Xie is an activist and blogger from Chengdu. In 2018, he was beaten and detained by police for 10 days on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He was later released with a warning. He was rearrested again in 2019 and 2020. In May 2022, following an article he wrote and posted on Facebook, Xie was arrested and sentenced to 2 years and 6 months. He has since been tortured by authorities.