Over the weekend, protests against China’s strict coronavirus restrictions ricocheted across the country in a rare case of nationwide civil unrest. It was the most extensive series of protests since the pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

This is what these demonstrations look and feel like, and what they mean for President Xi Jinping and his quest for “zero Covid.”

Guest: Vivian Wang, a China correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions in China have evolved into broader demands. What are protesters calling for?
• In a country where protests are swiftly quashed, many who gathered to voice their discontent — under the watchful eye of the police — were uncertain about how far to go.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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