Chongqing Protester: "Rise up, people who refuse to be enslaved!"
On the night of August 29th, large projected words suddenly appeared on the exterior wall of a building near Chongqing University. The message directly targeted the Chinese Communist Party, calling for an end to "tyranny" and the struggle for "freedom." The public protest lasted approximately 50 minutes before police located the device and shut it down. The messages read: “Without the Communist Party, there would be a new China; freedom is not a handout, it must be fought for. Rise up, people who refuse to be enslaved, rise up and resist to reclaim your rights. Down with red fascism, overthrow the Communist tyranny! No lies, we want the truth; no enslavement, we want freedom; the tyrannical Communist Party must step down!” The protest was orchestrated remotely by a man named Qi Hong, who had already fled to London. Inspired by Peng Lifa, Qi's message spread rapidly online with the help of digital activist Teacher Li, whose initial post on the protest reached over 19 million people. Unfortunately, Qi’s extended family in China has since faced harassment and detention.
Qi Hong, born in 1982, is 43 years old. Dissatisfied with the ruling regime, he has frequently posted anti-communist messages on WeChat Moments. Qi said his protest was influenced by Peng Lifa’s "Sitong Bridge Incident" and the "White Paper Movement," as well as Mei Shilin's display of banners on the overpass at Chengdu's Chadianzi Bus Station. Knowing that the government planned to hold a military parade in Beijing on September 3, he decided to take action.
To implement his plan, Qi Hong scouted locations several times, measuring and calculating projection angles. He ultimately settled on the Mama Apartment Hotel in Chongqing University Town, a location with high traffic and close proximity to the campus, which would create a greater impact. Before checking in on August 10th, Qi Hong had made all the necessary preparations. He purchased used projection equipment and rented a laser engraver in advance. Upon checking in, he began learning how to use these unfamiliar devices. For days, he repeatedly adjusted the projection angle and practiced using software to create slogans. To avoid arousing suspicion, he chose to project seemingly innocuous, positive slogans like "daily exercise is good for your health” and “a healthy life is endless joy" as a cover for adjusting the focus on a nearby building. The messages he finally settled on were ones he had considered for more than three months, that he felt would convey his message with the fewest amount of words. He wrote “down with red fascism,” referring to the CCP, because the September 3rd military parade had been branded a “Victory Parade of Anti-Fascism” and he hoped to emphasize the CCP’s hypocrisy.
After completing the installation, he left behind a 600-watt outdoor projector, three surveillance cameras, a remote timer switch, a router, and a phone card. To avoid detection by hotel staff, he concealed the projector with curtains and placed a suitcase there to create the illusion that the room was still occupied. Qi Hong had originally planned to project slogans on the evening of China's military parade on September 3rd, synchronizing them with a loudspeaker system to maximize the impact, like Peng Lifa. However, practical considerations forced him to repeatedly adjust his plan. For reasons of concealment, he ultimately abandoned the outdoor loudspeaker system. Even more concerning was the timeframe: leaving the room vacant for an extended period might attract the hotel's attention and prompt an inspection. Driven by this sense of urgency, Qi Hong moved up the planned implementation date to August 29th.
After 50 minutes of projection, five police officers finally found the hotel room where the projection equipment was located and shut it down. Qi Hong also left a handwritten letter on the hotel coffee table for the investigating police officers. In it, he emphasized that he "does not belong to any organization" and pleaded not to implicate innocent people. "The crimes committed by the Communist Party on this land are too numerous to list." He warned them, "You may be a beneficiary now, but one day you will be a victim on this land." The letter stated that his actions were a inescapable choice: "Who wants to be displaced and not enjoy a good life?" He compared the Communist Party to "fascism" and said that the Chinese people are "too forgetful" to ignore the harm caused by past political movements.
As the police officers searched the room, one of them noticed something odd: a security camera, watching them. Qi Hong had left cameras placed to collect footage of his protest and the ensuing reaction, and stream the video to his devices in London. Familiar with the Chinese authorities’ surveillance, Qi Hong had turned the camera back on them.
Although Qi Hong had left China with his wife and daughter on August 20th, this did not prevent the authorities from implicating his family. On the afternoon of August 30th, Qi Hong watched from surveillance footage as his mother, who lived in the countryside, was questioned by police. His brother in the countryside was taken away, and all the books in the house were searched one by one. Relatives in Chongqing were also detained, and their computers and other belongings were confiscated. Qi Hong admitted that he understood that every protest came with a heavy price, but what pained him was that this price fell on completely innocent family members, who were completely unaware of his decision and yet had to bear the consequences.
The Chongqing projection incident is just one ripple in the wave of lone wolf protests in recent years. These individual actions are neither the beginning nor the end. They are destined not to appear in the Chinese media or leave room for open discussion in Chinese society. However, they reveal a fact: even under the CCP's strictest surveillance, individuals still find ways to express their dissatisfaction. The tension and repression in Chinese society have not disappeared, but are deeply buried, waiting to erupt.
The following is the full text of Qi Hong's open letter:
Hello, friend!
I don't know who you are, so for now I'll call you a friend. Perhaps you already consider me your enemy. First, let me be clear: I don't belong to any organization. I've come to this point out of necessity. Who wants to be displaced and not live a good life? Please don't harass those who are not involved. The crimes committed by the Communist Party in this land are too numerous to list. Please try not to aid and abet their abuses. Perhaps you are currently a beneficiary, but I believe most people, whether three generations or even a generation ago, have suffered persecution from the Communist Party. It's just that the Chinese people are too forgetful. Since the Soviet Communist Party came to this land, and even since it seized power, they have launched major campaigns every three years and minor campaigns every ten years, leaving countless families torn apart and suffering persecution. What else do they have but lies? They are fascists. Perhaps you are currently a beneficiary, but one day you will undoubtedly be a victim in this land. Please treat others with kindness as much as you are able. If you must shoot, raise the muzzle of your gun a little higher [to miss your target]. The Communist Party governs the country with lies, exploiting those who are righteous and who dare to stand up. In short, we must awaken and understand the truth. The truth is the truth, just as dark clouds blocking the sun don't mean there is no sunshine. If everyone contributes a little and stands up to resist, those bad guys won't be able to do whatever they want.
