The CCP Cannot Stop the Nationwide Unrest! Thousands of University Students Protest

Tens of thousands of university students protest, triggering explosion in Beijing. The Chinese government can no longer stop the nationwide unrest. Graduates are unemployed, penniless, unable to afford food, and on the brink of starvation. The dire situation in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, has left the public in shock. The economy has completely collapsed, and the city has plunged into a deep recession. Yet the CCP still wants to wage war on Taiwan. It's time to apologize and step down. An open letter from a Chinese citizen to Xi Jinping. China's CCP releases GDP figures. Citizens mock nationwide. Consumer data exposes the flaws. U.S. conducts first overseas test of Taifan missile system, a strong signal to China. Welcome back to Secret in China, your space for honest, independent journalism and stories that go beyond the headlines. Tens of thousands of university students protest, triggering explosion in Beijing. The Chinese government can no longer stop the nationwide unrest. Graduates are unemployed, penniless, unable to afford food, and on the brink of starvation. Tens of thousands of university students across China have taken to the streets in unprecedented protests, igniting widespread unrest in Beijing. As the country grapples with an economic downturn, a staggering number of graduates are entering a job market that has all but collapsed, leaving many unable to afford basic meals, let alone build a future. Violent clashes have erupted in multiple cities, with police stations reportedly stormed and vandalized by angry crowds. China's economic stagnation is now visibly boiling over. Mass layoffs, wage cuts, business closures, and even the suspension of pension payments for the elderly have pushed public frustration to the edge. At the heart of this growing discontent is a generation of young people who feel betrayed by a system that once promised them prosperity through education and obedience. One senior student from a top Beijing university, speaking anonymously, said, We followed the rules. We studied hard. We stayed out of trouble. And yet, here we are discarded like garbage in a society that no longer needs us. He described sending out dozens of job applications without a single reply, while recruitment fairs were filled with empty promises and backroom deals. This student's story is not unique. Across China, university graduates are finding themselves locked out of opportunity. Some with master's degrees earn just a few hundred yuan for months of unpaid internships. Others submit hundreds of resumes without securing even one interview. Meanwhile, the children of officials and elites walk effortlessly into government jobs, state-owned enterprises, or return from overseas education into high-ranking roles. The idea that hard work equals success has become a cruel joke. For many students, the harsh realization is setting in. The system is rigged. Merit has little place in a society where birthright, connections, and loyalty to the party trump talent and effort. In university campuses once abuzz with talk of internships, scholarships, and postgraduate exams. Conversations have shifted. Students now speak in hushed tones about systemic reform, democracy, and civil rights. Books such as 1984 Animal Farm and The Road to Serfdom are quietly circulating. Many have begun researching constitutional governments and the principles of checks and balances. Some even bypass China's Great Firewall to access uncensored information from abroad. One student recounted a night when four doormates casually began discussing politics, only for the entire group to end up in tears. It wasn't weakness, Q, he said. It was the crushing weight of realizing that we did everything right and still ended up with nothing. Alongside this ideological awakening is growing admiration for Taiwan's democratic system. We envy a society where people can speak freely, vote freely, and criticize the government without fear, another student remarked. To the people of Taiwan, we say this. Treasure your hard-won democracy. Don't be fooled by talk of national reunification. We've seen firsthand what unity under authoritarianism looks like. It means the death of dignity and dreams. The hopelessness is not abstract. It's personal. Students describe rural classmates denied internships due to their household registration. Some pretend to go to work each day to avoid disappointing their families, while spending their hours sitting silently in public parks. Others endure humiliation and exploitation from employers or, tragically, choose suicide as an escape. While the government continues touting slogans like high-quality development and common prosperity, the streets tell a different story. Restaurants, factories, and retail chains are closing in waves. PhDs work call centers. Programmers now drive taxis. The vibrancy of Chinese cities is dimming under the weight of economic decline and state silence. Media outlets remain silent. Citizens are expected to be silent. But the younger generation is no longer willing to play along. We are not cogs in a machine. We are not tools. We are individuals with thoughts, feelings, and dignity. A student declared, We cannot let this authoritarian system continue to steal our youth and future. The word revolution, long taboo, is now being spoken aloud. Not out of a desire for chaos, but as a response to years of suppression and broken promises. We don't want to be obedient subjects anymore. One protester said, We want to be citizens in the truest sense of the word. Citizens with voices, votes, and agency. Discussions have already begun about what a reformed China might look like. Students are seriously exploring electoral systems, anti-corruption mechanisms, judicial