On October 8th, 25-year-old youth Chen Bangchao from Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, finally escaped from the suffocating rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Currently stranded at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia, although not entirely out of danger yet, for someone who had been imprisoned for posting anti-CCP slogans, he finds it a cause for great joy as he seeks government protection.
Chen Bangchao shared his ordeal with reporters on October 11th. His experience reflects the awakening and resistance of the younger generation in China under information censorship and economic pressure.
Coming from a humble background, an incident during his first year of middle school forced Chen to drop out and stay home for medical treatment. It was during this time that he came across circumvention software that opened his eyes to the outside world, making him realize the flaws in China’s educational system, which he described as brainwashing education.
“After finishing middle school, I started self-learning English. When I reached high school, after completing the first year, I felt that the education system was very oppressive, so I dropped out and focused on learning English myself.”
Chen believed that only by learning English could he access information unavailable in China and understand the reality of the democratic world. His English studies led him to delve into politics, philosophy, psychology, and American civic education, which profoundly changed his worldview. “For me, these are things that China’s education system may not teach. They greatly inspired my thinking,” he emphasized.
Inspired by the Blank Paper Revolution in 2022, Chen felt the movement lacked a clear direction. He began drafting the Subway Declaration around December 2022 when the pandemic restrictions eased. This manifesto, solely crafted by him, addressed demands for educational reform, dismantling the Great Firewall, judicial independence, human rights in Xinjiang, among others.
The declaration outlined thirteen demands related to political and civil liberties, including “implementing multi-party elections,” “judicial independence,” “depoliticizing the military,” “ending censorship,” “abolishing the National Security Law in Hong Kong,” “recognizing Taiwan as not part of the CCP,” and “ending the genocide against the Uyghurs.” He also called on the Chinese people to hold a global protest on September 30, 2023.
The declaration stated, “Resist not too late, overthrow dictatorship, reclaim dignity, reject tyranny, reject authoritarianism, for the children, for China’s thirteen demands, each is essential, no freedom, no future generations, save the future, everyone has a responsibility, defend human rights, long live the people.”
On February 27, 2023, Chen Bangchao, carrying 100 posters, arrived alone in Guangzhou to paste them. His original target was the Guangzhou Tower subway station, but due to tight security, he resorted to pasting at locations such as Zhujiang New Town Station, University City North Station, and University City South Station, where he managed to post a total of 55 posters.
His actions quickly caught the authorities’ attention, leading to a pursuit. Despite attempting to change his appearance to escape, he was eventually intercepted on a high-speed train. He was interrogated overnight at a police station, where threats were made, including mentions of execution in North Korea if the situation were different and implications of harm to his family.
During his detention in Guangzhou, he underwent forced psychiatric assessment and was deprived of sleep in Panyu Detention Center, where the cell lights remained on day and night. He was randomly awakened at night and forced to stand up, while during the day, he was required to sit cross-legged on a wooden board watching CCP Central Television programs, not allowed to lower his head or close his eyes. The prolonged fatigue resulted in severe attention disorders and chronic cognitive impairment.
On July 27 of that year, he was prosecuted by the Panyu District Procuratorate for “provocation and troublemaking” and sentenced to 18 months on September 21. He was subsequently transferred to prisons in Beijiang, Guangdong Province, and Shaoguan.
In prison, he engaged in various manual labor activities, such as assembling wires, transformers, electronic cigarettes, and blood gas analyzers. The labor compensation was very low, averaging just over a hundred yuan per month.
“Repeating the same process every day made my mind blank, unable to think, extremely oppressed and dark. This gave me a deeper understanding of the authorities’ governance. Initially, I was skeptical about the information on human rights in Xinjiang and the situation in Tibet, but after personal experience, I was convinced it was true,” he said.
Chen Bangchao was released upon completing his sentence in August 2024. From October 2024 to September 2025, he was summoned at least six times by the National Security Bureau or public security, warning him to only engage with state-approved media without bypassing censorship. On September 27, 2024, his attempt to renew his Hong Kong and Macau travel permit was rejected as he was informed of travel restrictions. In September 2025, his new application was denied via phone, prohibiting endorsement.
He shared with reporters that he felt suffocated in China as his prison experience led to discrimination when seeking employment. Ultimately, Chen made the decision to escape from China.
On the evening of October 8, 2025, Chen successfully passed through immigration, escaping from China to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He stated that he was currently stuck at Kuala Lumpur Airport, with limited funds. After spending only one night in a hotel, he has been staying in the airport, eating only one meal a day. He is now deeply concerned about potential pressure from the CCP leading to repatriation or abduction.
He has submitted a refugee application to the United Nations Refugee Agency, hoping for humanitarian aid and protection through media and international attention.
Chen also urged every Chinese person to truly awaken, learn to think for themselves, and seek out authentic information in their own way.