Late on the night of January 28, a wave of leaked videos and eyewitness accounts from Beijing residents began circulating across X, Telegram, TikTok, Facebook, and overseas Chinese platforms, describing what sources on the ground say were explosions, heavy weapons activity, and unprecedented security deployments in and around China’s capital.
Multiple videos filmed by citizens inside Beijing show dense formations of armed police vehicles, heavily armed personnel, and continuous guard posts surrounding politically sensitive areas, including Zhongnanhai and Xinhuamen, the gateway to the Chinese Communist Party’s central leadership compound. In the footage, armed personnel appear every few meters along sidewalks, with plainclothes officers mixed among uniformed units. Rows of black-clad guards identified by residents as members of the Central Guard Bureau were filmed standing shoulder to shoulder in front of Xinhuamen.
Residents posting the videos described hearing loud explosions and sounds consistent with heavy weapons fire during the night. While no official explanation has been provided, the volume and consistency of the reports emerging from multiple neighbourhoods have intensified concerns about internal instability. Chinese state media has remained silent.
According to sources on the ground, the security posture around central Beijing resembled a wartime lockdown, with police density reportedly increased several-fold compared to normal levels. Footage filmed near Tiananmen Square and along surrounding avenues shows near-empty streets, blocked access points, and continuous vehicle patrols. Lanterns for the upcoming Lunar New Year remain hanging along Zhongnanhai’s outer walls, but residents described an atmosphere “without any festive feeling only pressure.”
At the same time, leaked images and videos from outside Beijing showed unusual military movements across multiple regions. Netizens in Inner Mongolia posted footage of tanks and armoured vehicles moving through urban streets, while others in Jiangsu’s Yixing area reported convoys of military vehicles traveling at speed. Several posts identified routes along S342 and the G25 expressway, corridors that lead toward the capital.
Some overseas Chinese accounts cited sources claiming that units from different military regions and the People’s Armed Police were involved in confrontations. Others alleged the deployment of heavy equipment, including missile transport vehicles, though these claims have not been independently confirmed. What is clear from the leaked material is that large-scale, coordinated security and military movements were underway.
The developments come amid heightened political tension following the recent investigation of senior PLA leadership, an event that has already shaken confidence within China’s military command structure. Analysts note that in past periods of elite struggle, Beijing has responded not with public explanation but with overwhelming displays of force and silence, leaving citizens to interpret events through what they can see on the streets.
Chinese authorities have issued no clarifications or denials, a pattern that has historically accompanied moments of internal crisis. In the absence of official information, Beijing residents and overseas observers alike are relying on leaked footage, eyewitness testimony, and real-time digital evidence to understand what is unfolding.
As one widely shared comment put it, “When leaders fight, it is always the people who suffer.” Whether the current situation reflects internal security operations, power consolidation, or deeper conflict within China’s armed forces, the scale of the deployments and the intensity of the lockdown signal extraordinary measures at the heart of the Chinese state.
