Recently, hundreds of thousands of university students in Zhengzhou took part in the “Night Ride to Kaifeng” event, causing extreme anxiety within the Chinese Communist Party authorities. The following day, many universities in China began shutting down campus activities abruptly, leading to strong dissatisfaction among the students who openly expressed opposition to the campus closures.
This spontaneous event, known as “Youth has no price, Night Riding is now,” started at 10 p.m. on November 8th with tens of thousands of Zhengzhou university students participating in cycling to Kaifeng. Estimates varied from one hundred thousand, to two hundred thousand, to even three hundred thousand participants.
Online reports revealed that on that night, all bicycles from the three major bike-sharing companies in Zhengzhou were completely taken by the students. A bike without a seat stood lonely on the street, students took photos with it, and the image quickly went viral, making it a “celebrity” bike online.
Several Zhengzhou university students told reporters, “It was already too late for the authorities to stop the students’ Night Riding activities. Measures such as last-minute restrictions on bikes crossing certain areas or not allowing them beyond the third ring road were unable to stop, nor were they possible to halt the enthusiastic youth behavior of the students, Night Riding was already irrepressible.”
Videos circulating online showed that local residents in Kaifeng welcomed the students’ Night Ride, with local attractions specially arranged for students to watch performances for free and offer complimentary food.
Online reports indicated that the sheer number of bicycles left by the students upon arrival in Kaifeng created a breathtaking scene. Local authorities spent two days and still couldn’t clear them all. And those were just the bikes that made it to the final destination on that day.
According to university students, in an effort to prevent the Night Riding activities, many bikes were forcibly locked by bike-sharing companies, leading students to be stranded, with authorities stating that shuttle buses would pick them up to return. However, some students still chose to walk to Kaifeng late at night. Authorities also warned students who had not started their journey yet, claiming the route to Kaifeng was congested, and the local area could not accommodate so many people in terms of food and accommodation.
The scale of the Zhengzhou university students’ Night Ride to Kaifeng shocked the entire internet and caused panic within the Chinese Communist Party authorities. Subsequently, universities in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng began extensive dormitory checks and recalled students who were outside.
University students revealed online that Henan University of Engineering required students leaving the campus gates to have temporary exit permits starting from the weekend of November 9th. They had to present these permits to the security when leaving the premises and report back to the dormitory when returning, proving their return.
A university student from Zhengzhou exposed an important notice issued by the school stating, “Starting today, all students must apply for leave when going out during the day from Monday to Sunday. Each night, there will be dormitory checks, and from Sunday to Thursday, staying out overnight is not allowed. On Fridays and Saturdays nights, students are not permitted to stay off-campus; parents must call the counselor or teacher to report the leave. Starting from Thursday, the number of students not staying on campus on Friday and Saturday nights will be recorded. By Friday noon, committee members must report to the counselor.”
The student commented, “Is this still a university? How is this any different from high school? Even during high school breaks, students can go home.”
Students from Henan Mechanical and Electrical Vocational College, the main campus located in the South University City of Zhengzhou, shared online that their school had been sealed off, allowing only entry with no exit. The college began organizing various activities inside the campus, such as making dumplings, playing games, watching movies, among others.
A notice from another university on the 9th stated, “Except for students from regions other than Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, who need to return to school before the class meeting, a night check-in must be done with photos. For students from Kaifeng and Zhengzhou areas, it is mandatory to return to school by 4 p.m. today (9th) and must return to school !!! According to the school’s teaching schedule, classes will be held as usual tomorrow (Sunday).”
Zhengzhou university students took to social media to complain that their school would remain closed until the 18th, and students who went home on leave were forced to return.
Students across the mainland have been sharing the situation in their respective locations in social media groups, revealing that campus closures were not limited to Zhengzhou and Kaifeng but had spread to Henan and beyond, affecting universities nationwide.
Some students from Tianjin posted late on the 9th, saying, “Did your schools do dormitory checks and reporting today? Did all universities in Tianjin check? What’s going on?”
Others from Tianjin posted on the 10th, asking, “What happened in Tianjin last night? Why did universities suddenly do dorm checks? Did your school have dorm checks?”
Regarding the campus closures, counselors at various universities have been engaged in extensive discussions within social media groups.
