On the evening of April 15, a man stood in the middle of Zhongjie, a pedestrian shopping street in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province in northeastern China, and recited poetry through a megaphone. When he finished, he dropped to his knees and cried out. A crowd of mostly young onlookers gathered around him, many filming on their phones.
Zhongjie, which dates back to the Qing dynasty, is one of the city’s busiest commercial streets. Speaking aloud there, in a setting where public expression can draw official attention, gave the scene immediate visibility.
The poem he recited was “How to Kill a Bird,” written by Zhou Changfeng, a poet affiliated with the China Writers Association, a state-run body that oversees literary institutions in China. The poem reads:
The best way to kill a bird
is this: no matter whether it is quarreling or calling out,
you write that the little bird is singing.
No matter whether it is cursing or weeping,
you write that the little bird is singing.
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No matter whether it is wailing or pleading,
you write that the little bird is singing.
I do not believe every dawn is as beautiful as they say,
not even in the eyes of a single bird.
The poem spread online despite repeated removals
“How to Kill a Bird” was published through official channels and, in 2023, was included in a list of poems recognized by a domestic literary prize.
In April 2025, the poem began circulating widely on Chinese social media. Videos of people reciting it appeared across short-video platforms and were removed, then reposted through new accounts.
Sina, a major Chinese internet portal operating under state oversight, cited users who described it as one of the most widely shared poems online in 2025 and 2026. Posts referencing the poem have continued to appear across platforms despite periodic deletions.
Videos of the Shenyang recitation later spread beyond China’s domestic internet.
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Online responses showed both support and caution
On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, comments appeared before the video was removed. Some users wrote that the speaker was expressing what others could not say openly. Others posted brief messages urging caution, including “stay safe” and “be careful.”
Public expression of this kind in China can lead to questioning by authorities, detention, or other consequences, depending on how it is interpreted.
On X, the social media platform blocked inside China but used by overseas Chinese communities, responses were more direct. Some users described the poem as reflecting a gap between daily experience and official messaging. Others adapted its language to comment on economic conditions, including employment pressures and rising living costs.
Several comments focused on the risks of speaking publicly. Others framed the incident as part of a broader pattern of visible expression among younger people.
Economic pressures form the backdrop
In recent years, similar scenes have appeared in different parts of China, involving gestures ranging from symbolic expression to more direct forms of protest. Many participants have been young.
Official data has shown rising pressure in the labor market for younger workers, while the downturn in the property sector has affected household finances. Opportunities in major cities have become more limited for new entrants to the workforce.
At the same time, state media has continued to emphasize economic stability and recovery.
The Shenyang video continues to circulate on overseas platforms. Its availability on domestic platforms remains limited.
