And their anger exploded on the streets for several days.

From residents fed up with lockdowns in far West China,

... to students at prestigious universities in Beijing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They said COVID restrictions like barriers had delayed rescuers.

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

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

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.

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

that China's strict pandemic measures be rolled back.

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

and pointed directly at President Xi Jinping.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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