Zhengzhou University students protested for the third time against campus lockdown, despite the university punishing students who resisted and fining a worker who volunteered to deliver supplies to the students.
On the evening of Nov. 16, students of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province in central China, launched a protest against the chaotic management during the campus lockdown which led to food and supplies shortages.
The students told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times that the lockdown has lasted for 40 days since Oct. 9, but the university simply ignored the students’ difficult situations.
Free Service Was Fined
Following the lockdown, many students were stuck on campus with light blankets and clothing, and no medical supplies or textbooks.A campus vendor posted online—free delivery of birthday cakes, medicines, cigarettes, and reference books; but the university punished the vendor for violating the university lockdown policy on the 15th.
Included in the punishment were a fine of 3,000 yuan, a suspension of the business, deletion of the vendor’s friend circle on the Chinese social media, WeChat, and publicizing the vendor’s violation on the bulletin board.
A student confirmed to The Epoch Times that the vendor was Quack Duck, a vendor selling braised duck meat.
He said, “We can’t leave the campus. The school won’t allow delivery onto campus.”
But the school ignored the fact that students weren’t prepared for the cold weather, and were often left with just one meal a day, according to online posts of the students.
After the vendor business was suspended, the students protested on the 16th.
Students’ Demands
An online video showed the Zhengzhou University students trying to communicate with the administrators by announcing their requests, although the faculty simply walked away.A student announced, “We want you to assure our safety, absolutely no liquidation … we want to see your promise … we demand lifting the lockdown according to the policy for low risk areas.”
In the end, the student said, “We know you have heard us, we know some of you turn a blind eye to our demand. But we are telling you what we need.”
The Liquidation
A student told The Epoch Times that the university already punished some of the students who joined the protest on Nov. 16.Chinese universities often punish students with demerit records or graduation without a certificate.
He said, “We can’t say anything now. We are just students, and we still want to get our diploma.”
A sophomore student explained the difficult situation on campus under lockdown.
She said, “There’s no delivery service on campus. There’s no shower room in the dorm, and the university just announced to hold the final exam by Dec. 30. This early conclusion of a semester is a big problem for many students.”
An online post revealed the difficult situation the students are faced with: “More than 10,000 students at Zhengzhou University line up for two hours every day to buy a meal. Sometimes they couldn’t get it. The leaders are on the watch and they will drive you away when the time is up. It doesn’t matter to them if you have nothing to eat. Zhengzhou University has no heart.”
The Epoch Times tried to call the university for a comment, but no one answered.
