Two graduates pass by screens showing the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party in Wuhan University, China, on June 23, 2021. Getty Images
While July 1 marked the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it also coincided with a lesser-known date among Chinese dissidents abroad—Global Quitting the CCP Day—a movement to encourage Chinese citizens and CCP members to formally cut ties with the regime.
For 21-year-old Jiang Zihan, who once fiercely defended the regime online, the date carries deep personal significance. Now living in the United States, the former “little pink,” a term used to describe young pro-CCP nationalists who staunchly support the CCP online, says he once believed in the Party’s propaganda but has since had a radical change of heart.
A Childhood Shaped by Propaganda
Jiang grew up in Zhejiang, one of China’s economic powerhouses. As a teenager, he was swept up by the CCP’s nationalist fervor, fueled by state-run propaganda media.