independence, and press freedom. This is not blind rebellion, but a deliberate and thoughtful reckoning with the future. Our awakening may never be shown on state media or in school textbooks, said another student. But it has already begun, and once it begins, it cannot be stopped. This generation may become the first victims of the struggle, but they also see themselves as the spark of a new era. If the Chinese government continues to ignore the warning signs, if the Communist Party refuses to reform, many believe it is only a matter of time before a full-scale movement erupts. When that day comes, a student said, You will hear our footsteps on the streets of Beijing. Not as pawns, but as citizens demanding change. They no longer accept slogans. They no longer believe in the greater good defined by the state. What they demand is clear. A government accountable to its people. A free, fair, and transparent nation, not one sustained by fear, lies, and control. The dire situation in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, has left the public in shock. The economy has completely collapsed, and the city has plunged into a deep recession. Yet the CCP still wants to wage war on Taiwan. The city of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, is experiencing a full-scale economic collapse. Businesses are shuttering. Unemployment is rising. And once-bustling districts are now eerily silent. Meanwhile, the Chinese government continues to escalate military tension with Taiwan, prompting the question, Is Beijing prioritizing conflict abroad while ignoring crisis at home? In Fuzhou today, the situation on the ground is dire. One restaurant after another is closing down. Storefronts are empty. And entire blocks are now occupied by street vendors. Back when we first arrived, there were no stalls here, said one local business owner. Now there are dozens, stretching one after another. No one goes downstairs anymore. It's deserted. Shops that are still open are struggling to survive. That store's up for transfer, so is the next one. One after another, they're posting signs. Business for sale. Even techniques for transfer. Another shopkeeper shared, It's tough. Really tough. Just look. This row of buildings. 50 meters long. Every single unit is up for rent. Across the street. Same story. It's noon. And not a single customer in sight. When one tenant tried to negotiate a rent reduction due to tough times, the landlord flatly refused. Don't want to rent. Move out. This isn't an isolated case. Once-vibrant commercial areas now resemble ghost towns. Fuzhou's largest unfinished real estate project, once dubbed the Next Jinshan, is now a desolate expanse. The metro line leads to a barren wasteland. I thought I had time. Traveled, said one resident. If it looks like this in broad daylight, would you dare come at night? The project, covering over 750 acres, roughly 300 hectares, once drew investors from surrounding cities like Ningde and Nanping. Crowds came by the busload to buy homes, only to see prices plunge. A property once worth 3 million yuan, about $415,000, is now auctioning for just 1 million yuan, about 138,000. Mortgage defaults have hit record highs. Many who mortgage their homes to fund businesses now face falling property values, but unchanged monthly payments. Some homes have lost over 50% of their value. Buyers from the market peak are barely hanging on. Wages haven't kept pace with the drop in home prices. Monthly repayments continue, but income can't keep up. And default is often the only way out. One residential complex that once sold for over 40,000 yuan per square meter, about $5,500, is now selling for half that. Residents who bought just three years ago have lost over 400,000 yuan, about $55,000. That used to be the price of public housing. A resident said, now you can get a luxury flat for that. In Fuzhou today, many families can't even afford a meal. I know it sounds hard to believe. But this is not fear-mongering, said a longtime real estate agent. From 2020 to 2023, most people used WeChat Pay or Alipay. But starting late last year, they've been relying on credit cards and consumer loans like Huawei just to cover daily expenses. The economic outlook is grim. Even drastic price cuts don't guarantee sales. Developers and second-hand homeowners alike are holding onto property that simply won't sell. Market sentiment is deeply pessimistic. Take the once-hyped Zizai High development, for example. Despite holding firm for over a year, prices were recently adjusted to around 23,000-24,000 yuan per square meter, about $3,200-$3,400, but sales remain sluggish. The issue isn't the quality or pricing, but a deep lack of confidence from potential buyers. Amid this economic collapse, Beijing continues to rattle sabers over Taiwan. But many in Fujian, which would be the front line in any cross-strait conflict, are beginning to speak out. We don't want to be sacrificed for a rotten system, said one citizen. We refuse to die for power, hungry elites fighting internal battles. There is a growing call for Fujian to become the first province to awaken, to face the truth, and lead the rest of China toward change. It's time to apologize and step down, an open letter from a Chinese citizen to Xi Jinping. Amid a wave of rumors on social media and international news outlets suggesting that Xi Jinping, the supreme leader of the Chinese Communist Party, is suffering from a serious illness and gradually losing power. An open letter, reportedly written by a conscientious Chinese citizen, has been published on the social media platform X. The letter has drawn significant public attention both inside and outside China. The message is direct, uncompromising, and strongly worded, beginning with a striking sentence. You have brought disaster upon the country and its people. It is