Recent reports from overseas media reveal that during the lockdown implemented by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Shanghai in 2022, in addition to the commonly known health codes of red, yellow, and green, there was also a special “gray code” enjoyed by a privileged class within the CCP. With this “gray code,” individuals were exempt from undergoing nucleic acid testing, and it is said that up to 600,000 “privileged individuals” in Shanghai possessed this “gray code.”
This news sparked discussions among people about the special privileges enjoyed by the elite within the CCP.
On October 2nd, “The Epoch Times” based in Singapore mentioned in a recent article that in July 2021, a Shanghai resident named “Liu Yuanjiang” finally arrived in Shanghai after undergoing four nucleic acid tests and a 27-hour flight. Throughout the year and a half from his return to Shanghai until the end of 2022 when China’s epidemic control measures were completely lifted, Liu Yuanjiang never underwent a single nucleic acid test, even during the Shanghai lockdown period. It was even reported that he did not hoard any daily necessities or medical supplies during the lockdown period.
The article detailed that after Liu Yuanjiang entered Shanghai and stayed in quarantine at a hotel, his family managed to have him added to the “white list” for epidemic prevention and control.
While most Chinese people were restricted in their movements by health codes and itinerary codes during the epidemic control period, Liu Yuanjiang’s “privilege” lay in the fact that in addition to the common green, red, and yellow codes, he held a long-term “gray code” – the color assigned officially to missing persons. The rights of gray code holders included, but were not limited to, being automatically excluded from statistics when street-level nucleic acid test results and health code colors were assessed. Thanks to this, he was never troubled by “Da Bai” (epidemic control personnel) visiting his residence.
Liu Yuanjiang even proudly showed his gray code to friends. Leaders revealed to him that during the entire epidemic control period, there were 600,000 people in Shanghai like him who possessed the gray code.
“However, I can’t be too conspicuous at times. When a certain street is being closely monitored, in order not to cause trouble for my friends, I would have the driver take me to other villas. Within that year and a half, I alternated between living in three villas in the suburbs and downtown Shanghai, as well as a foreign-style house and two single-story residences. In terms of meals, the villa housekeepers and property management would deliver them on time, so I never experienced any hardships during the epidemic. This can also be considered a form of privilege,” he said.
Regarding this statement, netizens expressed surprise and disbelief, with one mentioning, “I’ve never heard of a gray code before, nor have I seen one. But I have seen special passes.”
Another netizen commented, “The privileged class I know all have regular green codes. They have never undergone nucleic acid testing, and both they and their private cars have passes. During the lockdown period, they could go for a run on the Bund, and Michelin restaurants and luxury stores delivered to their homes. The vehicles of these restaurants and malls would be greeted to enter and exit. When they are stopped, simply state their names and titles, and if facing lower-level staff is ineffective, they have them call their superiors.”
Another netizen mentioned, “During the lockdown, there were barricades and police guarding entrances to residential compounds and between districts, whether walking, cycling, or driving, you needed to show a pass. With a pass, you could move freely.”
Through online searches, Epoch Times journalists found that during the epidemic period, there indeed existed “gray codes” in various parts of the mainland, mostly as local policies. For example, since April 2022, Wuhan initiated a “gray code” for personnel from other provinces who failed to undergo nucleic acid testing within three days of arrival in Wuhan, and for individuals within Wuhan who had not undergone testing within 48 hours.
Individuals with “gray codes” are strictly limited from entering crowded public places (excluding healthcare facilities) and are prohibited from using public transport or ride-hailing services; upon sampling completion, the gray code can automatically transition to a green code.
However, in official announcements and epidemic prevention news released by Shanghai, there has been no mention of a “gray code.”
Yan Weiyin, a former accountant from the Kangjian Street Neighborhood Committee in the Xuhui District of Shanghai during the lockdown, known as “Da Bai” (epidemic control personnel), stated to The Epoch Times that from her interactions, she has not heard of gray codes, and everyone was required to undergo nucleic acid testing.
Regarding the mention of “running on the Bund during the lockdown” by netizens, Yan Weiyin believes, “If it was during the later phase as the lockdown was being lifted, it could be understood. But in the initial two months of the lockdown, it was highly unlikely. At that time, we received instructions that in the first two months, under no circumstances were we allowed to go out. In the subsequent month, for special cases like residents needing medical care, we allowed it. By the third month, we couldn’t enforce full lockdown anymore, and had to loosen restrictions.”
She explained that during the initial two months of the lockdown, as she was responsible for managing nucleic acid testing in two areas, her workplace allowed her to drive out with a pass. Police would stop all private vehicles on the road, but upon showing work identification, they were allowed to pass. However, residents were not allowed to leave their districts and could only move within their designated areas.
“In the one to two months when I was outside, besides police cars, there were almost no individuals or vehicles on the streets until about two weeks before the lockdown was lifted,” she added.
