus protest

In May, hundreds of students at one campus of the elite Peking University in Beijing protested against strict lockdown measures that allowed more freedom of movement for staff than students

Tibet protest

In October, hundreds in the tightly policed Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa staged a rare demonstration, against a harsh lockdown that persisted for almost three months