Thousands of people in cities across China are fed up with the government's strict "zero-COVID" policies, and they're taking big risks to voice their discontent on streets and college campuses.

While most of the world is learning to live with coronavirus, China continues to mandate lockdowns, limit freedom of movement and close businesses in places where new cases appear.

A recent rise in COVID infections across the country means more people have been subject to restrictions. Their frustration has resulted in the largest outpouring of public protest China has seen in decades.

Some protesters have gone as far to call for President Xi Jinping to step down, in a rare direct challenge to his leadership. Coordinated displays of public disobedience are uncommon in China and are a sign of the pressure many people are under due to repeated lockdowns and economic disruptions.