2024年7月30日，在湖南娄底新化县，一位名叫方艺融的年轻人，在天桥上挂起了写满抗争口号的横幅，并用扩音器播放出震撼人心的呼喊：
“不要特权要平等，不要文革要改革，不要封控要自由，不要领袖要选票，不要谎言要尊严，不做奴才做公民！要自由，要民主，要选票！罢课罢工罢免独裁国贼习近平！”
这是继2022年“北京四通桥事件”之后，中国大地上又一次响亮的呐喊。不同的是，这次行动出自一位年仅二十出头的青年。方艺融的勇气，不仅延续了前辈的抗争火焰，更向世人表明：即使在最黑暗的时刻，中国仍有人站出来，为自由与尊严发声。
青年的勇气
方艺融2001年出生，正值人生最美好的年华。然而，他选择了用自己的行动挑战极权政权的禁忌。一个普通青年，面对监控、威胁和随时可能的牢狱之灾，仍敢于走上街头，公开宣告“不做奴才做公民”。这是中国青年觉醒的象征，是自由精神在高墙中的裂缝。
在今日的中国，信息封锁无处不在，恐惧笼罩社会，沉默被塑造成常态。但方艺融没有沉默。他明知危险，却依然举起横幅，让全世界看见中国青年真实的声音。
株连的迫害
方艺融被捕后，他的家人也未能幸免。我作为他的同乡，得知他的亲人正遭受严密的监控与打压。
任何与方艺融家人通话的人，都会立刻被当局约谈“喝茶”；他们的电话被迫更换，所有通讯方式几乎被切断。他的家人如今不敢接受任何外界的帮助，不敢和民主同仁通话，已经陷入近乎软禁的状态。
这是一种典型的株连：因一位青年为自由而呐喊，他的亲属却被全方位监视、骚扰，过着惶恐不安的生活。这样的行为，充分揭示了中共政权的残酷与恐惧——他们害怕自由的声音，害怕真相的传播，害怕人们彼此的联系。
专制的恐惧
中共当局的迅速抓捕和全面打压，并不令人意外。极权者害怕的不是枪炮，而是来自民众的呼喊；他们畏惧的不是敌国军队，而是一个青年真诚的呐喊。
他们害怕这样的行动扩散，害怕更多人觉醒，害怕人民要求他们最基本的权利——自由、平等、尊严。
国际社会的责任
方艺融的行动，已经引起海外舆论的关注。旧金山、洛杉矶等地的华人社群举行了声援集会。这样的国际行动至关重要。
我们呼吁国际社会——各国政府、人权组织、媒体——持续关注方艺融的处境，要求中共立即公布他的下落，保障他的基本人权，并停止对异议者的迫害。任何沉默，都会助长专制的嚣张；任何关注，都会成为对勇者的保护。
历史的脉络与未来的希望
从1989年的天安门，到2022年的四通桥，再到2024年的新化天桥，中国的抗争从未消失。它或许被镇压，但火种从未熄灭。每一位敢于站出来的人，都是历史的灯塔。
方艺融不是孤独的。他与那些曾经付出自由、甚至生命代价的先行者站在一起。他的行动，将被记入中国走向民主的历史。他的呐喊，已经跨越封锁，传递到世界各地，唤醒更多良知。
我们的呼吁
在此，我们向方艺融致以最崇高的敬意。我们声援他，声援所有在中国土地上遭受打压的勇者。我们呼吁：
- 海内外华人团结起来，传递真相，拒绝遗忘；
- 国际社会持续关注中国人权，给予勇者支持；
- 中国青年继续思考：未来属于你们，而自由值得一切代价。
方艺融曾说：“与魔鬼没有妥协余地。”他的选择让人心碎，却也让人看到希望。
纵然黑夜漫长，但天桥上的横幅，已经为未来的中国点燃了曙光。
In Solidarity with Fang Yirong: A Young Man’s Cry on the Overpass
On July 30, 2024, in Xinhua County, Loudi City, Hunan Province, a young man named Fang Yirong hung banners filled with protest slogans on an overpass and broadcasted powerful chants through a loudspeaker:
“No to privilege, yes to equality.
No to Cultural Revolution, yes to reform.
No to lockdowns, yes to freedom.
No to leaders for life, yes to elections.
No to lies, yes to dignity.
We will not be slaves, we will be citizens!
We want freedom! We want democracy! We want votes! Strike classes, strike work, remove the dictator Xi Jinping!”
This was another resounding cry on Chinese soil after the 2022 “Sitong Bridge Incident” in Beijing. What makes this even more remarkable is that it came from a young man in his early twenties. Fang Yirong’s courage not only carries forward the spirit of past resistance but also shows the world that even in the darkest times, there are still Chinese who will stand up for freedom and dignity.
The Courage of Youth
Born in 2001, Fang Yirong is in the prime of his life. Yet he chose to risk everything by challenging the taboos of an authoritarian regime. An ordinary young man, facing surveillance, intimidation, and the imminent threat of imprisonment, still dared to proclaim publicly: “We will not be slaves, we will be citizens.”
In today’s China, information is tightly controlled, fear overshadows society, and silence is enforced as the norm. But Fang refused to be silent. He knowingly embraced danger and raised his banner high, letting the world see the true voice of Chinese youth.
Collective Punishment
After Fang’s arrest, his family also fell victim to repression. As someone from his hometown, I learned that his relatives are under intense surveillance and harassment.
Anyone who dares to contact Fang’s family is immediately summoned by authorities for interrogation. Their phone numbers have been forced to change, and all channels of communication are cut off. Fang’s family is now too afraid to accept any outside help, too afraid to speak with fellow activists, and live under de facto house arrest.
This is a textbook case of collective punishment. For the crime of one young man’s cry for freedom, his loved ones have been subjected to constant monitoring, intimidation, and isolation. Such behavior exposes the cruelty and fear of the regime—they fear voices of freedom, fear the spread of truth, and fear human connection itself.
The Fear of Tyranny
The regime’s swift arrest and comprehensive crackdown are unsurprising. Authoritarians fear not weapons, but the voices of ordinary people. They fear not foreign armies, but the honest cry of a single young man.
What they fear most is that such actions will spread, awaken more people, and push citizens to demand their most basic rights—freedom, equality, dignity.
The Responsibility of the International Community
Fang Yirong’s actions have already attracted international attention. Chinese communities overseas in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles have organized solidarity rallies. Such efforts are crucial.
We call upon the international community—governments, human rights organizations, and the media—to keep attention on Fang Yirong’s case, demand transparency about his detention, safeguard his human rights, and stop the persecution of dissenters in China. Silence only emboldens tyranny; attention can protect the brave.
A Thread of History, A Future of Hope
From Tiananmen in 1989, to Sitong Bridge in 2022, to the Loudi overpass in 2024, resistance in China has never disappeared. It may be crushed temporarily, but the flame never goes out. Every person who dares to stand up becomes a beacon in history.
Fang Yirong is not alone. He stands in the long line of those who sacrificed their freedom and even lives for democracy. His action will be remembered in the story of China’s future. His cry has already crossed the barriers of censorship, reached the wider world, and awakened more consciences.
Our Call
We pay the highest tribute to Fang Yirong. We stand with him, and with all who suffer repression in China. We call for:
- Overseas Chinese to unite, spread the truth, and refuse to forget.
- The international community to continue pressing China on human rights and support those who resist.
- Young people in China to reflect: the future belongs to you, and freedom is worth every cost.
As Fang himself once said: “There is no room for compromise with the devil.” His choice breaks our hearts, but it also brings us hope.
Though the night is long, the banner on the overpass has already lit a dawn for China’s future.