A 64-year-old Shenzhen entrepreneur went on livestream and spoke without restraint.
“You don’t let people speak. You don’t give people a way to live. You’ve turned society into something like a prison,” he said, looking into the camera. “This is a rogue state.”
Within minutes, the stream was shut down.
The man, Shen Qijia, has spent years trying to recover what he says was taken from him: 4.87 million yuan, about $670,000, along with his business, his home, and any remaining sense of stability. In recent days, he has begun telling that story on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Each time, the broadcasts ended the same way.
Account suspended. Stream cut off.
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“I’ve opened more than 20 accounts over the years,” Shen said in one broadcast. “Every time, they punish me for no reason.”
On March 21, he told viewers he was now in debt, his home sold through a court auction, with no pension and no medical coverage. Livestreaming had become his last source of income. Even that, he said, was being taken away.
A warning message appeared on screen during one of his broadcasts. He did not stop.
“There are 540 people in here right now,” he said. “I just started, and I’m already angry. I’m done holding back today. Is there really this kind of behavior? Are people supposed to live like this?”
He went further, questioning why certain topics could not be discussed. “You won’t let people talk about major news. Before it was Russia. Now it’s Iran. You won’t let people talk about that either.”
Moments later, the stream was gone.
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The following day, Shen posted another video, shifting from anger to a detailed account of what had led him here.
Originally from Dandong in Liaoning province, Shen founded Yinglianchuang Industrial Development Co. after moving to Shenzhen. In 2000, he said, a shopping mall operated by one of his subsidiaries, Daughter’s Home Shopping Plaza, was suddenly sealed by authorities in Bao’an district.
Police and local officials accused him of false capital reporting and fraud. He was detained for 118 days.
Prosecutors ultimately declined to approve his arrest. He was released.
What he returned to, he said, was an empty shell.
The business was gone. Safes had been broken open. Company records had been taken. He began asking for an explanation, and for his property back. No department gave a clear answer. Responsibility shifted from one office to another.
That was the beginning of his petitioning.
Twenty-six years later, he says he has filed more than 300 petitions.
The result was just over 10,000 yuan in initial compensation, followed by 900,000 yuan from Shenzhen police and another 200,000 yuan from the Bao’an district government. The remaining more than 3 million yuan, about $410,000, has never been returned.
He recalls what officials told him at the time.
“For the rest, go ask whoever you want. We don’t know where it went,” he said they told him. “This is all we can give you. Take it or leave it.”
During those years, he says, there were also periods of detention. Not random ones, but timed.
“Whenever there was a National People’s Congress session, or a Party congress, I would suffer,” he said. “They detained me five times, about 15 days each.”
On March 23, Shen posted again, briefly.
“I’m still alive today,” he said.
Then another message, directed at the people waiting for his next livestream.
“Don’t wait. None of my accounts can go live anymore.”
The videos circulated outside China, where some commentators amplified his story and called for attention to what might happen next. Online reactions were largely supportive. Many praised his willingness to speak openly despite the consequences.
Others used the moment to voice their own experiences, describing what they saw as arbitrary enforcement and a lack of accountability.
Shen’s broadcasts are no longer visible on Douyin.
Editor’s Note:
This article is based on media reports, publicly shared online videos, blogger statements, and personal testimony cited by overseas media. Certain claims, including allegations of unlawful detention and asset seizure, have not been independently verified.
