CCP Cancels New Year Events in Many Cities, Fearing Mass Protests: Analysts

Chinese communist leaders canceled New Year celebrations in many cities and dispatched a large number of police to the streets as the world was entering 2026. Analysts told The Epoch Times that, in light of the demonstrations in Iran, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fears mass protests could spread.In various official announcements, Chinese authorities canceled New Year’s events and banned fireworks displays, citing public safety reasons. Announcements were issued in major cities such as Guangzhou, Xi’an, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Hefei, and others. Beijing and Shanghai also curbed the celebrations, although they didn’t issue any official announcement.On the evening of Dec. 31, 2025, as people around the world welcomed the New Year with extravagant celebrations, Chinese authorities deployed a large number of police and security personnel across the country to patrol the streets and prevent public gatherings, as shown in a large number of video posts on social media.Authorities in many Chinese cities canceled previously scheduled New Year’s Eve light shows, countdown ceremonies, and fireworks displays, and police cleared public squares in advance. In megacities, such as Xi’an and Guangzhou, not only were New Year’s Eve events canceled, but traffic control was also put in place near popular sites where people would gather for celebrations.Some universities required students to remain on campus during the holiday or to report their whereabouts. Some shopping malls and pedestrian streets even displayed notices suggesting that citizens “celebrate the New Year in place.”ResistanceDespite the official restrictions, according to posts on social media, Chinese citizens in many cities still gathered spontaneously to mark the arrival of the new year, confronting large numbers of CCP police.A video on social media shows that at the Intime Shopping Center in Hangzhou city in Zhejiang Province, police were on high alert, forming a human wall on the street. However, despite the heavy police presence, the young Chinese were celebrating the New Year.Another video post shows that a crowd gathered in Shanghai on New Year’s Eve to count down to the new year together, yet there were no fireworks or lights, and the revelers fell silent afterward.In Suzhou city in Jiangsu Province, a large number of citizens gathered at the “Gate of the East” to celebrate the arrival of 2026, but the area was completely dark, with only flashing police lights.In Qingdao city in Shandong Province, at the Shilaoren scenic area, special police forces were on standby for New Year’s Eve. The city’s ​​mile-long coastline was fenced off, with police searching people at each checkpoint.There are also video posts on social media showing citizens across the country being stopped and arrested by police for setting off celebratory fireworks.Fear of ProtestsSheng Xue, a Canada-based activist, writer, and China affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times that the CCP’s control measures this year are even stricter than in previous years, including issuing bans in advance and even suddenly stopping New Year countdown events without prior notice.“Authorities are particularly concerned about events involving large crowds, such as New Year’s Eve celebrations. They fear that if someone were to lead anti-CCP chants or display political slogans and symbols at mass gatherings, it could threaten the stability of the regime,” she said.Sheng noted that due to the economic downturn and the difficulty young people face in finding jobs, there is widespread frustration, and New Year’s Eve had become a crucial moment for this collective discontent to be expressed and directed against the regime. “Currently, Xi Jinping’s regime is treating the people as an enemy force,” she said.Jiang Pinchao, editor-in-chief of the “June 4th Poetry Collection” and a writer whose works are collected by the U.S. Library of Congress, told The Epoch Times that the CCP is using security concerns as a pretext to deprive ordinary people of their right to assembly and to enjoy themselves.Jiang said that after China’s economic crisis erupted under CCP leader Xi Jinping, various crises exist at all levels of society.“The authorities are afraid that group gatherings might lead to protests similar to the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989,” he said.The Tiananmen Square incident is also known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. During the night of June 4, 1989, the Chinese regime deployed military troops to kill peaceful protesters camped in the square. The victims were mainly college students who were against the CCP’s corruption and demanding democracy. It’s estimated by the outside world that tens of thousands of protesters were killed by the CCP military that night, with many others injured.Hundreds of thousands of Chinese gather in Tiananmen Square around a replica of the Statue of Liberty, called the Goddess of Democracy, on June 2, 1989. Catherine Henriette/AFP via Getty ImagesThe CCP’s New Year celebration clampdown came amid the ongoing large protests in Iran against the Khamenei regime.Solomon Yue, vice chairman and CEO of Republicans Overseas, who grew up in Shanghai, reposted a video of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai on X, commenting: “CCP’s fear of mass protests led to restrictions on New Year celebrations and countdowns in many cities. Chinese cops asked people to disperse. But the people resisted. Xi Jinping is too chicken to crack down because he doesn’t want to turn China into Iran. 2026 is the year of ‘soft resistance’ for Chinese people. Happy New Year!”Protesters march in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. Fars News Agency via APSheng said that the fact that the Iranian people are able to persist in their resistance despite the authorities’ suppression is truly terrifying for the CCP, as it fears that the Iranian demonstrators will provide a model or inspiration for the Chinese people.The CCP is in the final stage of its rule over China, Jiang said.“The entire regime is now in a precarious state, like a powder keg. Once there’s a breakthrough, it’s like the powder keg is ignited, and the regime could collapse,” he said.Ning Haizhong and Yi Ru contributed to this report.