It has been 20 days since Chinese actor Yu Menglong’s fatal fall on Sept. 11, yet public debate continues to intensify both in China and overseas. On Sept. 30, an open letter surfaced online calling for citizens to turn China’s Oct. 1 National Day into a “National Day of Mourning” by gathering at Tiananmen Square to honor Yu and demand justice. The appeal quickly drew widespread attention.
On the same day, a netizen posted a similar call on X (formerly Twitter): “On National Day, let us hold a nationwide memorial for Yu Menglong.” The post urged citizens across China to gather at Tiananmen Square or in front of their local government buildings on Oct. 1, light candles, and stage a public memorial for Yu to” seek justice, uncover the truth, and demand fairness for him.”
The appeal stated: “On National Day, let the whole nation hold a memorial for Yu Menglong, and demand justice for him.”
The letter claimed that growing evidence shows Yu Menglong was brutally tortured and killed by a group of conscienceless thugs, described as “beasts in human form.” It further accused Cai Qi, a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, of using state machinery such as the Cyberspace Administration to suppress all information about Yu in order to protect his “illegitimate son involved in the case” and the higher powers behind him.
All channels shut down
The letter noted that in China, nearly all online channels speaking out for Yu Menglong have been shut down. Any posts containing the truth are quickly deleted or accounts suspended. Yet more and more people are becoming aware of what really happened. With the National Day holiday approaching, it called on all netizens who support and sympathize with Yu to gather at Tiananmen Square, hold a public memorial, and demand justice for the young actor who was brutally killed.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
The letter also claimed “good news”: that all police officers in Beijing were already aware of the truth about Yu Menglong’s wrongful death, and many are unwilling to follow Cai Qi in twisting right and wrong against their conscience. This, it alleged, is why the Beijing police have been slow to issue an official incident report. One officer was even dismissed from his post for openly opposing Cai’s distortion of the facts. Under Cai’s heavy-handed pressure, the police were forced to release a notice stating that three people had been detained for “spreading rumors.”
The letter appealed to the Beijing police and the Beijing Garrison troops to stand with the people and refuse to carry out Cai Qi’s orders to violently suppress the public. It announced that the main gathering would be held at Tiananmen Square at 8 p.m., where participants would light candles in memory of Yu Menglong. Those unable to travel to Beijing were urged to do the same at 8 p.m. on Oct. 1 in front of their local government buildings.
The letter concluded with a call for Yu Menglong’s death to serve as a wake-up call for the Chinese people, turning it into an opportunity for national transformation, so that China would no longer remain the private domain of dictators, but become a country truly governed by its people, under fairness, justice, democracy, and the rule of law.
In response, one netizen commented: “People inside China have never stopped. Everyone keeps clicking on Douyin (TikTok) to maintain the momentum. I heard the authorities have poured billions into suppressing these trending topics, but much information from outside the firewall has already spread. Many are using creative ways to seek justice for Yu Menglong. A lot of people in China have awakened—they no longer like watching those patriotic films or swallowing propaganda. The Yu Menglong case has woken everyone up!”
Worldwide attention
Earlier, overseas netizens had already launched a global petition campaign in solidarity. According to Lianhe Zaobao, on Sept. 20 a netizen launched a petition through the global NGO AVAAZ, calling to “seek justice for Yu Menglong.” The petition noted that as more video and audio materials surface, there is growing reason to suspect that Yu’s death was not natural. The organizer urged Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to pay attention to issues of artists’ safety, personal freedom, and the prevention of sexual violence, and to pressure the relevant authorities to improve the situation. The petition further demanded a comprehensive, independent, and transparent investigation to deliver justice for Yu Menglong. It called on “all people worldwide concerned about Yu’s case,
as well as those who care about human rights and the labor rights of performers,” to take this matter seriously, sign the petition in solidarity, and help ensure both justice for Yu and safe, equal working conditions for all entertainers.
By late on Sept. 29, more than 140,000 people had signed the petition in support.
In the early morning of Sept. 11, Yu Menglong, a 37-year-old actor from mainland China, fell to his death at the Sunshine Upper East residential complex in Beijing. Within just 12 hours, police announced there was no criminal suspicion, classifying it as an “accidental fall while intoxicated.” However, disturbing videos later surfaced online showing Yu being brutally abused. As more information
emerged—allegedly implicating senior CCP figures—the case shocked the entire internet, fueling widespread doubt, anger, and outrage.
Although most information about Yu’s case has been heavily censored on the Chinese internet, details have continued to emerge on overseas social media platforms, painting an increasingly complex picture.
Some say the case is linked to money laundering among “third-generation princelings” in the entertainment industry; others tie it to the scandal surrounding Australian Chinese socialite Lanlan Yang; still others suggest it is connected to factional infighting within the CCP. Analysts caution that the Yu Menglong case could prove to be a tipping point for the CCP.
