China COVID protests: Why demonstrators are holding up papers with a physics equation

From holding blank papers to singing the national anthem, people in China have found subtle ways to express dissent against the rigid COVID-19 restrictions in the country. Thousands of protesters hit the street in several Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing, over the weekend against the government’s stringent zero-COVID policy. These were the most widespread protests in decades in the country which censors any kind of opposition. According to CNN, some people in Shanghai also chanted slogans– “Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!” It is unusual in China for people to publicly oppose the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Students at several universities also held demonstrations with those in Beijing’s Tsinghua University singing the national anthem and holding blank white papers.

Just come in. As a relay, at this moment hundreds of students are gathering on the campus of Tsinghua University (one of the tops in China) chanting “ freedom of expression democracy rule of law”, after dozens of such gatherings seen on campuses nationwide over past two days. pic.twitter.com/LUa4KPyqJh

— Vivian Wu (@vivianwubeijing) November 27, 2022

Meanwhile, what has caught the attention of users on social media is the use of physics equations – the Friedmann model – in these purported protests at Tsinghua University. What are the Friedmann equations and how are they being used to display dissent in China? Let’s take a closer look. What are the Friedmann equations? Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann came up with a set of equations that explained the rate at which the universe expands. Developed in the 1920s, Friedmann’s formula contains H which is the Hubble parameter, G is for density and gravitation constant, R is the scaling parameter and k is the curvature parameter, says HyperPhysics Concepts website. Shedding light on the formula, Ethan Siegel wrote in Forbes magazine in 2018, “The first Friedmann equation describes how, based on what is in the universe, its expansion rate will change over time. If you want to know where the Universe came from and where it’s headed, all you need to measure is how it is expanding today and what is in it. This equation allows you to predict the rest! He further said that the Friedmann equations “tell you that the universe isn’t static, but rather that it either expands or contracts depending on what the expansion rate and the contents of your universe are. Best of all, they tell you how the universe evolves with time, arbitrarily far into the future or past”. ALSO READ: Deaths of children, bus accident and more: The many horrors of China’s zero-COVID policy Friedmann equations become protest symbol in China According to media reports, over a dozen universities across China witnessed protests following the deadly fire in an apartment building in the north-western city of Urumqi that killed 10 people. In President Xi Jinping’s alma mater Tsinghua University, students reportedly participated in the “A4 Revolution” criticising the censorship and harsh COVID-19 measures in China. Some students in the university also held papers with the Friedmann equations written on them. Nathan Law, an activist in Hong Kong, took to Twitter to share a picture from the protests, and wrote, “Students from the elite school Tsinghua University protested with Friedmann equation. I have no idea what this equation means, but it does not matter. It’s the pronunciation: it’s similar to “free man” (free man)-a spectacular and creative way to express, with intelligence.”

Students from the elite school Tsinghua University protested with Friedmann equation. I have no idea what this equation means, but it does not matter.
It's the pronunciation: it's similar to "free的man" (free man)—a spectacular and creative way to express, with intelligence. pic.twitter.com/m5zomeTRPF

— Nathan Law 羅冠聰 (@nathanlawkc) November 27, 2022

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Some on Twitter suggest that the Friedmann equations were chosen as the physicist’s last name is a play on the words “free man”. Others were of the view that it is a call for “opening up” the country after nearly three years of snap lockdowns as the equation represents the expansion of the universe.

Tsinghua students, true to form, protesting lockdowns with the Friedmann Equation: the basic reality of the universe is constant, eternal expansion, or put another way, opening up. https://t.co/S9Q8SxGB7W

— Even (@Even_Pay) November 27, 2022

A Twitter user wrote on Law’s post, “I lived for two years on this campus. These are the most clever and often humorous students I’ve ever met. This way of expressing solidarity doesn’t surprise me at all". Besides Tsinghua University, a university in Hong Kong was also among the sites of protest. According to the Associated Press (AP), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) saw around 50 students from mainland China singing, while some lit candles in a display of support. [caption id=“attachment_11717131” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Blank white papers are being used as a symbol of protest in China. AP[/caption] The students, who hid their faces to avoid getting recognised, also shouted, “No PCR tests but freedom!” and “Oppose dictatorship, don’t be slaves!”, AP reported. ALSO READ: Wordplay, blank signs, music: How is China voicing its dissent against the zero-COVID policy? Why such unique ways of protest? Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior research fellow at East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore, told VICE World News that protesters might be trying to dodge censors in China. “There’s no official reason provided so far [for the blank papers],” he said. “But given that the algorithms, as well as AI, tend to focus on textual information, it may be possible that the absence of textual information or even pictographic symbols would probably make it more inconspicuous.” [caption id=“attachment_11717141” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The protests in China were triggered after a deadly fire killed 10 in Urumqi. AP[/caption] Shan Wei, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, said as the critique is not explicit, these “indirect messages convey potent symbolic dissent”, reported V_ICE World News._  “It’s creative and it’s a powerful symbol to show how the government forces people to shut up,” he said, adding, “it means ‘Yes I want to say something, but I cannot’”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.