In recent days, Chinese human rights entrepreneur Shen Qijia has been releasing videos on social media platforms, harshly criticizing the Communist Party for blocking his live broadcasts and recounting his experience of being illegally detained by the government and having over 4.87 million yuan in assets confiscated, sparking public attention.
Using the online moniker “Thunderstruck,” Shen Qijia, 64 years old, is a resident of Yuanbao District, Dandong City, Liaoning Province. After having his properties confiscated by the authorities for no legitimate reason years ago, he became a petitioner and a Douyin (TikTok) livestreamer.
On March 22, Shen Qijia posted a video on Douyin detailing his experience of having 4.87 million yuan of assets seized by the Chinese Communist government and not being able to retrieve them after 26 years of petitioning.
According to Shen Qijia, he, originally from Dandong, Liaoning Province, founded the “Yinglian Creative Industry Development Co., Ltd.” in Shenzhen. In 2000, his company’s subsidiary, “Daughter’s Home Shopping Plaza,” was sealed by the Bao’an District government and Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen, falsely accusing him of “capital overstatement” and “fraud,” leading to his 118-day detention. Ultimately, due to the prosecutor’s disapproval of the arrest, he was released. After his release, his shopping mall and enterprises were left empty, his safe was broken into, and all company accounts were temporarily confiscated.
He sought explanations from the authorities and demanded the return of all seized assets, but the Shenzhen government and public security agencies passed the buck back and forth. Forced to petition, he has been petitioning for 26 years, over 300 times, only receiving over 10,000 yuan in state compensation. Later, Shenzhen Public Security gave him 900,000 yuan, Shenzhen Bao’an District government returned 200,000 yuan, and the remaining over 4 million yuan was left unresolved.
Shen Qijia stated that Shenzhen Public Security claimed, “As for the remaining amount, find it yourself. Your company has been sealed, and the assets have been handled. We don’t know where they went.” The police said, “We managed to get 900,000 yuan for you. Whether you want it or not, if you don’t, then you can file a lawsuit in the future.”
Continued harassment by the authorities has plagued Shen Qijia for many years. “In these 26 years, I’ve been illegally detained by them five times, each time for about 15 days, coinciding with important events like Party congresses. I suffered greatly during those times, being illegally detained.”
In his videos, Shen Qijia condemns the Communist Party’s suppression of petitioners, directly accusing the authorities of “not doing human things.”
On March 23, Shen Qijia reassured his online followers in a video, saying, “I am safe today, still alive.” He informed waiting viewers, “Don’t bother waiting, all my accounts are unable to go live.”
Earlier on March 21, Shen Qijia hosted a livestream on the internet, angrily berating the platform and the Communist Party for arbitrarily banning accounts.
“Over the years, I’ve had over 20 accounts on TikTok, and every time, they penalized me for no reason,” he expressed vehemently. “You silence people, you leave no room for survival, you turn society into a prison. Bandits ruling the roost, your rogue state.”
He mentioned having amassed significant debts, having his house auctioned off by the court, lacking pension and medical insurance. Now old, he resorts to livestreaming online to make a living but faced frequent account bans. “Do you want ordinary people to live? Are you letting people survive?”
After Shen Qijia’s scathing remarks against the Communist Party, the platform issued a warning notification. He continued, “There were 540 people in the livestream room when I just started. I got angry today, I’ve decided, is it or isn’t it, can anyone be this rogue? You won’t allow discussions on explosive news, or events in Russia, or Iran now – what’s the deal with you?”
He continued by criticizing the platform’s interference with freedom of speech, after which his livestream was promptly shut down.
Media personality Zeng Zheng reposted Shen Qijia’s videos on social media and commented, “Resisting within the walls, although the cost may be high, but making such a choice, I express my support and admiration. Now the U.S. is helping the Iranian people fight the evil regime, why? Because the Iranian people have loudly protested! ‘People must help themselves, before others assist.’ This has always been the principle. Although I will not ‘instigate’ or encourage unprepared individuals to make fearless sacrifices, I must show respect and support for Shen Qijia’s choice. If Chinese people can become this fearless, the days of freedom will be closer!”
The Chinese Communist Party’s grip on the internet is tightening. On March 21, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a notification requiring comprehensive regulation of short video content. Six major platforms including Douyin, Kuaishou, Tencent, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, and Weibo have already implemented the directive. Within the past month, these platforms have cleared over 37,000 “non-compliant” short videos, suspended over 3,400 accounts, and retroactively labeled over 600,000 videos.
Zeng Zheng introduced that Shen Qijia has been banned from over 30 accounts on major platforms behind the Great Firewall. Despite enduring prolonged oppression, he persists in his fight for enlightenment.
Many netizens have left comments showing concern and support for Shen Qijia: “Willing to speak up for this entrepreneur. Hope he stays safe.” “Another tower climber, thumbs up for the indomitable spirit.” “This person has indeed achieved great things, his thoughts are extremely clear, eloquent and forceful, with a strong ability to express himself, a rare sight in the Communist China.”
As Shen Qijia continued to rage against the Communist authorities and the platform shortly before his livestream was urgently restricted.
[End of Article]