As the rest of the world opened doors in mid-2022 and moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, 300 million Chinese people remained in mandatory lockdown under China’s strict zero-COVID policy. At the height of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak, food became scarce, medicine was hard to come by and survival became a daily struggle.

Fuelled by anger and anxiety, people took to the streets in a rare show of protest, demanding an end to the lockdown. Within days, the Chinese government responded in an extraordinary policy u-turn. But for many, the sudden freedom could not erase the painful memories of being trapped.

Hear the emotional stories of those who still carry the scars in this 2-part CNA special.