Protests have broken out across China in what some are calling the greatest display of civil disobedience since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
On the weekend, crowds of hundreds of people took to the streets of cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, some bearing blank sheets of paper to highlight government censorship.
The protests were sparked by the deaths of 10 people in an apartment building fire in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang province, that have been blamed on the government's strict COVID-19 policies.
Here is what some of the people who took part in the demonstrations said about what they saw and why they attended.
'I saw them beating people'
Shiyi, who lives in an outer suburb of Shanghai, did not attend the first night of protests on Saturday but travelled into the city on Sunday to show his support.
He said he heard from a friend that something had happened in Urumqi Centre Road and then saw friends' pictures on the social media platform WeChat.
"There was a big gathering at the place of the protest last night when I arrived," he told the ABC.
"The police asked me to go away, and I saw them beating people on the side of the road.
"Some [of the protesters] were holding up sheets of white paper in silence.
"Some chanted, 'We want freedom,' and, 'Oppose going too far in COVID prevention.'
"I was so scared after I saw people being beaten by police, so I was just standing there and didn't dare to join them [in chanting]."
Shiyi said he spent more than 70 days confined in his home during the city-wide lockdown earlier this year.
"What makes me angry the most is that different areas have different [COVID] policies," he said.
The recent orders, known as "Article 20", to relax some COVID-19 restrictions were not being followed where he lived, he said.
"Article 20 is just a piece of waste paper," he said.
"I was expecting it (COVID policies) to relax but it actually became harsher.
"They've lost public trust. I don't believe their words anymore.
"We were all being dragged into this silent war. They are gambling the fortune of the nation. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."
'I wanted to say what I wanted to say in my own country'
Lily, a journalist in Beijing, said she was upset watching the protests in Nanjing and Shanghai and heard through word of mouth there would be a protest starting from the Lebanese embassy.
"Many of the people there were young," she said.
"Once I looked into their eyes, I knew they were there for the same reason."
"The police were maintaining order at the site and trying to reason us to go, but overall it was peaceful in Beijing — no chaos or clashes with the police.
"[The police] said they understood how we felt.
"They didn't let us lay flowers to mourn the victims in front of the embassy, so we moved to the other side of the river, and then just kept moving.
"We walked past a residential complex and people just left their homes to join us."
Lily said she had felt oppressed for too long.
"It's been like this in China for a long time," she said.
"You can't express yourself. Reports are being deleted quickly when they are published, and the ones you are allowed to post are not the ones you actually wanted to write.
"I wanted to say what I wanted to say in my own country.
"I came across many friends of my age that day. I felt grateful for being able to connect with them."
'It's like a dream come true'
Wumu, a legal practitioner who lives in Beijing, was among the hundreds of people who protested on Sunday night on the banks of the Liangmahe River.
He said he did not know who organised the demonstration and it appeared to be improvised.
"I was triggered after watching the press conference in Urumqi where they blamed the victims for not being able to escape," he said.
Wumu said what he was doing was difficult to explain to his friends and family so he just blocked them from seeing his posts.
"I feel like people's attitude towards [China's] COVID policies changed dramatically in the past six months, since what happened in Shanghai," he said.
"People then realised the virus really changed, but the policies are not changing accordingly.
"It has a massive impact on people's lives and work."
Wumu said he prepared himself to run if the protests escalated, but was glad things did not go that far.
He said he hoped going out into the streets would make at least a slight difference to the government's policies.
"There are a lot of things we can't control," he said.
"We can only try to make an effort. No-one can guarantee a result.
"People were shouting, 'We want rule of law,' and I added 'judicial independence'."
Wumu said he felt that not everyone there that night had the same agenda.
Some were more politically motivated but they all shared the same hope to express themselves.
"I studied law," he said.
"Yesterday I had the chance to shout this out loud in front of the public in China.
"It's like a dream come true."
'I don't like shouting slogans'
Bobo, who lives nearby Urumqi Road in Shanghai, went to the memorial for the victims of the Urumqi fire on Saturday night with a piece of white paper.
"I just knew there would be people who felt the same way I did," he said.
"What happened in Urumqi is just way too ridiculous."
He said the police were initially polite and only started to arrest people later on after more arrived.
"On the second day, they didn't let us stay there long," he said.
"My piece of white paper was taken. I asked them to give it back to me but they wouldn't."
Bobo said he felt that holding up a piece of blank paper conveyed what he wanted to say without saying a word.
"My hope is for the mass nucleic acid tests to stop," he said.
"I've been faking the COVID barcode scans every place I go. It's nonsense and such a waste of people's money.
"They should do more meaningful things, like providing people with effective vaccines and not just setting restrictions.
"They are doing the tests only because it benefits the test companies and it works better to control the people."
Bobo said he felt good just holding the white paper and protesting in a light-hearted way.
"I don't like shouting slogans," he said.
"I think I'm the minority in the society. I don't want to risk my life to reject the policies."
Bobo said he was worried when he walked past the site of the protest afterwards and was looking into leaving the country.
"There were still policemen here and there last night, checking people's mobile phones," he said.
"I have pictures and videos [of the protest] in my phone."
Asked about widespread anger over China's zero-COVID policy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters: "What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened.
"We believe that, with the leadership of the Communist Party of China and [the] cooperation and support of the Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful."
