An activist threw ink on an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Now she's disappeared.

A young Chinese activist named Dong Yaoqiong filmed herself throwing ink on a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who in March obtained legal authority to stay in office indefinitely, and posted the video online. "I oppose Xi Jinping and his authoritarian dictatorship," she said. "Let's see how he's gonna deal with me."

In a later post on Twitter, Dong shared a photo that appeared to show police waiting outside her apartment. "Right now there are a group of people wearing uniforms outside my door. I'll go out after I change my clothes," she wrote. "I did not commit a crime. The people and groups that hurt me are the ones who are guilty." Since then, her Twitter account has been deleted; her video has been taken offline; and she has disappeared.

In response, other activists have reposted the video and protested her disappearance by splashing ink on other public images of Xi, posting photos using her hashtag, #InkSplash. Some unverified reports suggest Dong has been taken to Beijing from Shanghai, the site of her original protest.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up