At the end of 2004, The Epoch Times editorial board published a series of editorials called “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” They revealed the deceitful, violent, cult-like, and rogue nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Following the publication, Chinese people began to quit the CCP by posting their withdrawal statements on the Chinese-language Epoch Times website.
The movement of quitting the CCP and its two affiliated youth groups—the Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League—is often referred to as “the Three Withdrawals” by Chinese people. A significant number of the Three Withdrawals has come from the top echelon of the CCP, including officials from the State Council, ministries, the National People’s Congress, the Central Party School, and from provincial and municipal cadres.