Shandong Zaozhuang rights activist Zhang Chao arrested on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble

On July 29, 2026, this outlet learned that Shandong Zaozhuang rights activist Zhang Chao (Dharma name: Shi Daoguo) went to the area outside the railings around Tiananmen Square on June 4, 2026, to take photographs and post them, accompanied by a poem of mourning, to his social media feed. In the early hours of June 5, 2026, Zhang Chao was taken away from Beijing by state security officers from Shandong’s Zaozhuang and was criminally detained the following day; on June 18, 2026, he was formally arrested and is currently being held at the Zaozhuang No. 1 Detention Center.

Zhang Chao’s profile: Male, born in 1970, Dharma name Shi Daoguo, a rights activist from Zaozhuang, Shandong. He became politically aware while working in Beijing in his early years and for many years devoted himself to promoting the concept of online democracy. In 2014, he was detained for 37 days for sending warnings about searches and arrests to rights activists in Beijing. He later shaved his head, became a monk, and traveled around the country. During his practice and study of Buddhism, he nevertheless continued his efforts to spread online enlightenment and assist fellow activists in distress, with the result that he was expelled whenever he stayed at a temple. On July 24, 2019, Zhang Chao was arrested by the Shanting Branch of the Zaozhuang Municipal Public Security Bureau and was subsequently criminally detained on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

On June 4, 2026, Zhang Chao went to the area outside the railings around Tiananmen Square to take photographs and post them, accompanied by a poem of mourning, to his social media feed. In the early hours of June 5, he was taken away from Beijing by state security officers from Shandong’s Zaozhuang and was criminally detained the following day; on June 18, he was formally arrested and is currently being held at the Zaozhuang No. 1 Detention Center.

This outlet will continue to follow Zhang Chao’s situation.