Li Zehua (Chinese: 李泽华, born 1995) is a Chinese citizen journalist, rapper and YouTuber. Li was born in Pingxiang, Jiangxi.[1][2] After graduating from Communication University of China, he joined China Central Television (CCTV) as a television presenter in 2016.[1]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in China, he resigned from CCTV and found a way to get into Wuhan, hoping to trace disappeared journalist Chen Qiushi.[3] With the help of locals, he was able to get a car and find a place to stay.[4] In the following days, he used a vlog to report on the pandemic in Wuhan.[3] He disappeared on 26 February 2020,[5] presumed detained by officers from state security.[6][7][8][9] Parts of his chase with the Wuhan authorities was caught on video and uploaded to YouTube.[10] It was reported that Li Zehua returned to the hotel on 28 February.[11] However, other reports stated that no one has heard from Li since his 26 February 2020 disappearance.[12][13]
On 22 April 2020, Li posted a video on YouTube, Twitter, and Weibo, and uploaded the English subtitle to YouTube in the following days. According to Li, he was escorted on 26 February to the police station and was under investigation for disrupting public order. Additionally, police detained and quarantined him, citing his visits to sensitive epidemic areas. Li's quarantine was at first in Wuhan, and later moved to his hometown. Li stated that he had been treated well by the police during the detention, and that he had been released on 28 March.[14] According to The Guardian, Li's neutral tone in the video was "very different from his previous videos".[15][16] Activist stated the authorities may have told Li to make the brief statement.[17]
At the end of his April 22 post, he quoted the Book of Documents aphorism "the mind of man is restless, prone (to err); its affinity to what is right is small. Be discriminating, be uniform (in the pursuit of what is right), that you may sincerely hold fast the Mean." (人心惟危，道心惟微，惟精惟一，允執厥中。)[18] and gave his own interpretation in English:
The will of the people is unpredictable, the heart of Tao (the essence of cosmos) is fathomless.
In order to make the will of the people consistent with the heart of Tao and reach the state of [zh], only the way is concentrate all energy on cultivation of the good nature of the heart, do not act in extreme, do not change faith, do not be fickle, uphold the doctrine of the golden mean of Confucian orthodoxy.[14]
See also[]
Chen Qiushi, a Chinese lawyer, activist, and citizen journalist who disappeared on 6 February 2020
Fang Bin, a Chinese businessman, citizen journalist and whistleblower who disappeared in February 2020.
(in Chinese)
