Shen Bo-yang: He Studied China's Cognitive Warfare, Then China Put Him on Satellite Imagery
One afternoon in the 2010s, a law doctoral student in his early thirties followed the warden into the Taipei Juvenile Detention Center. The floor had just been mopped; water stains hadn't dried yet. The warden walked across, and the visiting group followed. He stopped, looked around. Two juveniles mopping the floor looked up, bowed to him, and softly said "Thank you."1
That night, back home, he wrote a question in his notes: "Why is there such a huge difference in how we treat people in different places?"1 This question later led him from criminal law to criminology, from academia to civil defense, from studying China's cognitive warfare to being investigated by Chinese public security, warned by CCTV that "the next one is you," and having his home coordinates in Taipei published by a Chinese Weibo account using a commercial satellite.1
His name is Shen Bo-yang. Stage name Puma, Puma Shen. Born in 1982 in Taipei, he is an associate professor and director of the Graduate Institute of Criminology at National Taipei University.2 He studies the CCP's information warfare, cognitive operations, and transnational repression against Taiwan. He studied these things for seven years; in the eighth year, these things turned around and came for him.
30-Second Overview: Shen Bo-yang (born 1982), associate professor and director of the Graduate Institute of Criminology at National Taipei University. In 2021, he co-founded the Black Bear Academy with strategic scholar Ho Cheng-hui, with Robert Tsao donating NT$600 million in support, aiming to train three million "Black Bear Warriors" in three years.3 In February 2024, he was elected as a DPP at-large legislator.4 Starting from October 2024, he was sanctioned six times by China within a year; on October 28, 2025, he became the first Taiwanese elected politician to be investigated by China for the "crime of splitting the country."5 On November 9, CCTV aired a seven-and-a-half-minute "exposé" warning "the next one is you."6 On New Year's Day 2026, a Chinese Weibo account used a commercial satellite to publish the coordinates of his home and workplace in Taipei.7 He continued to fly to The Hague, Germany, and France; he spent Valentine's Day 2026 on a plane to France.8 In May, the DPP officially nominated him to run for Taipei mayor, challenging incumbent Chiang Wan-an seeking re-election.9
"Don't interrupt or talk back when the teacher is speaking"
In Shen Bo-yang's elementary school contact book, a teacher once wrote: "Don't interrupt or talk back when the teacher is speaking. Bo-yang's nature isn't bad, but he occasionally loses control and looks down on everyone." His mother replied underneath: "He really does have a terrible attitude, looks down on everyone." In junior high he flipped off a teacher.1 At thirty-seven, the year Mirror Weekly interviewed him, he still wore an explosion of hair, a T-shirt, and shorts. His favorite character was Yang Guo — "utter rebellion; that's the version of him I like best."1
He went straight through Fuxing Kindergarten, Fuxing Elementary, and Fuxing Middle School, graduated from Chien Kuo High School, and tested into the NTU College of Law.10 In middle school he became aware of class: "Fuxing classmates discuss the newly opened Japanese restaurant; Chien Kuo classmates eat pork-chop bento, they eat brown-sugar ice — just shaved ice with sugar syrup."1 In university he started teaching at cram schools under the stage name "Puma" because it was easier to remember.11 That name has followed him for twenty years — from the cram-school world, to academia, to think tanks, to the Legislative Yuan. Every one of his official social-media accounts now uses @pumashen.12
Two scenes turned him from a "lawyer who teaches criminal law" toward criminology.
The first scene was his senior's wholesale-store case. The client was a major wholesale retailer that sued a fruit farmer. "The farmer was terrified, agreed to settle, but the amount was huge — basically destroyed a whole family." The senior told Shen Bo-yang: "The law says so; who told him to break it."1 Shen wrote: "Study law long enough and you really can become the person you never wanted to be."1
The second scene was that mopping episode at the juvenile detention center. A boy bowed to him, and he couldn't stop thinking: the same teenager, outside is someone hunted; inside is someone pitied; the yardstick you use to measure a person decides what you do to them.
