“Authorities Across China Deploy Chengguan and Police to Drive Away Street Vendors, Sparking Clashes (September 8–13, 2026)”
Between September 8 and 13, the Yesterday Project documented incidents in Kunming, Yunnan; Haikou, Hainan; Nanning, Guangxi; and other cities, where local authorities deployed chengguan—urban management officers—and police to drive away street vendors, resulting in clashes.
“Workers at Angela Zhang’s Huangshi Concert Strike Over Unpaid Wages (September 13, 2026)”
On September 13, workers involved in constructing the stage for Angela Zhang’s concert at the Huangshi Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hubei Province went on strike after failing to receive their wages. They demanded that Angela Zhang and other parties involved in the concert address the unpaid wages. According to workers at the scene, they had not been paid for at least four of Angela Zhang’s concerts.
Tobacco farmers rally across Yunnan against exploitation by the tobacco company (Sept. 8–9, 2026)
Protests have broken out in several parts of Yunnan in recent days after the state tobacco company downgraded farmers’ leaf and refused to buy some of it outright. On September 8 and 9, several hundred tobacco farmers gathered for two consecutive days at the Longjie tobacco station in Yiliang County, Zhaotong. On September 9, farmers also protested at the Yongfeng tobacco station in Zhaotong’s Zhaoyang District and at the Yunxian tobacco station in Lincang. In Yiliang, farmers at one point pushed into the Longjie station’s office building and went into the cafeteria, where they helped themselves to a staff meal. As of September 12, however, local authorities had not responded to any of the farmers’ demands.
According to several farmers, the tobacco system’s purchasing standards have tightened noticeably this year: leaf is being forcibly downgraded and underpriced, and some lower-grade leaf is simply rejected. Some farmers hauled hundreds or even thousands of jin of cured leaf to the station, only to walk away with a few dozen yuan after layer upon layer of harsh grading and weight deductions. With their income squeezed this severely, angry farmers in several areas have destroyed or burned their own tobacco.
China’s tobacco system has long reaped enormous profits from its monopoly, yet the farmers at the very bottom of the supply chain, who do the heaviest labor, receive almost nothing. Under pressure from local governments and the tobacco company, farmers sign deeply one-sided purchasing contracts: they can sell their leaf only to the tobacco company, and they have no bargaining power whatsoever. In a stable market, farmers can just about make a living. When the market turns, the tobacco company passes its losses down to them through downgrading, price cuts, and rejections, and a year’s work is wiped out.
Hong Kong Alliance Case: Three Sentenced to 5–7 Years; Chow Hang-tung Responds with Three-Finger Salute (Sept. 11, 2026)
On September 11, the Hong Kong High Court sentenced former Hong Kong Alliance vice-chair Chow Hang-tung to 7 years and 3 months in prison, former chair Lee Cheuk-yan to 7 years, and former vice-chair Albert Ho to 5 years and 2 months, on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” The Alliance itself, already disbanded, was fined HK$1.5 million.
After the sentences were read, Chow smiled toward the public gallery, raised three fingers, and then waved to the gallery. Correctional officers immediately pushed her hands down. Lee made a prayer gesture toward the gallery.
Chow’s gesture is the three-finger salute from the film series The Hunger Games, a symbol of resistance, solidarity, and defiance. Protesters used it widely during Thailand’s 2020 pro-democracy movement and Myanmar’s 2021 anti-coup demonstrations.
Hundreds of Victims of “Guoyisuo” Art Investment Fraud Gather at Shanghai High Court to Demand Return of Stolen Funds (Sept. 9, 2026)
On September 9, hundreds of victims of the “Guoyisuo” art investment fraud gathered outside the Litigation Service Center of the Shanghai High People’s Court to collectively demand the return of their hard-earned money, calling on authorities to promptly recover the assets involved in the case and repay the victims. Traffic at the scene was briefly disrupted.
