Slogans against communist regime beamed on high-rise in China, leave cops baffled

Slogans calling for the end of the Chinese Communist Party’s regime were projected onto a high-rise building wall in Chongqing, a southwestern Chinese metropolis with a population of 31 million, at around 10 pm on 29 August.

Phrases such as “Freedom is not a gift. It must be reclaimed,” “A new China can only come when there is no Communist Party,” and “No more lies, we want the truth. No more slavery, we want freedom,” were alternately projected. A total of four slogans were displayed.

Chinese police traced the source of the projection and found a hidden beam projector in a nearby hotel room, which they managed to shut down. However, the cops could not find the person who activated the projector there, as he was in London.

The man, Qi Hong, 43, who identified himself as a performance artist and critic of the Communist Party, told The Times that he remotely operated the projector from the UK, and had left China with his wife and daughters nine days ago.

Qi Hong said that he had reserved the hotel room for several days, informing staff that no room service was needed. His family was unaware of his plans and thought they were going to the UK for a vacation.

Left handwritten letter for police on the table

He also released footage of five police officers entering the hotel room and finding the projector hidden behind half-closed curtains. Four officers touched the device to turn it off, while the fifth pointed at the surveillance camera that had captured them. A handwritten letter addressed to the Chinese police was on the table. It read, “Even if you are beneficiaries of the system today, you will eventually become victims on this land. Therefore, treat those who criticise the Communist Party kindly.”

The next day, Qi Hong also released a video of Chinese police interrogating his elderly mother in front of her home in their village.

“While technology has enhanced the Chinese government’s ability to control its people, Qi Hong demonstrated that the same tools can be used for resistance,” said a New York Times report.

Li Wing, who runs a Chinese-language account on social media X, wrote, “Qi Hong outmanoeuvred the police and bypassed state mechanisms. There was little they could do. It was truly impressive.”

The incident was “a serious blow to the authorities,” who had invested massive resources ahead of the Victory Day parade, but Qi Hong showed that Communist Party control is not absolute, he added.

Qi Hong drew inspiration from the ‘Bridge Man’

Opposing the Communist Party in China openly is nearly unimaginable due to severe punishments. However, public frustration erupted in 2022 when the Chinese government enforced its strict ‘Zero-COVID Policy’ and started suppressing even topics that were once open to public discussion.

Qi Hong drew inspiration from physicist Peng Lifa, the ‘Bridge Man’ who was arrested.

In October 2022, Peng Lifa unfurled a banner demanding Xi Jinping’s resignation on the Sitong Elevated Road in Beijing. This led to ‘creative’ expressions of dissent, such as people taking to the streets with blank white papers.

Qi Hong, born in 1982, grew up in poverty, and dropped out of school at 16. He worked various jobs, before starting an online business selling cheap goods in 2006. Gradually, his posts on the Chinese social media platform WeChat grew increasingly critical. On the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 2022, he wrote, “Seeking light is a duty for every thinking human.” For his 2024 New Year’s wish, he wrote, “May everyone be free from fear.”

‘Wanted to deliver message before military parade’

“I wanted to deliver my message before the World War II victory commemoration military parade on Wednesday (September 3), where leaders from various countries would attend,” he said.

He scouted locations and chose a bustling area in Chongqing. On August 10, he checked into a hotel and tested the laser projector for 10 days, projecting harmless phrases like “Stay healthy” and “Be happy” onto nearby high-rises. Then, he left China with his family.

On August 29, he remotely activated the projector. He edited the slogans and footage of the police raid and shared them with influential online figures like Li, and the videos spread across the internet.