📝 Curator's Note
A scholar who would later research state violence — his academic intuition about "how people are treated" began with two mopping boys' bows. More than a decade later the CCP opened an investigation, CCTV produced a fake documentary, and he still refuses to write himself as a victim. That sense of proportion likely started the day he stood in the juvenile detention center.
Puma and Two Choices to Leave the United States
Shen Bo-yang's academic timeline is as simple as a flight stub. NTU Law LL.B. (2004), University of Pennsylvania Law LL.M. (2007), NTU Criminal Law LL.M. (2008), UC Irvine Criminology, Law and Society PhD (2017). His doctoral advisors were two heavyweight scholars in white-collar crime research, Henry Pontell and Elliott Currie.13
He spent those five years in Irvine living in the "safest city in America"—"the streets all look the same, confusing burglars; doors don't need locks."1 Upon graduating in 2017, he received tenure-track offers from U.S. schools including North Carolina State University.14 His five oral exam professors urged him to return to Taiwan: "You care so much about Taiwan, why don't you go back."1
His own explanation for choosing to return was brief: "The air's bad, but I've been breathing pollution since childhood; I've eaten my share of plasticizers too. It's my home, after all."1
He returned to Taipei in 2017 and joined the Graduate Institute of Criminology at National Taipei University as an assistant professor. In August 2023, he became the institute director.2 The university webpage lists his research areas as criminal law, sociology of law, criminal policy, and white-collar crime.2 His doctoral training was not in a pure law school—UC Irvine placed him in the School of Social Ecology, spanning criminology, urban planning, public policy, and environmental psychology.15 This training later determined his angle on studying the CCP's cognitive warfare—not from legal statutes, but from "how people are influenced within their environment."
Two years later, he began turning this lens in another direction.
"Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It"
In January 2021, Shen Bo-yang lectured on information warfare and fake news identification at the Chiayi County Human Resources Development Office; this was a typical scene from his research on the CCP's cognitive warfare. Photo: Chiayi County Human Resources Development Office. Attribution via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2018, Shen Bo-yang began systematically collecting evidence of the CCP's information warfare against Taiwan. He broke down the CCP's united front work against Taiwan into five lines: the Ministry of State Security, the United Front Work Department, the Taiwan Affairs Office, the People's Liberation Army, and the Communist Youth League.16 Each line had its own budget, tools, and tempo. This analytical framework later became the standard language for civil society in Taiwan to understand cognitive warfare.
In 2019, he co-founded the Taiwan Democracy Lab (Doublethink Lab) with civil society researchers and served as its chairman.17 On April 25, 2022, they released the China Index—a "China Influence Index" covering over 80 countries across nine dimensions (media, arts, economy, society and culture, military, law enforcement, technology, politics, and foreign affairs) with a total of 99 indicators.18 This index remains one of the most frequently cited databases on the CCP's foreign influence by international political and media circles. Shen Bo-yang himself later testified before the U.S. Congress-commissioned U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in 2023 based on this data.19
In July 2024, Shen Bo-yang and Taiwan Democracy Lab researcher Wu Ming-hsuan co-published "Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It: Q&A on China's Cognitive Warfare Against Taiwan" (Dakuai Culture). The title itself is the argument. For the CCP, military action is too costly; deceiving Taiwanese into not voting or voting incorrectly is too cheap.20 The book was subsequently repeatedly cited in the political sections of CNA, United Daily News, and Liberty Times. These eight characters "Better to deceive Taiwan than attack Taiwan" became a shorthand for describing the CCP's strategy toward Taiwan.
Shen Bo-yang, Wu Ming-hsuan, and the Taiwan Democracy Lab co-authored "Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It," published by Dakuai Culture in 2024. The cover copy hits the point: the cost of a military attack on Taiwan is extremely high; cognitive warfare is the "highest CP-value weapon." Image: Dakuai Culture (fair use editorial commentary).
