'Spiritual leader'

"Hu Shigen is our spiritual leader," Zhai Yanmin said in his testimony, adding that Hu had greatly influenced his ideas and concepts.

According to the testimony of witnesses, Hu had engaged in "brainwashing" through missionary activities. He was eager to make a fuss over sensitive legal cases, often through conflicts raised by paid petitioners.

Hu misled petitioners into believing that "it is an honor to be detained", and promised them financial compensation if they were, according to the evidence.

A witness surnamed Liu said Hu regarded petitioners as a force to subvert State power, as they "are bold enough and readily stirred up" and "obey his orders".

Gou Hongguo said petitioners have one thing in common－a grudge against government－therefore, if organized, they can be a powerful force against the government.

The Qing'an incident is one example of Hu's "pushing down the wall." In May 2015, police officer Li Lebin shot and killed Xu Chunhe at Qing'an County Railway Station in Heilongjiang province, after Xu attacked Li despite multiple warnings. CCTV cameras and follow-up investigations confirmed that Li had acted within the law.

But Hu instructed Zhai to organize protests at the railway station and in front of county government buildings, to influence online opinion and misrepresent the incident as police brutality.

"I just wanted to smear the judicial organs, police and government," Hu said in his confession.

Hu also put forward the idea of three factors－stronger citizen power, an internal split within the ruling bloc and the interference of international society－and five plans for peaceful transformation.

"I instilled these ideas into others with the aim of achieving a color revolution," Hu said.