TON, a 16-year-old teenager, recently left China and made his way to Italy. Once a “little pink” (pro-China nationalist), what made him bravely seek freedom? He told the Epoch Times about the misfortunes of his homeland.
“I feel like I am at the beginning of the end (meaning the start of hell). I have been praying to God to lead me, and He really did! I am so lucky! I never thought I would encounter so many kind people helping me.” TON told The Epoch Times reporter.
Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s epidemic control policies, incidents like the Foxconn strike in 2022 and the White Paper Revolution triggered by a fire in Urumqi made TON despise the CCP and feel the need to leave. He had originally planned to learn English well and go to Canada, but several unexpected events led him to Europe.
“Before the epidemic, I didn’t care much about the Communist Party, felt like everyone was somewhat shady. But the epidemic control measures and the Urumqi fire made me realize the unforgivable sins. I started to really hate this political party, feeling like the country had lost its humanity.” he said.
On November 24, 2022, a fire broke out in a district in Urumqi, causing serious casualties due to the CCP’s quarantine measures. In October 2022, a COVID-19 outbreak occurred at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, Henan. The local government enforced a “zero-clearance” policy, and enraged Foxconn workers smashed the nucleic acid testing booths inside the factory.
“When I first saw the White Paper Revolution videos online, it started with the Foxconn workers going on strike, and I thought, ‘Wow, there are people resisting in this country!’ It felt so fascinating. I also saw the Urumqi fire, everyone voicing out online, some saying their fire prevention measures were inadequate, and I thought, how can this happen in this country?!”
TON said he had no intention of staying in the country after the White Paper Revolution, but he only started planning to work and save money from this summer onwards.
During the outbreak of the Wuhan pneumonia in 2019, TON was still attending elementary school in Shantou, Guangdong. He vividly remembers that his area was under quarantine only for a year or two before cases started appearing when the quarantine was about to be lifted, so the epidemic did not have a significant impact on his life.
“I was in sixth grade when the quarantine started, and I only got a mobile phone when we switched to online classes. I remember I was in the first year of middle school and only did online classes for a semester. Mostly, we were taught offline.”
Because of online classes, TON learned how to bypass internet censorship. He started by playing foreign games, then learned about VPNs and censorship evasion. “I used to browse Twitter, but I was still a “little pink” back then, criticizing some ‘traitors’ on Twitter. I still have those comments saved, and I feel quite embarrassed about it.” TON said.
“I used to actively sing propaganda songs. My personality back then was, if someone copied my work, I would report them, I felt it was unfair, and I wanted a fair environment.” he recalled.
Born in Guangzhou, TON’s parents divorced when he was young due to his father’s alcoholism. His mother once took him back to her family in Yunnan, only to be brought back by his father. However, when TON was six, his mother left again, a memory that still pains him. After his mother left, he lived with his father, who started drinking heavily when TON was nine, leading to frequent fights with his grandfather.
“Sometimes he would get so drunk that he would lie down on the streets, and I had to go and drag him back home, step by step. My classmates would ask, ‘Is your dad lying somewhere again?’ They would tell me they saw my dad drunk somewhere. I couldn’t stand it, it was so unbearable. When classmates witnessed that side of him, it was just too humiliating for me.”
In the second semester of the ninth grade, TON transferred to a school in Sichuan. To his surprise, the students there had very poor behavior, often bullying him. When he reported it to the teachers, they would handle it with just pretty words. TON began experiencing insomnia.
In January of this year, after being diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder, he started taking leave from school. He barely attended classes in the second semester of his first year of high school. Sometimes his father could provide him with some living expenses, but there were times when it was very difficult, and he could only afford to spend 10 yuan a day for meals during the most trying times.
“At that point, I was completely broken and hopeless, sleeping at 6 in the morning. I was at the point where I didn’t care if I lived or died. I spent my days in bed, eating only one or two meals, ordering takeout, which cost around 12 yuan, and that was how I got through the day.”
Desperate to improve his situation, he decided to start working and saving money in June. “Because I need money to survive. My father completely stopped caring, and I didn’t even have money to eat if I wanted to study. I was close to starving, so I had to start working.”
During this time, he made some friends online who informed him about young people in Shenzhen holding White Paper protests, some of whom were sentenced. A 19-year-old friend got a four-year sentence. Some friends even lent him money to help him get started.
He originally thought about seeking asylum on Saipan and applying for a Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) green card. He also searched for visa-free countries for Chinese passport holders, but minors couldn’t travel alone, so he abandoned that plan and decided to attempt illegal immigration to Bosnia with a friend.
Unexpectedly, his friend had to cancel the plan due to personal reasons, leaving TON to continue on his own and re-plan his flight route.
On August 24, TON left China. He flew from Hong Kong to Singapore, transited in Malaysia, flew to Abu Dhabi from Singapore, transited in Mumbai, and then flew to Sarajevo from Abu Dhabi. The entire journey took about four to five days.
“Since there were no direct flights from Hong Kong, I had to avoid scrutiny. They have strict checks on flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, especially for adults, let alone minors like me. I couldn’t take that risk, so that was my only option.”
During his layover in Mumbai, TON drank the airport water and got a fever. After a few days in Sarajevo, he went to a border town in Bosnia. Initially planning to take a train directly to a northern city, a Moroccan man advised him against it due to the presence of wild animals and dangerous rivers. He changed course and headed to a youth refugee camp in Bosnia, where he stayed for about a month.
“But there were so many thieves there, I was constantly on edge. I got robbed of two phones, so I had no way to contact anyone in China, lost all my WeChat connections, everything.”
Luckily, during this time, TON met a new friend who was willing to be his remote guide and show him the way. They traveled together, reaching Croatia first, navigating long mountain paths, taking a bus to a major city, and finally arriving at a border town in Italy.
“At one point, the Italian police checked our passports while we were on the road and returned them to us.” TON reminisced. The scenery along the way was beautiful, but he had no interest in enjoying it. There were also many dangerous stretches, especially in Croatia, where he encountered many Afghan and Moroccan youth. Some were injured, and some had their phones smashed by authorities.
“For a couple of days, we basically had to hide in the bushes overnight, like wild animals, darting out and back in. While in Croatia, we teamed up with another person. It was very risky with three people; if three Chinese people were found on a bus, they would definitely be reported. Out of humanitarianism, we took him to a safe place in Croatia before parting ways.”
“Walking through mountain paths was fine, as police cars rarely passed by. There was one section where cars could come through, and the dogs barked incessantly. I was truly afraid during that part, fearing a police car could appear at any moment. The fear and anxiety on that road were more painful than the physical exhaustion. I was afraid the barking dogs would alert nearby residents, as border residents could report trespassers directly.”
On September 23, TON finally reached Italy. He informed his mother of his safety and began applying for residency, allowing him to work legally in the future. “As long as I can find stability, I’ve already accomplished a significant portion, and I feel extremely relieved.” TON expressed.
He mentioned that he loves Italy, appreciating its history and geography. Having watched Italian movies, listened to Italian music, and admired the landscapes in the past, he had a great fondness for Italy, or else he might have gone to Germany instead.
Regarding the CCP, TON mentioned, “I now view it like I view North Korea, seeing Xi Jinping similar to Kim Jong-un.”
TON believes the Communist Party’s history is a history of the rise of gangsters. However, he feels somewhat pessimistic, thinking that many young people today have been brainwashed, especially those younger than him. “If the Communist Party doesn’t collapse in the short term, I think the Chinese people are doomed…”
In the end, during the interview, TON spontaneously sang a newly adapted song by netizens: “Without the Communist Party, a new China will emerge.”