But writing a book wouldn't get him investigated by the Chinese public security. What made him an "enemy" was something else.
Three Million Black Bear Warriors
February 2023, Shen Bo-yang speaks at a Black Bear Academy lecture, with the academy's identification flag behind him. The person teaching civil defense draws more CCP attention than the person writing papers. Photo: S099001. CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
In late 2021, Shen Bo-yang and Taiwan Strategic Simulation Society researcher Ho Cheng-hui co-founded the Black Bear Academy (Kuma Academy). 21 The academy's goal is "whole-of-society defense education" — teaching every willing Taiwanese person civil defense, cybersecurity, anti-fraud, AED/CPR, tourniquet application, and evacuation response skills that were originally known only to soldiers or professional rescuers. 22
On September 1, 2022, former UMC chairman Robert Tsao, who had just exited the China market over his defense of Taiwan's sovereignty claims, held a press conference announcing a donation of NT$600 million to the Black Bear Academy as part of his larger-scale "resist China, defend Taiwan" donation plan. 23 At the press conference, Shen Bo-yang said: "We look forward to every household having a 'Black Bear Warrior' with relevant knowledge to protect their family's safety in critical moments." 24 The Black Bear Academy's target was set: train three million "Black Bear Warriors" within three years. 25
What does three million mean? Taiwan's population is approximately 23 million; excluding children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility, three million represents roughly one-fifth of the adult population. Tsao's NT$600 million is disbursed in phases — this money is designed as a project subject to verification, not a pretty press conference figure. 26
In September 2022, the Black Bear Academy's first basic camp filled up quickly after registration opened. 27 Courses include: firefighting, search and rescue, first aid, evacuation, information and communications security, information literacy, public order maintenance, plus AED/CPR, injury assessment, and tourniquet application. 28 The outdoor exercise "Blue Magpie Action" is held regularly, simulating wartime evacuation and medical care for non-combatants. 29
Notably, Shen Bo-yang himself is not the Black Bear Academy's legal representative. In a 2024 X post, he wrote: "I would love to be the (Black Bear Academy) person in charge, but the problem is regulations and DPP internal rules — my family and I cannot serve as the legal representative." 30 His roles as DPP think tank deputy executive director and later as a legislator require him to maintain legal distance from the NGO he co-founded.
📝 Curator's Note
A whole-of-society defense system designed with a criminology framework: one in seven adults knows how to self-rescue, spot disinformation, and apply a tourniquet when water and power are cut. Shen Bo-yang's research describes how the enemy comes; the Black Bear Academy's courses train how to hold out after the attack. One person driving both — the symmetry is unusually cool-headed.
Sixth Time in One Year
Shen Bo-yang's official portrait upon assuming office as a legislator of the 11th Legislative Yuan in 2024. From researcher to legislator, the cost of punishment escalated from "naming a scholar" to "naming an elected legislator." Photo: Legislative Yuan. Attribution via Wikimedia Commons.
On November 15, 2023, the DPP released its 2024 at-large legislator list, with Shen Bo-yang ranked second, behind children's rights advocate Lin Yueh-chin. 31 He was elected on January 13, 2024, and assumed office as a legislator of the 11th Legislative Yuan on February 1. 4 He led the DPP caucus in pushing for amendments to ten national security laws (the Cross-Strait Act, the Hong Kong and Macau Relations Act, the Nationality Act, the National Security Act, the Trade Act, the Anti-Infiltration Act, the Cyber Security Management Act, the Criminal Code, the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, and the National Intelligence Work Act). 32 Starting in 2025, he serves as the convener of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. 33
But on October 14 of that year, TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua announced that Shen Bo-yang, Robert Tsao, and the Black Bear Academy itself were placed on the "diehard Taiwan independence separatists" list, barring them and their family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau. 34 This was the first time Shen Bo-yang was named.
