Students are often at the heart of protests in China
Their frustration goes beyond the zero-covid policy
From the May Fourth Movement of 1919, to the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square seven decades later, university students have played a central role in China’s biggest protests. The Communist Party is therefore attuned to the risk of unrest on campuses. Under Xi Jinping it has stepped up indoctrination efforts. When Mr Xi visited his alma mater, Tsinghua University, last year, he implored students to be “confident in the system of Chinese socialism”.
But many students feel the system is failing them. Over the past year there have been sporadic protests on campuses. In the past week there were many more, coinciding with demonstrations against covid-19 controls in big cities.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Testing the party"
From the December 3rd 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from China
Why China is unlikely to restrain Iran
Officials in Beijing are looking out for China’s interests, not anyone else’s
China’s young people are rushing to buy gold
They seek security in troubled times
China’s ties with Russia are growing more solid
Our columnist visits a future Russian outpost in China’s most advanced spaceport