The call for demonstrations in 13 Chinese cities under the banner of a “Jasmine Revolution” results in a number of arrests but no real threat to the Beijing authorities. (China tries to stamp out ‘Jasmine Revolution’)
One of the gathering places in Beijing was the Wangfujing pedestrian mall. Because it is always busy on Sundays, it was hard to separate protesters from rubberneckers from shoppers. According the AP, many wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign reporters and news cameras.
But in the end, it looked as if it could have been a decent dry run.
“Lots of people in here are Twitter users and came to watch like me,” said 42-year-old Hu Di. “Actually this didn’t have much organization, but it’s a chance to meet each other. It’s like preparing for the future.”
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