What is happening? In an extraordinary wave of civil disobedience, dozens of protests broke out across Chinese cities over the weekend as frustrations with the government’s stringent Covid policies boiled over. Groups of people numbering from single digits to about 1,000 have gathered for candlelit vigils and peaceful street protests. In some places, like Wuhan, they have pushed over pandemic barriers, and in Shanghai, clashed with police. Holding candles, phone lights, and blank pieces of paper, demonstrators have called for the end of lockdowns and frequent mass testing. Others protests have heard demands for democracy and press freedom, and an…