time to apologize and step down. Here is the full text of the letter. An open letter to Xi Jinping. You have brought disaster upon the country and its people. It is time to apologize and step down. Xi Jinping, you have been in power for 13 years. You once shouted slogans of anti-corruption and great rejuvenation, held authority in your hands. And the people look to you with hope, hoping you would uphold the rule of law, promote freedom, improve livelihoods, and govern with virtue. But what they got instead was a nightmare, a dictatorial beast that tore apart the wings of reform and opening, dragging 1.4 billion people into an abyss of silence and fear. You declared a new era, but instead dragged the country back into the dark night of the cultural revolution. You destroyed Deng Xiaoping's system of collective leadership, concentrated all power in one person, and trampled both party and state law under your feet. You claim to put the people at the center, yet left them crying out under lockdowns, sinking in unemployment, groaning under inflation, and suffocating in silence. The economic structure has collapsed. Private enterprises are either investigated or swallowed up. Young people are either giving up or fleeing abroad. University degrees are as worthless as scrap paper. The real estate bubble has burst like a phantom. Local governments are broke, and debts are choking the throat of the nation. And yet you continue to recklessly throw money abroad, turning the blood and sweat of the Chinese people into bribes and cannon fodder for corrupt foreign regimes. Your Belt and Road Initiative is not a gospel, but a trap. Your common prosperity is not about sharing the cake, but about emptying the pockets. You've made the entire party and military revolve around you, while the masses have no place to appeal for justice. Officials can't survive because everyone within the system is living in fear. Ordinary people can't survive because outside the system, every path is blocked. Your so-called great struggle has only resulted in a collapsed reality, social stagnation, ideological rigidity, technological regression, and a complete loss of public trust. Heaven is furious, and the people are resentful. The whole nation knows it. China today is not a soaring dragon, but a sick lion, shackled, shrouded in black cloth, and plunged into an icy abyss all because of you. We hereby warn you, you are not the savior of China, but the root of the people's suffering. You are not the beacon of the nation, but the fog of history. You must step down. You must apologize. You must return the future of the country that you have usurped. This is the most peaceful, rational, and civil appeal from a citizen. If you refuse to listen, then be prepared to face a wave of awakening and action from the people stronger, broader, and unstoppable. History will not remain silent. The people will not endure forever. Sincerely, in this approaching storm, may China's future no longer be overshadowed by you. A conscientious Chinese citizen, July 15th, 2025. Shortly after the letter went viral, numerous internet users engaged in lively discussions. Many voices pointed out that the problem lies not merely with Xi Jinping as an individual, but with the very nature of the authoritarian communist regime, which they see as the true source of decades of darkness and atrocities. Several scholars within the Chinese system have recently spoken out with sharp, courageous arguments calling for institutional reform, resistance to authoritarianism, and the restoration of democratic rights. The Chinese Communist Party has ruled for over 70 years, during which it launched brutal campaigns from land reform to the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Tiananmen, resulting in the deaths of millions. Beyond economic ruin and moral decay, the regime has governed through fear, crushing dissent with imprisonment, re-education, and disappearances. The CCP clings to power by fostering fear, mistrust, and submission. It is not a political party, but a cult-like system of phantom. A demon cloaked in government. Believing in reform from within is self-deception that leads only to ruin. China's CCP releases GDP figures. Citizens mock nationwide. Consumer data exposes the flaws. On July 15, China's National Bureau of Statistics announced the country's GDP growth for the second quarter. According to the report, GDP increased by 5.2% year-on-year in constant prices, 0.2 percentage points lower than in Q1. For the first half of the year, GDP rose by 5.3%, slightly exceeding the annual growth target of around 5% set during the two sessions in March. However, this optimistic data has not been well-received by the public. Across Chinese social media, reactions were dominated by skepticism, sarcasm, and even frustration. Many believe the official figures are disconnected from the harsh economic realities they experience in daily life. Notably, Q2 coincided with significant external economic pressures, particularly from the US-EU-China tariff conflict. In April, bilateral tariffs soared above 145%, the highest level in years. Although some tariffs were rolled back in May, trade tensions remained due to disputes over rare earth elements. Against this backdrop, GDP growth exceeding 5% appears implausible to many. On Weibo, Fan Jianchuan, curator of the Jianchuan Museum, remarked, GDP grew 5.3% in Q2, and household income also increased by 5.3%. What a coincidence. Yet in our cultural tourism business, not only did we fail to grow, we saw a double-digit decline. Other netizens chimed in with biting sarcasm. One commented, I was so moved by the GDP news that I couldn't sleep. I had two cornbread buns and a bottle of 1982 tap water. I've never felt so happy. This dark humor highlights how disconnected the official narrative is from the lived reality