When China's historic protests against COVID curbs erupted last month, a 30-year-old Chinese man in a flat in Italy became one of the most important conduits of information on the unfolding drama via a lone Twitter account.
abc.net.au/news/the-painter-who-shared-chinas-covid-protests-with-the-world/101773780When China's historic protests against COVID curbs erupted last month, a 30-year-old Chinese man in a flat in northern Italy became one of the most important conduits of information on the unfolding drama via a lone Twitter account.
From this perch, Mr Li had a unique overview of the sheer scale of public discontent, both against the COVID-19 lockdown measures and the Chinese Communist Party's longstanding curbs on individual liberties and information.Thousands of messages received per day He is also part of a growing number of overseas-based China critics who share perspectives on China via western media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, which are banned in China."I received thousands of messages per day," he told Reuters from his home in Italy, opting to only be identified by his surname, citing privacy concerns."Things happened far beyond what we have seen, it's just that much has gone unreported.
Many people sent content to him as they believed that going through Mr Li, rather than posting it directly online themselves, gave them an extra layer of protection, he said.He said protesting in China can be dangerous for ordinary people but the demonstrations showed people could express themselves.
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