On the occasion of the third anniversary of the “Blank Paper Movement,” last Saturday, November 22, the National Committee of the China Democratic Party held a commemorative event in front of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles. Participants held up blank papers symbolizing the suppression of freedom of speech, recalling the spontaneous resistance movement by the Chinese people under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party three years ago, reminding the Chinese people not to forget that period of history that was blocked, edited, and buried.
During the event, attendees wore white headbands with “freedom, democracy, justice” written on their foreheads, reminiscing about the period when Chinese people were locked down at home during the pandemic, their speech suppressed, the truth altered, and personal freedom illegally deprived by the CCP. They used poetry, songs, and speeches to commemorate those participants of the “Blank Paper Movement” who stood up to fight for truth and dignity.
The commemorative event was hosted by Yuan Jue, Minister of Party History and Regulations of the China Democratic Party National Committee in Los Angeles, and party member Cheng Xiaoxiao. The event began with the reading of the names of those arrested or forcibly disappeared during the “Blank Paper Movement”, followed by commemorations for those who lost their lives due to illegal persecution by the CCP during the pandemic, including a moment of silence for the victims of the Urumqi fire.
In the winter of 2022, during the Blank Paper Movement, protesters, mainly young people, emerged in the streets from Shanghai to Beijing, from Chengdu, Wuhan to Guangzhou in the south, holding either white papers or flowers to mourn the victims of the Urumqi fire. This was a rare spontaneous collective action by the people since 1989.
Liu Fang, who attended the commemoration, noted that looking back on the Blank Paper Movement, it was not just a sudden protest event but a response from a generation long suppressed. “The significance of the Blank Paper Movement lies in showing the world clearly for the first time – Chinese people not lacking the desire for freedom, but lacking channels for expression; not lacking civic consciousness, but suppressed by institutionalized layers of fear.”
“The Blank Paper Movement may not change China immediately, but it has changed the hearts of the Chinese people. It made many people realize for the first time: silence is not destiny, obedience is not nature, people have the right to question, to refuse, to demand the most basic respect,” Liu Fang said.
Li Yahui, known as the “Flower Brother,” who participated in the protest by holding yellow chrysanthemums on Urumqi Middle Road in Shanghai in November 2022, recalled his situation when he rushed from Hangzhou to Shanghai to join the Blank Paper Movement: before he left, he bid farewell to his wife, saying he might be imprisoned; his wife did not stop him. He was arrested after speaking out on Urumqi Middle Road and detained for 48 hours.
Li Yahui mentioned in his speech that after the Blank Paper Movement, some are still in prison, and many have been persecuted or lost contact due to the CCP. He listed individuals like Peng Lifa, Li Kangmeng, Professor Wu Yanan from Nankai University, documentary director Chen Pinlin, and Cao Zhixin, who participated in the Blank Paper Movement at Beijing’s Liang Ma Bridge.
“We must not forget them!” Li Yahui said, “Chinese people need to be braver! I hope that one day, we can hold such commemorative events in Tiananmen Square openly and proudly.”
Jason Yip, the “Hong Kong Council” President wanted by the CCP in Canada, expressed support for the participants through remote connection. He condemned the shameful behavior of the CCP treating people as sacrificial pawns. Several witnesses of being locked down during the pandemic shared their experiences, including being locked at home, delayed medical care leading to the death of loved ones, and experiences of being forcibly transferred and having their lives controlled by the health code enforced by the CCP.