Rare China Protest Reveals Resistance to Xi’s Frontline Officers

President Xi Jinping relies on legions of local officials to govern China’s 1.4 billion people. A rare protest over the brutal attack of a schoolgirl has inflamed concerns over their credibility.

Hundreds poured onto streets in Jiangyou, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, one night last week accusing authorities of being too lenient on the attackers. Within hours, videos of residents clashing with baton-wielding police dominated Chinese social media, as the incident neared the top of Weibo’s trending chart and circulated in private WeChat groups before state censors finally swept in.