On April 15th, news spread online about a banner hanging on an overpass in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, criticizing the Communist Party directly by stating, “The people do not need a party with unchecked power.” It was reported that the courageous individual who hung the banner, Mei Shilin, has been detained by the Chinese authorities, who are currently investigating his overseas connections.
Mr. Qin from Chengdu revealed to Radio Free Asia on April 28th that the banner was placed by 27-year-old Mei Shilin. According to Qin, the authorities are looking into whether Mei has any foreign affiliations. If so, he will be handed over to the national security department for further processing, possibly transferring him to the city’s national security bureau for detention. If no substantial evidence of collaboration with foreign powers is found, the case will be handled by the Chengdu police. The entire Chengdu public security bureau, including the national security and traffic police departments, have been on high alert in the past half month, fearing another incident.
Another informant from Chengdu, Mr. Yang, also confirmed that Mei Shilin has been criminally detained by the police. Yang revealed that Mei, a young man who hung the political reform slogans, is from Yongfu Town in Muxuan County, Sichuan Province. He previously worked at a technology company in Chengdu, where he faced unfair treatment in a labor dispute. Despite seeking help from government authorities, he was ignored, a situation not uncommon in China.
On April 15th, pictures circulated on the social media platform X showing three large banners with white backgrounds and red text hanging from an overpass outside the Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station. The banners read: “There is no national rejuvenation without political system reform”, “The people do not need a party with unchecked power”, and “China does not need anyone to dictate directions but democracy is the way forward”, openly declaring war on the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party.
Legal expert Yuan Hongbing, currently living in Australia, cited inside sources within the system, indicating that the banners remained in place for nearly three hours before being removed. The delayed response of the overall stability maintenance system, rather than the contents of the banners themselves, reportedly shocked the Chinese authorities.
It is reported that Xi Jinping personally took deep interest in the incident, leading to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the Ministry of State Security jointly handling the case through secret police operations.
On April 25th, Du Wen, former Director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia Government now residing in Europe, was the first to publicly disclose information about the brave individual who hung the banners. The individual, Mei Shilin, is 27 years old and resides in Yongfu Town, Muxuan County, Sichuan.
Du Wen informed Epoch Times reporters that after hanging the banners on the 15th, Mei Shilin sent him a 13-second video clip. Mei Shilin had prepared for over a year for this act and expressed his discontent with living as a Chinese citizen, feeling the need to speak out even at the cost of personal sacrifice.
Du Wen last communicated with Mei Shilin on the night of April 15th at 11:14 PM Beijing time. He attempted to gather more detailed information to assist Mei Shilin in spreading his message but received no response despite sending multiple emails.