“Guoyisuo” is short for China International Artwork Property Rights Exchange Co., Ltd. Beginning in May 2015, Zhang Hailong, Yan Zhizhong, and others used the Hong Kong-registered “Guoyisuo” to package golden nanmu wood and other artworks worth only about 29 million yuan as “Gu Mo Ji Zhen” (Collected Treasures of Ancient Ink), luring victims to buy in and defrauding more than 10,000 people of over 4 billion yuan in total. On September 12, 2019, the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court handed down first-instance verdicts against Zhang Hailong, Yan Zhizhong, and 13 others on charges of fundraising fraud, fraud, and providing false certification documents, with sentences ranging from life imprisonment to two years and six months, plus confiscation of all personal assets or fines. Yet nearly seven years after the verdicts, large numbers of victims have still not recovered their losses.
Update on Beijing Woman Trafficked for 26 Years: Authorities Mass-Delete Related Content (Sept. 9–10, 2026)
Sun Meihua, a woman from Beijing, was trafficked to Cao County in Shandong Province and abused for 26 years. Over those 26 long years, the Chinese Communist authorities did exactly one thing: delete posts. Between September 9 and 10, we found that every video related to “Meihua” had been removed from the Douyin account of “Chuxin,” the rescuer hailed online as a hero. At the same time, large numbers of videos and posts about the Sun Meihua case were also scrubbed from China’s major social media platforms.
HONOR Phone’s “Magic Poster” Lock-Screen Ad Blocks Emergency Call; Woman Dies of Heart Attack (Sept. 10, 2026)
On September 10, a Weibo user posted that after his mother collapsed in the bathroom from a sudden heart attack in the early morning, his father picked up his HONOR phone to call 120, China’s emergency number, only for a “Magic Poster” to pop up on the screen. Unable to find the exit button, the father could not place the call in time and had to go door to door asking neighbors for help. The mother died. The poster believes the “Magic Poster” cost his mother her best chance at survival: “Technology was supposed to change our lives, but it became the indirect killer of my mother.” He later contacted HONOR customer service demanding an apology, removal of the feature, and compensation. None of the demands were met.
“Magic Poster” is a lock-screen feature on HONOR phones that automatically displays and refreshes images and related content on the lock screen. Multiple users commented that some of HONOR’s system apps carry heavy advertising, redirect frequently, and hide their close buttons, making them especially difficult for older users unfamiliar with smartphones.
Public records show that HONOR was launched by Huawei in 2011 as a sub-brand targeting the budget and young internet-user markets. In November 2020, Huawei announced the sale of all HONOR business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Hundreds of pneumoconiosis miners in Fengjie, Chongqing, stage collective protests demanding promised medical relief (2026.08.25–09.08)
From August 25 to September 8, hundreds of miners suffering from pneumoconiosis staged repeated collective protests, going to the Fengjie County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Chongqing multiple times to demand that the local government honor its policy commitments and provide medical treatment and basic livelihood support. According to the workers, they had worked underground in coal mines in Fengjie and Wuxi counties and developed pneumoconiosis from prolonged exposure to coal and silica dust. Between 2005 and 2021, Fengjie and Wuxi shut down all coal mines within their borders, citing frequent mining accidents and pollution. In 2022, the Fengjie County Health Commission and several other departments jointly issued the “Fengjie County Implementation Plan for the Treatment and Relief of Closed-Mine Workers Diagnosed with Pneumoconiosis After Leaving Their Posts” (Document No. Fengjie Weifa [2022] 141), intended to provide dedicated living allowances, employment-hardship subsidies, and basic medical care to workers diagnosed only after the mines had closed. The workers say, however, that the policy has never been fully implemented.
“Large Advertisement Supporting ‘Wangwang’ Appears in Zhuanghe, Dalian (2026.09.09)”
On September 9, despite continued suppression by the authorities, digital activists successfully displayed a giant photograph of “Wangwang’s family” on an outdoor billboard along the southern section of Yan’an Road in Zhuanghe, Dalian, Liaoning Province.
“Workers Seeking Unpaid Wages Post Banner High on Nanjing Chengbei MixC Mall (2026.09.09)”
On September 9, workers seeking unpaid wages posted a banner reading, “Pay us what we are owed! Give us back our hard-earned money!” above the giant MixC logo on the exterior wall of Nanjing Chengbei MixC Mall in Jiangsu Province.