From that day on, the escalation ladder climbed rung by rung. In a Facebook post on October 28, 2025, Shen Bo-yang summed up the entire trajectory in one sentence: "This is the 6th time in one year." 35
Source: TAO, Liberty Times, CNA, Xinhua, CCTV
These six steps took only thirteen months. The legal basis for the Chongqing Police notice is the Criminal Law plus the "Opinions on Punishing Crimes of Splitting the Country and Inciting Splitting the Country by Diehard Taiwan Independence Separatists in Accordance with the Law" issued by the CCP in June 2024 (commonly known as the "22 Measures to Punish Taiwan Independence"). 36 The police bulletin also lists a reporting email CQGACTD@163.com and phone number 023-65697660, inviting anyone to provide "leads." 37
On the day the case was filed, Shen Bo-yang responded on Facebook:
"This is the 6th time in one year, and this time it's directly a police case filing for investigation; the next step will probably be a wanted notice and trial in absentia; doesn't matter, because 'Taiwanese aren't afraid.'" 35
"Solving the person who raises the problem, solving the person defending Taiwan — truly the Communist Party." 35
In June 2025, his father Shen Tu-cheng's Zhaoyi company was sanctioned by the CCP 38, and a month later the family business Sicuens had its importer registration revoked by Customs 39; he wrote in the same tone: "Great honor, sanctioned three times in one year." 40
CCTV's "Global Arrest" Threat
Twelve days after the case was filed, on the evening of November 9, 2025, China Central Television (CCTV) News Channel aired a special feature titled "Exposing Shen Bo-yang" running approximately seven and a half minutes (several Taiwanese media outlets wrote eight minutes). CCTV claimed that Shen Bo-yang spread rhetoric that "China will soon militarily unify Taiwan" through the Black Bear Academy and trained "violent Taiwan independence elements," with the narration ending in a warning tone: "Stop now, or you're next."4142
At a press conference that day, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) defined this content as "cross-border repression" — the purpose being not to arrest people, but to force Taiwanese society into self-censorship before speaking.43 That same evening, Shen Bo-yang posted on Facebook:
"Don't just do exactly what I predict you'll do every time, okay? Be a little creative."44
"China moved faster, trying to use a wanted notice to prevent me from leaving the country. CCTV devoted a lengthy segment, making a seven-and-a-half-minute pseudo-documentary about me, threatening a global manhunt."42
"Whether or not I'm wanted, Nobody cares, Taiwanese people really don't give a damn about the CCP."42
He also posted a short video, with the camera pointing at a screenshot of CCTV: "Taiwan and China are one country on each side. Don't delude yourselves into thinking you can fabricate charges to reach your hands into Taiwan."45
International reactions coalesced within two days. Human Rights Watch Asia Deputy Director Maya Wang stated on October 31 that the Chongqing Public Security Bureau's handling of this case constitutes Chinese law exercising abusive power across borders.46 Multiple international human rights organizations voiced support simultaneously. The U.S. State Department expressed public concern.47 Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) co-founder Luke de Pulford posted a public show of support.48
The Legislative Yuan itself took action. On November 19, 2025, the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee (the very committee Shen Bo-yang himself convenes) passed a condemnation resolution proposed by Wang Ting-yu and others. In his remarks, Wang Ting-yu said: "Different opinions still have the right to be protected by the state and the Constitution. The People's Republic of China has no right to carry out this kind of political maneuver against anyone on such trumped-up grounds."49
China has not actually placed Shen Bo-yang on the official Hong Kong version of the National Security Law bounty list; at the same time, the highest bounty of RMB 250,000 was placed on YouTuber "Ba Jiong" and "Minnan Wolf."50 But the combination of the "crime of splitting the country" case filing + CCTV's "global manhunt" threat has already pushed Shen Bo-yang to a comparable position.
The Screw at the Doorstep
As the CCP escalated, Shen Bo-yang's personal life also came under escalating threat.
