And their anger exploded on the streets for several days.

他們的奮度接連日在街道上爆發。

From residents fed up with lockdowns in far West China,

包括中國遠西區受夠封鎖政策的居民，

... to students at prestigious universities in Beijing.

以及北京著名大學的學生。

Nearly three years into the pandemic, protestors from different walks of life have been pushed to the brink amid strict COVID controls that have hurt livelihoods and stifled the economy.

新冠疫情爆發近三年後，各行各業的抗議者都因為損害生計以及拖垮經濟的嚴格新冠控管推到極限了。

Here's how one of the largest nationwide demonstrations in decades happened in China, and how this fury creates a political dilemma for Xi Jinping's leadership.

以下是中國一場最大規模全球性抗議活動的發生經過，以及這憤怒情緒讓習近平的領導產生政治兩難。

The anger was sparked by a fire in an apartment building on Thursday in Urumqi, capital of the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where officials said 10 people died.

這種憤怒情緒的爆發點是，週四新疆西北部首都烏魯木齊一間公寓的一場火在，官方指出有 10 人喪命。

The next day, residents upset by the deadly fire took their frustrations to the streets, having also struggled with lockdowns for more than 3 months.

隔天，早已因封鎖政策超過 3 個月感到沮喪的居民，因為不滿此起殺人火災而走上街頭。

They said COVID restrictions like barriers had delayed rescuers.

他們認為像是柵欄等的新冠限制延誤了救援人員。

Officials said parked cars got in the way of moving more quickly.

官員則表示，停靠的車輛使得他們速度無法加快。

On Saturday, in a show of solidarity, people in Shanghai held a vigil to mourn victims of the fire.

週六時，為了表示聲援，上海人民發起一場守夜活動以哀悼火災的罹難者。

By the evening, larger groups began gathering on a road named after Urumqi, which became a center of protests that followed in the next few days.

到了傍晚，更大群的民眾開始聚集在以烏魯木齊為名的道路上，最後成為接下來數日的抗議中心。

As the demonstrations expanded, a call for change became louder⏤

隨著示威活動擴大，呼籲改變的聲量變得更大，

that China's strict pandemic measures be rolled back.

要求弱化中國嚴格的疫情措施。

By Sunday, as protests spread to other major cities, some of the demands turned political,

到了週日，當抗議蔓延至其它主要城市時，一些要求開始變得政治化，

and pointed directly at President Xi Jinping.

並直接針對習近平主席。

Blank sheets of paper also began popping up at demonstrations to symbolize protestors' defiance against censorship.

空白紙張也開始出現在示威現場，以象徵抗議者對政府監控的抵抗。

While censors worked quickly to remove any indication of unrest on Chinese social media platforms, officials set out to quash any new protests.

雖然審查人員及快速地移除中國社交媒體平台上任何動亂的跡象，官員致力要鎮壓任何新浮現抗議。

On Monday, the government-deployed scores of officers and police cars lined the streets of Beijing.

週一時，政府派遣的大群警員與警車遍及北京街道。

Plastic barriers went up along the road where the first protests outside of Xinjiang began.

塑膠柵欄在新疆最先爆發抗議的路邊被架起。

Chinese state media also published commentaries defending Xi's zero-COVID approach, saying the policy is essential for protecting lives.

中國國家媒體也發布了捍衛習近平清零政策的紀錄片，表示這項政策之於保護人命是必要的。

Though the streets are quieter and some pandemic measures in Xinjiang and Beijing have eased since Sunday,

雖然從週日以後，街道較為安靜且新疆與北京的一些防疫措施都較為鬆綁，

these protests present a conundrum for Xi, who just secured a norm-breaking third term and runs a regime focused on stability.

這些抗議活動剛獲得破格第三個任期並運行穩定政權的習近平提出了一個難題。

If he relaxes COVID restrictions, that could lead to a new wave of infections and a possible spike in deaths among a large part of the elderly population that isn't vaccinated.

如果他放寬新冠規範，那可能引發另一場感染浪潮，並使大批未接種的年長人之間死亡率暴漲。

But if he holds steadfast, it could create deeper grievances against his leadership.

但如果他堅持不動搖，這可能會使人民對他的領導力產生更深的怨恨。