A rare act of public dissent was seen in the upscale Sanlitun Subdistrict of China’s capital city, Beijing, on Oct. 25, just as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded its Fourth Plenum of its 20th Central Committee.
Photos circulating on X showed two protest banners hung in the city’s Sanlitun district, denouncing the CCP as an “anti-human cult.”
The banners appeared shortly after the close of the CCP’s high-level closed-door meeting, which was held under tight security and strict information control.
One banner read, “The essence of the Communist Party is a cult against human nature and against humanity that will bring endless disasters to China.” The other called for political freedoms, stating, “End the Party ban. Freedom of association, free competition, and free choice. Build a new China based on liberty, humanity, and the rule of law.”
In the photographs, a person could be seen holding a loudspeaker and speaking to passersby, though what was said was unclear. Subsequent images posted by Italy-based Chinese writer Li Ying showed security personnel removing the banners soon after they appeared.
Li’s X account is known for posting images and videos shared by his followers in China, where the CCP imposes tight restrictions and censorship on online platforms. On Chinese social media, such images are immediately removed by Chinese state censors.
The incident recalls the 2022 protest in Beijing by Peng Lifa, who unfurled banners on a pedestrian overpass calling for democracy and opposing Xi Jinping’s rule ahead of the CCP’s 20th Party Congress. That act inspired a wave of smaller, scattered protests across China and became a symbol of resistance against political repression under the CCP.
Following the 2022 protest, the CCP immediately recruited and deployed “bridge security guards” across Beijing to monitor pedestrian overpasses to ensure that no one would conduct similar acts of protest.
The Sanlitun banners quickly drew attention on social media among overseas Chinese netizens, who praised the anonymous protester’s courage and described the act as a continuation of earlier calls for freedom and reform. Many saw it as a sign that, despite years of tightening control, public anger against communist rule remains alive.
One netizen posted, “Although China has long been ravaged by the Communists, some still have not lost their courage and hope. With never-ending heroic deeds [like this], they have inspired hundreds of millions of people to rise up against the dictatorship!”
The Chinese regime has not publicly commented on the incident, and it is unclear whether anyone has been detained in connection with the protest.
The Epoch Times will continue to follow developments related to the case.