Best wishes, friends!
August 16, 2025, 11:00 PM
Chongqing University Town, “Mama” Hotel
Read the Chinese version of this article below.
自由呼声点亮黑夜，重庆大学城勇士戚洪投屏抗议详述。8月29日，七夕节的夜晚，重庆大学附近一栋大楼的外墙上忽然出现巨幅投影，内容直指中国共产党，呼吁结束“暴政”、争取“自由”。这一起公共抗议持续约50分钟后，警方才找到设备并将其关闭。投影标语包括：“打倒红色法西斯，推翻共产党暴政”，“没有共产党才有新中国，自由不是恩赐要去夺回”，“起来吧不愿做奴隶的人们，起来反抗夺回自己的权利”，“不要谎言要真相，不要奴役要自由，暴政共产党下台”。
这名抗议者名为戚洪，出生于1982年，现年43岁。因对当局执政者的不满，他在朋友圈曾多次发表反共言论，他透露受“四通桥事件”和“白纸运动”的影响，以及梅世林在成都茶店子客运站天桥挂出条幅的激励，他决定自己也做点什么。 为了实行此次计划，戚洪曾多次踩点，测量推算投影角度，最终定于重庆大学城嘛嘛酒店，这里人流量密集，附近是校区，可以形成更大影响力，在8月10日入住前，戚洪做全了准备。他提前购买了二手投影设备，租用了激光雕刻机，入住酒店后开始现学使用这些陌生设备，多日来，他反复调试投影角度，练习使用软件雕刻制作标语。为了不引起怀疑，他选择投射一些看似无害的正能量标语"天天锻炼身体好，健康生活乐无穷"，以此作为调焦的掩护。
调试完成后，他留下了一台600瓦户外投影灯、三台监控、一套远程定时可控开关、一台路由器和一张电话卡，为避免被就酒店工作人员发现，他利用窗帘遮挡住投影设备，同时放置行李箱营造出“还有人居住”的假象。按照最初的计划，戚洪将在9月3日中国举行大阅兵当晚进行投影标语，并配合扩音设备同步播放口号，以制造更大的传播效果。然而，现实的考量让他不得不一再调整方案。出于隐蔽性的考虑，他最终放弃了在户外布置扩音设备。更让他焦虑的是时间问题，房间长时间空置可能会引起酒店的注意和检查。在这种紧迫感的驱使下，戚洪将原定的实施时间提前至8月29日。
投影50分钟后，5名警察最终找到了投影设备的酒店房间，关闭了设备。戚洪还在酒店茶几上留下了一封给前来查处警察的手写信，他在信中强调自己“不属于任何组织”，并请求不要连累无辜，“共产党在这片土地上犯下的罪恶罄竹难书”。他提醒对方：“也许你现在是受益者，但在这片土地上，有一天你一定是受害者。若不得已，请把枪口抬高一点。” 信中写道，他的行动是“无可奈何”的选择：“谁愿意颠沛流离，有好日子不过呢？”他将共产党比作“法西斯”，并表示中国人“太健忘”，忽视了历次政治运动带来的伤害。
尽管戚洪在8月20日下午3点已携带妻子和女儿离开了中国，但并不妨碍当局株连家人，8月30日下午，戚洪通过监控画面看到住在乡下的母亲正在接受警方问询；乡下的哥哥被带走，家中书籍被逐一清查，在重庆的亲戚也被带走，电脑等物品被没收。戚洪坦承，他明白每一次抗议都伴随着沉重的代价，但让他痛苦的是，这份代价落在完全无辜的家人身上，他们对他的决定毫不知情，却要为他的选择承担后果。 重庆投影事件只是近年来独狼式抗议浪潮中的一朵浪花，这些个体行动既不是开端，也不会是终结，它们注定不会出现在中国媒体的版面上，也不会在中国社会留下公开的讨论空间，但始终在揭示一个事实：即使在中共最严密的监控之下，个人仍在寻找表达不满的方式，中国社会的紧张与压抑并未消失，只是被深深地掩藏，等待着爆发。 以下为戚洪留下的公开信全文：
朋友你好！
我不知道你是谁，暂且称呼你一声朋友，也许此时你已经把我当成你的敌人了，首先声明，我不属于任何组织，之所以走到这一步，也是无可奈何，谁愿意颠沛流离有好日子不过呢？请不要为难无关人员，共产党在这片土地上犯下的罪恶，罄竹难书。请尽量不要助纣为虐。也许你现在是受益者，我相信大多数人往上三代甚至是一代，没有不受到共产党的迫害，只是中国人太健忘了，自从苏共在这片土地上以来，甚至夺取政权以来，三年一大运动，十年一小运动，让多少人家破人亡，受尽迫害，他们除了谎言还有什么，他们就是法西斯。也许你现在是受益者，但在这片土地有一天你一定是受害者，但请在能力范围内善待他人，实在迫不得已，那么你完全可以把枪口往上抬一点。共产党他们谎言治国，保利压榨那些正义之士，敢于出头的人。总之，要觉醒去了解真相，真相就是真相，就好比乌云挡住了阳光，不代表没有阳光。每个人付出一点，站起来反抗，那些坏人就不能为所欲为。
祝好，朋友！
2025年8月16日晚11点
重庆大学城嘛嘛酒店