Chen Pinlin, online alias “Plato”, was born on August 8, 1991, in Xiapu County, Fujian Province. He resided in Shanghai, and is the director of the documentary “Not the Foreign Force” about the White Paper Movement in Shanghai.
During the three years of the "zero-COVID" policy enforced by Xi Jinping's government, the daily life and freedoms of the people were severely limited. A fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, finally ignited public dissatisfaction with the measures. On November 26, 2022, when the people of Shanghai spontaneously gathered in the streets to mourn the victims of the fire, no one expected that this memorial activity would lead to nationwide protests against the pandemic policies. At the scene, Chen Pinlin and his girlfriend, Wang, filmed many protest videos at the protest site on Urumqi Middle Road in Shanghai.
Chen Pinlin felt it was necessary to leave a historical record of the movement. He wrote a script, edited it, and produced it into the documentary “Urumqi Middle Road”. The English title of the film is NOT THE FOREIGN FORCE.
In November 2023, on the anniversary of the White Paper Movement, Chen Pinlin uploaded the documentary to YouTube and other social media platforms, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Less than a week later, he and his girlfriend were arrested. His girlfriend was released on bail, while Chen Pinlin remained in custody.
On January 5, 2024, Chen Pinlin was formally arrested on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and detained at Baoshan District Detention Center in Shanghai.
On September 26, 2024, lawyers met with Chen Pinlin and learned that he had to sleep on his side in the detention center, only allowed one hour of outdoor exercise a month, and his legal rights were not properly protected.
According to a report by the Rights Defense Network on January 7, 2025, Chen Pinlin’s first trial was held at 1:45 p.m. on January 6, 2025, in the Third Court of Baoshan District Court, where he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison. His sentence will end on May 27, 2027.
