The Case of a Chinese Woman Who Was Missing for a Decade

The case of a Chinese woman who went missing in Southern California made waves on campus in Urbana-Champaign, which has among the most Chinese international students in the country. Fan Jin and her friend John Root Fitzpatrick were last seen together in July.

She had run away from home at age 14 and spent the next ten years sleeping and playing games in internet cafes, reports say.

Xiao Yun

A woman who ran away from home at age 14 after a fight with her parents was found alive and well—and immersed in online gaming for the past decade. Xiao Yun, 24, was discovered by police when they stopped her for using a fake ID at an internet cafe in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, China. They later found out she matched the description of the girl who had been reported missing 10 years ago. During questioning, Xiao Yun admitted to spending the last decade living in internet cafes and bath houses. She said that she was addicted to the free multiplayer first-person shooter game CrossFire and spent all her time playing it, sometimes for hours on end. She also made money by tutoring other gamers how to beat the game.

Xiao Yun had been so immersed in her online games that she neglected to eat, sleep or even wash. Her parents had assumed she was dead, and even removed her name from the family’s household registration. But a few years ago, she reached out to her mother on WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging app.

She eventually agreed to meet her parents, though she initially refused to tell them that she was alive. She had been living off handouts from other people who used the internet cafes, and she worked as a cashier in some of them to earn extra income.

The story of Xiao Yun is just the latest example of the growing problem of internet addiction in China. In recent years, the country has been taking steps to address the issue, including by declaring that it is a psychological disorder. The government has also set up hotlines and centers to help victims of the disorder. It is believed that many of the problems caused by internet addiction are due to lack of education and social support. However, the problem is still widespread, and many people are unaware of how serious it can be. In some cases, addiction to online gaming can even lead to suicide. This is why it is so important to educate people on the dangers of online addiction and to offer help to those who need it.

Li Siqi

Li Siqi is a vlogger who films herself in the countryside, attracting millions of followers across China. In July 2021, she suddenly stopped uploading new videos to her YouTube channel and was reported missing by her fans. The vlogger has not been seen since. Some believe she is being held by the government.

Li’s fans have been frantically searching for her on social media and contacting local authorities. They have set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a lawyer to help them track down the whereabouts of the influential influencer. Others have written letters to the local government asking them to release Li from prison.

Despite the risks, Li has continued to speak out for human rights and freedom of expression. She also writes for a number of online publications and has been interviewed by international news outlets. She has a reputation for being brave and strong.

According to her personal website, she works as a freelance writer and photographer, planning and executing small-scale events. She has also filmed documentaries for the BBC and other outlets. She is a graduate of the London College of Communication, where she studied photography.

Four of the detainees, including Cao Zhixin and Li Siqi, have been formally charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a notoriously vague charge that critics say is often used to stifle dissent. The arrests have triggered outrage among observers, with many believing that the government is trying to send a message to those who speak out against the Chinese regime.

The other five detainees include Wuyi, who has been confined to her home in a remote village in the northwest. She is not allowed to leave her house and has been blocked from contacting family and friends. She has also been unable to access her social media accounts. The family of Wuyi is worried about her mental health and has been seeking medical parole.

Zhai Dengrui

Zhai Dengrui is a 26-year-old graduate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University who works for an internet security company. She had been friends with some of the other detainees since she was a teenager and was very socially conscious and politically active. She was involved in the ‘706 Youth Space’, a utopian autonomous space launched in 2012 that was not just a place to read books but also a community sensitive to all forms of injustice and inequality.

The space was a meeting point for young people to exchange ideas and discuss politics. They were sensitive to all sorts of issues, such as education equality, civil rights and the right to assemble. They were also very interested in the internet and open source software. Many were also active in the ‘New Citizens’ Movement’ and ‘Open Constitution Initiative’, nongovernmental organisations that advocated for political reforms and increased government transparency. Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, both former commercial lawyers, were members of the ‘New Citizens’ Movement’ and co-founders of the ‘Open Constitution Initiative’. They have been imprisoned for over a year now.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Zhai took part in activities to give out masks to workers and help women suffering from domestic violence. As a result, police surrounded her house and followed her everywhere. She was arrested for ‘picking quarrels’ and ‘provoking trouble’ and remains in custody.

One day, she was with her girlfriend in a hutong in Beijing and saw the news about the Urumqi fire. She posted in her WeChat group two photos: a bouquet of flowers she had brought and a photo of young people mourning in the street. She was arrested a few days later.

‘My friend is not a feminist, but she cares about society. She is interested not only in women’s rights, but in the welfare of all vulnerable groups,’ a friend said. The detainees have been questioned about their links to ‘feminist activities’ and have been denied access to lawyers.

The Made in China Journal is a platform that facilitates critical discussion and engagement with a broad international audience on contemporary labour, civil society and rights in China. It is a project of the Centre for Labour and Democracy in Asia.

Cao Zhixin

Cao Zhixin was a 23-year-old Chinese history graduate student. She and her friends had a shared passion for literature, feminism, and combating social injustice. They also took small actions of resistance in their everyday lives, such as organizing film screenings or a book club. The activism has given them a sense of purpose, a reason to live in the face of daily hardships such as paying high rents, finding work, and raising children.

Cao had a strong interest in history, and she worked as an editor at Peking University Press while pursuing her master’s degree. Her writing and editing skills were praised by her peers. She was known to be a quick and efficient worker, and she could complete assignments on time.

But on the evening of Nov. 27, 2022, when Cao’s close friends were rounded up by police and taken away to be screened for possible COVID-19 infections, she didn’t expect the worst would come to pass. She was still a little confused about why she and her peers were being targeted.

The friends had gathered to commemorate the victims of the deadly fire in Urumqi, the capital city of China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The incident spurred a wave of protests against Beijing’s strict zero-COVID policy, which confined people to their homes and imposed restrictions on freedom of speech. Cao and her friends had joined the protest, holding blank pieces of paper to symbolize restrictions on free speech.

Several days after the Liangmaqiao incident, authorities relaxed their lockdowns. Drugs were in short supply, hospitals were overcrowded, and crematoriums could not bury bodies fast enough. The government’s loosening of control seemed to be an admission that the zero-COVID policies were failing and had ruined people’s lives.

But it was too late for Cao and her friends, who were formally arrested on Jan. 19 on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The same day, the European Union called for their release, asserting that they were detained without due process. They are being held at Chaoyang District Detention Center in Beijing. Their lawyer has yet to be allowed to see them.