of economic hardship. Cornbread symbolizes poverty and subsistence, while 1982 tap water alludes to long-term deprivation. The phrase, I feel so happy, is used ironically to underscore frustration. Many citizens feel the data simply doesn't align with the facts. Factories are shutting down, college graduates are unemployed, and consumer activity is sluggish. One person wrote, In the middle of a trade war, oil price is rising due to conflict between Israel and Iran and collapsing consumption, yet GDP is growing. That's incredible, literally. This disbelief is backed by real-world evidence. After the U.S. raised tariffs to 145% in April, an export business owner in the Yangtze Delta told the BBC that their factory immediately lost interest in shipping orders and had to halt operations. It was a moment of despair. He said, Ordinary shop owners are also struggling. Sister Mao, who runs a women's clothing store, said that since June, her business has plummeted so badly that she's lost all confidence. I just want to clear out my inventory and stop torturing myself, she shared on social media. Another boutique owner reported earning just 99 yuan in sales one day, barely enough to say she was open for business. The next day, she opened her store at 9 a.m., closed at noon due to no customers, and returned at 2 p.m. She only served three people and sold three items totaling 227 yuan, throwing in a pair of socks for free. These days, it's normal not to make any sales. It's over 30 degrees outside, but I can't afford to run the A.C. Anyone who pays. I sell no questions asked. In Hubei, a small supermarket owner shared that although she opens at 6.30 a.m., often hours pass before she sells anything. I get up earlier than others, go to bed later, and still make no money, she said. Meanwhile, official consumption data paints a similarly bleak picture. June, a month that includes the nationwide 618 shopping festival, was expected to see a surge in consumer spending. However, total retail sales of consumer goods rose only 4.8% year on year, down from the previous month and below expectations. More worryingly, after seasonal adjustments, month-on-month sales actually fell by 0.16%, the first decline since May 2024. YouTuber UncleLyingFlat, with over 100,000 followers, questioned, with massive discounts and government subsidies, how is retail sales still falling? This shows consumer spending can no longer be stimulated. Even the tourism sector, typically, a strong indicator of summer consumption, is underperforming. A tourism operator in Zhangjiajie said that despite peak season, the crowds have disappeared. This time of year that used to queue for two hours. Now there's no line at all. He added that facilities have improved outdoor fans, indoor AC seating areas, yet visitor numbers are at record lows. According to BBC Chinese, China may be caught in a vicious economic cycle. A lack of consumer confidence reduces demand. Forcing businesses to cut costs and lay off workers. This leads to growing concern over job insecurity, prompting people to save even more, further shrinking total demand. The result is a feedback loop of declining confidence and spending one that both households and businesses can clearly feel. In conclusion, no matter how impressive official growth figures may appear on paper, they cannot cover up the widening gap between statistics and the real life struggles of ordinary citizens. When lived experience contradicts government data, what remains is a mix of skepticism, sarcasm, and a weary population losing faith in the story that everything is fine. USLR conducts first overseas test of Taifan missile system, a strong signal to China. As part of Talisman Sabre, the largest multinational military exercise in history, the United States has successfully conducted the first ever overseas test of its Taifan mid-range missile system. The live fire test took place on July 16 in Australia's Northern Territory in coordination with the Australian Army. The Taifan system consists of four launch vehicles capable of carrying 16 missiles. It uses an upgraded MK-41 vertical launch system to fire SM-6 surface to air anti-ship missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles with respective ranges of 200 kilometers and 600 kilometers. These weapons are considered capable of threatening Chinese military outposts and artificial islands in the South China Sea, potentially undermining Beijing's anti-access area denial A2AD strategy. Colonel Wade German, commander of the US Army's third multi-domain task force, stated, this deployment and successful strike on a maritime target mark a significant step in integrating ground. Based fires with naval strike capabilities, the Taifan system is already deployed in Luzon, Philippines, near Taiwan. In the event of conflict, it would pose a direct threat to China's Navy. Beijing has repeatedly protested the system's deployment, warning it could spark an arms race in the region. Taifan is a key strategic weapon developed for the US Army's multi-domain task forces, MDTF. Among the five task forces, three are assigned to the Indo-Pacific region. One is based in Europe and the fifth is planned to be stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to enable rapid global deployment. This year's talisman saber exercise involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan, India, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, and others. Although Australia has not formally pledged support in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict, the joint test underscores deepening military cooperation between Canberra and Washington and highlights America's determination to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific. Thank you for watching Secret in China. 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