Some counselors from Zhengzhou universities vented their frustrations in social media groups. Some were dissatisfied that the schools forced counselors to sign accountability agreements. Some expressed their annoyance, saying, “We have endless meetings every day, getting cursed by students and parents.” Some even mentioned they were considering resigning.
A counselor from a university in Jinan, Shandong, stated, “Today we received a notice to advise well-behaved students not to follow the trend.”
A counselor from Qinghai University expressed, “Is the country starting all over again? Today our school began checking the number of students who were not on campus at night. I am curious because we never did this before, and tonight it suddenly started. The school is probably afraid that students might follow the trend and get into trouble.”
The widespread campus closures have sparked strong dissatisfaction among university students, many of whom have taken to social media to protest. One student said, “I can’t believe the school shut down, I’m speechless.”
Another student questioned, “I could understand the closure during the weekend, but why are we still shut down on Monday? Can’t I even leave to charge my car?”
A female university student from Henan posted late on the 11th expressing, “Because of the ‘Kaifeng Night Ride,’ they seem to want to shut down our school. I don’t want that. Our school is so far from Kaifeng, and now because of Night Riding, our school’s management has become stricter. Many people on our school chat program are saying that we have to return to the school on Saturday for evening self-study and movie night. Last Sunday, the school closed on us.”
She added that there were rumors that they wouldn’t be allowed to go out for the next two weeks, “I don’t want the school to close down, I don’t want it.”
Another university student from Henan responded, criticizing the campus-wide closure, “The decision to shut down the university all at once reflects nothing but negativity. Over-promotion resulted in a huge influx of people, and instead of criticizing the promotion, the authorities chose to target the students, which is a weaker group compared to the promoters. Within the students, compared to the active participants, the authorities are punishing those obediently staying on campus. This sends a signal that obedient students won’t be rewarded. If this continues, don’t expect everyone to continue being educated and well-mannered. With protests from students, when emotions run high, they won’t dare continue the closure and won’t be able to. Most students are not obligated to bear the consequences.”
In response to those openly supporting the campus closures, students retorted without hesitation using a straightforward “go away” in reaction.
In Zhejiang, some students resorted to safeguarding their rights. One of them posted a video online titled “Zhejiang Normal University’s Inhumane Midnight Bed Checks,” disclosing the incident where the school conducted dormitory checks in the middle of the night and demanded an apology from the school officials.
In the homemade video, the student described how Zhejiang Normal University’s School of Physical Education conducted a midnight check of their dormitory. The student was already asleep (having volunteered early at 7:30 in the morning) and reluctantly got up following the noise. Politely, the student tried to explain that they were already sleeping and to avoid the check. However, the person leading the check insisted, heartlessly stating, “Regardless of who it is, we must conduct the inspection!” Frustrated, the student threatened to call the police, to which the response was, “Go ahead and call, I’m not afraid!” Feeling helpless, the student indeed called the police, but even that did not elicit a response.
The student’s act of seeking justice garnered support and sympathy from many students and the public, making “Zhejiang Normal University Dormitory Checks” a trending keyword online. The video received over two hundred thousand views on the first day of release.
On the night of the 11th, the student posted another video update. Expressing fatigue over the past two or three days, having barely eaten and apologizing for delayed responses, the student promised to share the latest updates soon. Wrapping up, the student thanked the online supporters and wished everyone a good night.
The closure of multiple high schools across the mainland due to the “Zhengzhou Night Ride” has also drawn attention from various sectors of society. On the afternoon of the 11th, a visual expert from the mainland criticized the decision, questioning, “Because of the Night Ride event in Kaifeng, the schools are shut down? Why are all the blames shifted to the students? Think about who encouraged and supported the Night Ride event, who kept cheering for it! And now, suddenly the schools are shut down. It’s heard that many, many schools have been closed, not limited to Zhengzhou, including Xuchang, Luoyang, and so on.”
Renowned mainland trainer, manager, and influencer Xiao Daye openly supported the Zhengzhou students’ Night Riding activity, indicating that it ignited his passion and enthusiasm, “Applauding the young, applauding life.”
He criticized a teacher from the Overseas Chinese University who labeled students’ actions as “lowly and useless” and expressed disappointment with the teacher’s insulting remarks, raising concerns about the quality of university educators. Xiao emphasized that the sole purpose of education is to facilitate a student’s comprehensive development and lifelong growth, aiming for a higher quality of life and continuing the legacy through continuous improvement.