'Bridge Man': The Daring Dissident Who Toppled China's COVID Lockdowns By 'sacrificing' Himself
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The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) has been China's ruling party for nearly 75 years. For those who live there, this means limited personal rights, extensive government surveillance, and almost no freedom of speech.
Life under the CCP is, in a word, oppressive.
Beijing's authoritarian tactics have intensified during the coronavirus pandemic, as it has imposed strict travel bans, lockdown measures, testing requirements and mandatory quarantines.
If not everyone in China has stood by and accepted the repressive lifestyle of the CCP, critics of the regime have often paid a price for disagreeing with their lifestyle.
Chinese university sends students home, protests grow
Peng Lifa, who is unknown in the United States but respected among Chinese dissidents both inside and outside China, held a rally to protest China's Covid restrictions in the fall of 2022, when much of the world abandoned the COVID order. .
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Peng, also known as the "Bridge Man", is believed to be responsible for launching one of China's largest protests since the Tiananmen Square massacre 34 years ago: the "White Paper Protest" or A4 Revolution.
On October 13, 2022, a man wearing a yellow cap and orange T-shirt hung a banner on Beijing's Zitong Bridge: "We want food, not COVID tests. We want reform, not cultural revolution. We want freedom, we want votes, not leaders. We want dignity, not lies. We are citizens, not slaves."
A separate banner reading: "Dethrone Traitorous Dictator Xi Jinping" was also displayed, while a speaker read a commentary on the banner.
"He didn't plan his escape at all. He tried to buy as much time as possible to show [the protests] to the public," said Xiao Qiang, a human rights activist who is the founder and editor-in-chief of China Digital Times. and a researcher at the UC Berkeley School of Information, where he studies CCP and investigates censorship, he told Fox News Digital.
"And immediately, of course, people started making videos from their mobile phones. And then, a few minutes later, it was already circulating on Twitter and YouTube. At the same time, the Chinese censors came to remove those messages within a few minutes."
© Reuters/Thomas Peter People hold placards as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions after a vigil for victims of the Urumqi fire in Beijing, China, November 27, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas PeterAs protests hit China, people have had enough of the country's draconian lockdown policies
Some have argued that Man on the Bridge's actions are identical to those known worldwide as "Tank Man," the man who stood in front of a line of about 60 tanks on June 5, 1989, the day after the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The massacre was the result of the PKK's response to student protesters demanding political freedom, and the Chinese military's crackdown and imposition of martial law.
The Chinese government said around 200 people were killed in the clashes, although a British diplomatic cable released in 2017 put the number closer to 10,000.
Tank Man's identity has never been revealed, and the uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts has led many to believe he has been arrested by the PKK or has disappeared, something Peng fears.
Peng is believed to have been arrested shortly after the protest began, and his whereabouts, as well as those of his wife and daughter, are unknown.
But his protests worked and in November 2022, Chinese protesters carried blank sheets of plain A4 printing paper to symbolize the silence of Chinese citizens under CCP rule.
Protesters began chanting slogans such as "End Zero-Covid", "We want human rights" and "Down with the Communist Party", which human rights activists attributed to the bridge man.
"Peng Lifa faced Xi Jinping alone with a rag and paint. And he won," said a Fox News representative. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House Select Committee on CPC. digital
"His protest sparked protests in China, his words shot through the air and went viral on toilet walls. And he inspired the 'white paper' protesters who eventually lifted the techno-totalitarian lockdown without covid."
"This was the biggest embarrassment of Xi Jinping's career."
Gallagher called the demonstration "the most significant freedom demonstration in China since Tiananmen Square."
© Reuters/Thomas Peter/File Photo People hold white placards to protest against the coronavirus restrictions after going to the care of fire victims in Urumqi, Beijing, China, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File photo"I think Peng Lifa's brave and peaceful protest on Situng Bridge is the Democracy Wall and Tank Man."
But Penn's protest spectacle was important beyond its inherent danger and mass success.
The protests in China prompted strong responses from world leaders, including the United Nations
"His last act is not only a tremendous amount of planning, but also a commitment. He dedicated his life to it," Xiao said. "But he didn't do it on impulse."
Before the Man on the Bridge protest, Peng sent a leaflet or poster to a handful of human rights activists and CCP dissidents via his Twitter account, encouraging them to take more action against the Chinese government.
© Reuters/Arthur Tsang/Files A man stands passively by a column of army tanks on Chang'an Avenue, east of Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, June 5, 1989. Reuters/Arthur Tsang/FilesXiao called the work "a kind of strategic guide" on how to deal with the CCP.
"If you read the instructions, you know he's been thinking about it for years. It's not something he does in a moment of passion," he explains.
The work brought together research, strategy, and the diverse voices of various CCP dissidents Xiao already knew.
"But he united them and gave his life to customize this... Chinese resistance," Xiao added. "He is truly the face of courage and resilience."
The language used in the Man on the Bridge protest is consistent with the manifesto sent to Peng Xiao and others, allowing human rights groups and Chinese dissidents to verify the identity of the bridge.
Almost immediately, Xiao realized the importance of the protest and began working with his team to archive Peng's manifesto, not only to preserve his story, but also to prevent the CCP from leaking his identity. Tank Man disappears again.
© Weibo Photo via Reuters Peng Lifa places two large banners calling for an end to China's strict anti-Covid policies on Jitong Bridge in Haidian District, Beijing, China, October 13, 2022. Weibo image via Reuters"This is a very unusual move. Under the zero covid policy, it was really difficult... many Chinese people were unhappy, but they couldn't express it because they were afraid of the [CCP] authorities," Xiao explained. Another one who is against this government. And that voice is actually a collection of [voices]; he says what others want to say.
Gallagher and Xiao said they want the US and the Biden administration to do more to seek answers from the CCP about the whereabouts of Peng and his family. Both men, however, argued that the most important step in ensuring that Peng's story is not lost is for Americans to learn about his bravery and how China's oppressive COVID restrictions helped.
"There have been disturbing reports detailing a crackdown on carte blanche protesters across China," Gallagher told Fox News Digital. "I believe that if the world now turns its back on the peaceful White Papers and the Peng Leaf protesters, the CCP will know that it can still get away with atrocities like Tiananmen Square.
"The CCP wants to erase the memory of the protests against Bridge Man and the White Paper, because they show that the Chinese people are ready to resist authoritarianism and demand independence."
