On November 26, 2025, marking the third anniversary of the “Blank Paper Movement,” the Chinese authorities have intensified stability maintenance measures across the country. In a recent incident in Shanghai, a man on a sightseeing trip had his flag confiscated by plainclothes police while taking a photo at the Bund, even though the flag did not contain any sensitive content. The man was briefly detained for investigation.
On November 24, a man who planned to travel around China on a motorcycle arrived in Shanghai and visited the Bund in front of the Peace Hotel to take a photo. As he took out a flag from his backpack for the picture, two plainclothes police officers quickly approached and confiscated the flag.
In the video footage, the plainclothes police officers appeared surprised to see the flag, which did not have any “reactionary” content. They said, “This cannot be taken,” “Put it away,” and “You gave me a startle.” Despite this, the man taking the photo was asked to cooperate with the police for an investigation before being allowed to leave.
The video circulating overseas sparked heated discussions among netizens, with comments such as, “Pressure cooker continues to build up,” “He should be thankful there are words on his paper,” and “So plainclothes officers carry those orange shoulder bags.” The incident has raised concerns among the public, with some expressing worry about the implications of the ongoing “Blank Paper Movement.”
Three years ago, from late November to early December, several cities in China saw protests where people held up blank pieces of paper to challenge the CCP’s “zero-COVID” policy. Shanghai was one of the focal points of this movement, with protesters chanting slogans like “Down with the Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping.”
According to the man whose flag was confiscated, he stated in the video that the plainclothes police in Shanghai mistook him for a petitioner but realized their mistake when they found out the flag had a poem written on it.
On the evening of November 25, a blogger posted the content of the poem on Douyin, saying, “Three years have passed, yet they still live in fear and caution.”