Yan Weiyin emphasized that if there were privileges, it would more likely be in the form of green codes, not gray codes. At that time, only green codes were recognized, and people needed a green code to enter any public space in Shanghai, including office buildings.
She further explained that in upscale neighborhoods in Shanghai, there might be special channels to access better supplies, but the likelihood of these individuals having privileges to leave the compounds was minimal. However, moving within their residential compounds was possible.
Niu Baoshu, a backend development engineer from a certain internet company, expressed to The Epoch Times, “My understanding is that the gray code is a state between the red and green codes, an unknown status.”
Niu Baoshu stated that the green code symbolized passage clearance, while the red code was considered a high-risk status. As for the gray code, it represented unmonitored situations, leaving authorities unable to ascertain the individual’s status. Assigning a gray code enabled follow-ups through calls or self-administered nucleic acid tests, indicating a lack of control over the person’s movements.
“If you refuse to undergo nucleic acid testing, they would call you. When I was in Shanghai, I received several calls to test; they would check every household initially, but it became overwhelming, so they started conducting checks systematically. They attempt to control your movements by exhausting various methods,” Niu Baoshu added.
However, Niu Baoshu believed that the gray code might become a loophole aimed at deliberately keeping certain individuals outside the entire monitoring system, absolving the authorities of responsibility and leaving the individuals unregulated. “I know where you are, I have your phone number, and could force you to test, but if I choose not to, then it becomes a privilege, a form of corruption,” he stated.
Niu Baoshu remarked, “Indeed, there are privileges in Shanghai. For instance, some institutions or state-owned enterprises would specifically dispatch vegetables and meat. I happened to live in a residential area near the police academy and saw a vehicle designated to deliver food to them.”
He went on to mention that for leaders or special personnel, official markings were unnecessary, as internal notifications within their circles would suffice. For instance, when a leader arrived, they would simply drive in, and the guard post would have already been notified, eliminating the need for a gray code.
Regarding the individuals conducting nucleic acid checks in residential communities, they would possess work permits displayed on their chests.
“There were two kinds of volunteers, one called volunteers, and the other called self-volunteers. The initial recruits were volunteers, mostly proactive individuals from state institutions or state-owned enterprises, also including Party members and their family members. In the eyes of the Communist Party, they were considered proactive individuals and were indeed paid. Later on, they found themselves unable to keep up and had to call in regular folks, who were unpaid. They intentionally labeled these new recruits as self-volunteers, distinguishing them from the paid volunteers,” Niu Baoshu explained.
The CCP implemented a “grid management system,” where the authorities had detailed information on each household’s residents, including names, the number of family members, phone numbers, and employment details.
During the Shanghai lockdown, the CCP’s official mouthpiece, People’s Daily, publicized how Shanghai’s epidemic prevention and control ensured that “no one was left behind.” However, insiders revealed that the treatment of CCP privileged individuals and regular outsiders during the epidemic control period was completely disparate.
Mr. Zhu, a veteran in the Shanghai financial sector who had lived in Shanghai for more than forty years, expressed to The Epoch Times that the official policies published by Shanghai were mere propaganda, as the authorities in Shanghai were highly specific in classifying people based on their backgrounds and had a deep understanding of the situation in various communities.
“For instance, they could identify which households had foreign connections, those with a red background, and those classified as ordinary outsiders. When an epidemic was discovered or specific measures were needed in upscale neighborhoods, the treatment was entirely different from areas like Zhabei and Yangpu with lower living standards,” he remarked.
Shanghai resident Mr. Liu Qing, in June 2022, informed The Epoch Times that the Kangping Road area where they lived was considered a high-ranking area in Shanghai, with numerous high officials living there, and was rarely heavily restricted.
Public records show that Kangping Road in Shanghai is the office location of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, heavily guarded, with some sections prohibiting photography, earning it the nickname “Zhongnanhai of Shanghai.”
Mr. Liu emphasized, “I can tell you that up to now, our alley has never been fully locked down, very rarely strictly locked down; almost every day, I can go out. Our area is quite special; the police station and street offices were aware that they couldn’t afford to offend the residents in our area, not knowing their backgrounds and possibly offending influential individuals behind them. For example, if two neighbors were quarreling, and you tried to mediate, not knowing whose side you took, and you might end up upsetting someone with influential connections, potentially receiving a call from Beijing the next day.”
He mentioned that his neighborhood also had several COVID positive cases, with the most being five in one alley.
The CCP’s three-year-long “zero-tolerance epidemic prevention campaign” has been viewed as a political movement to subjugate the populace. These three years have been marked by trampling on legal norms, violating civil rights, damaging livelihoods, and dismantling private enterprises. Many were subjected to enforced isolation, with some going insane at home and even starving to death.
“This lockdown is fundamentally a political movement,” Yan Weiyin said. “This lockdown allowed me to see the CCP for what it truly is: a regime filled with hate and greed, not protecting the people but harming them. I no longer wish to be associated with the Communist Party because they violate the most basic human moral principles.”