Expert Blog: Political awakening and a new cultural imaginary amongst the Chinese diaspora

At the end of November 2022, a new form of political protest was staged in China –  university students, joined by others in major cities, held blank sheets of A4 paper to express dissent. While initially a response to the draconian Zero-Covid policy, the protest symbolized deeper frustrations with repression and demands for civil rights and freedom, marking the largest political demonstration since 1989.

Despite being brutally suppressed in China, the “White Paper” Movement ignited a wave of political awakening among young people that continues to resonate. On its second anniversary, events such as candlelit vigils, poetry readings, creative art, short films, and protests, were held across Europe and North America. A memorial act in the UK Parliament highlighted the movement’s lasting impact. Activist groups like China Deviants, Liberty Square, MyDutyInde, Cards of Concern, CensoredFaces, and Assembly of Citizens played pivotal roles in organizing these activities.

Political Awakening

The “White Paper” protests drew many Chinese mainland students and graduates in their early 20s, often participating in public demonstrations for the first time. These encounters fostered new groups and communication channels dedicated to political dissent. While most activists remain anonymous and groups decentralised due to risks of transnational repression, certain individuals and groups have gained prominence, including Teacher Li and China Deviants.

Teacher Li, an art student in Italy named Yin Li, initially began reposting censored information about China on X (formerly Twitter) to understand the unfolding Covid crisis. His posts soon transformed him into a central source for protest pictures, videos, and updates during the White Paper Movement, garnering hundreds of millions of views and media attention. Despite threats and harassment targeting his family in China, Teacher Li remains undeterred, continuing to share uncensored information online. His activism, which now includes a YouTube channel, is supported through online donations and earnings.

China Deviants, a collective of mainland Chinese student activists in London, formed during the White Paper protests and promoting an anti-totalitarian agenda. They organize memorials, art performances, and protests, both online and offline, connecting with like-minded individuals abroad and in China to increase the masses’ political consciousness and capacity for critical thought.

New Alliances

These young, exiled activists have increasingly collaborated with older generations of expatriate protesters. Over the past two years, this alliance has bridged gaps between different age groups and communities, including Tibetan and Uyghur activists. Their shared criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and aspiration for liberty and democracy have united them in common causes.

The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has become a focal point for this collaboration. In the past two years, on the June 4^th anniversary,  China Deviants organized a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square, displaying posters and photos of the massacre alongside symbolic props like plastic tanks. In 2024, their protest was joined by Zhou Fengsuo, a former student leader of the 1989 movement. Similar memorial events were held globally, including in Paris, Tokyo, the U.S., and Australia, marking a growing solidarity among diasporic communities.

A New Cultural Imaginary

Along this intergenerational activism, a subtle cultural shift within diasporic Chinese communities is detectable. Exiled journalists, writers, and intellectuals have begun establishing cultural hubs in cities like Tokyo and Washington, D.C. Spaces such as bookstores, salons, and lecture venues serve as platforms for free expression and intellectual discourse.

One notable example is the reopening of Jifeng Bookstore in Washington, D.C., the most influential independent bookstore in Shanghai that was forced to close 5 years ago, now offers banned books and hosts public lectures by prominent intellectuals and writers. Similarly, new media platforms like Dasheng(Speak Out Loudly) and the Boston Review of Books are cultivating a "new cultural imaginary." Dasheng provides in-depth news, book recommendations, and podcasts to promote intellectual freedom, while the Boston Review of Books introduces high-quality literature and humanities titles, advocating the principle of “There is no restricted area for reading.”

Circle 19, an NGO campaign group composed of media practitioners and experts from the Chinese diaspora and the international community, further illustrates this cultural shift. Dedicated to promoting access to information, it challenges the Chinese state’s narrative from a position that insists on the historical centrality of free information flows in the constitution of Chinese society. From this standpoint it is able to counter the spurious claims of the Chinese state that Chinese culture has distinct value orientations that are threatened by Western liberal ideology and asserts that the right to information is a cornerstone of Chinese intellectual heritage. Supported by Reporters Sans Frontières, Circle 19 develops tools to bypass censorship and offers technical support to access information censored in China.

Implications for China’s Future

The White Paper Movement, the rise of a politically conscious, internet-savvy generation, and the emergence of a new cultural imaginary within the Chinese diaspora present a significant challenge to China's autocratic regime. These developments occur against the backdrop of heightened digital surveillance and an increasingly uncertain international political landscape. Understanding the role of China in global politics is becoming ever more critical. Equally important is recognizing how grassroots political activism and cultural initiatives among the Chinese diaspora could influence the legitimacy of the Chinese state. This growing movement cannot be easily dismissed - it may well shape China’s political and cultural future in profound ways.

Dr Tao Zhang is an expert in contemporary Chinese new media technology, culture and politics, from the School of Arts and Humanities