In late August 2025, he publicly stated for the first time on host Cheng Hung-yi's "Figures of the Era" program that he was being followed "around the clock." The most direct incident occurred right at his doorstep: a "screw" on a motorcycle was actually a pinhole camera, its battery hidden under the seat cushion, disguised to look like a screw. Shen Bo-yang photographed the license plate and filed a police report; unexpectedly, within an hour the motorcycle had vanished. The license plate trace remains a dead end to this day.51
Even harder to stomach were the threatening letters. One enclosed a photo of Shen Bo-yang and his wife Tseng Hsin-hui together, with the character "death" written on Tseng Hsin-hui's clothing, threatening to slit their daughter's throat.51 Shen Bo-yang said on the program: "It's despicable, but that's what the Communist Party does — we were prepared for this in our hearts." His wife Tseng Hsin-hui reacted with anxiety, insomnia, deteriorating health, and social phobia.51
📝 Curator's Note
Shen Bo-yang's daughter is not his biological child. He and his wife Tseng Hsin-hui adopted through the Garden of Hope Foundation; after a two-year process, Shen Bo-yang welcomed a 13-month-old baby girl in 2021. The couple used the concept of a "tummy mommy" to explain the birth mother's role to the child.52
The child he chose to embrace later became the crossed-out target on the threatening letter the CCP mailed to their home.
The Hague, Satellites, Valentine's Day
But he didn't hide. After November, he instead began traveling abroad intensively.
On November 12, 2025, he attended a hearing at the German Bundestag titled "The Threat of Disinformation from Dictatorial States to Democracy and Human Rights," testifying in his dual capacity as an expert witness and legislator. After the hearing, he gave an interview: "Taiwan must not be afraid in the face of China's threat. Everyone must be fearless and stand together with the world's democratic camp."53
CNA Video News: Shen Bo-yang traveled to the German Bundestag in November 2025, explaining Taiwan's experience with foreign disinformation attacks in his capacity as an expert witness.
Nine days later, on November 21, he arrived in The Hague, Netherlands, where he attended the 209th Executive Committee meeting of Liberal International (LI) and the The Hague session of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) together with DPP legislator Fan Yun. They took a group photo in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC).54 He captioned it with four characters: "Not afraid." The next day, he spoke on LI's "Defending Democracy in an Era of Political Manipulation" panel, attaching an academic label to China's threat:
"China really wants to stop my continued international engagement, so it keeps trying to use sanctions to prevent me from traveling abroad. What these actions actually prove is that China is a paper tiger — mostly symbolic propaganda for domestic consumption. Taiwan shouldn't be afraid."55
(Pointing at the ICC building behind him) "This is where dictators face trial for war crimes or genocide."55
CNA Video News: Shen Bo-yang traveled to The Hague, Netherlands in November 2025 to attend the IPAC and Liberal International sessions, connecting with the international democratic camp through parliamentary diplomacy.
On New Year's Day 2026, the CCP escalated.
A popular Chinese Weibo account, "Guyan Muchan" (孤烟暮蟬), posted a threat to hunt down Shen Bo-yang,56 claiming to have purchased high-resolution commercial satellite imagery from the custom-built "Jilin-1" satellite, publishing satellite maps of Shen's residence in Taipei (near Daan Forest Park) and workplace (Jinan Road Section 1, near the legislature).7 Chinese state media "Today Strait" reposted it.7 Two days later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a condemnation statement with unusually strong wording:
"After Chinese state media threatened to globally arrest our legislator Shen Bo-yang, they have now gone a step further using doxxing — this despicable tactic of digital authoritarianism — to threaten the safety of our citizens… This not only violates the protections against 'arbitrary interference with privacy, family, and home' guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but constitutes comprehensive persecution of personal privacy, abandoning the baseline of civilization, which is deeply contemptible."57
The National Police Agency announced the same day that it would spare no effort in protecting Shen Bo-yang's safety.58 The Ministry of Digital Affairs requested Meta and Google to handle the matter; within days, related posts, videos, and images were taken down.59
Shen Bo-yang responded on Facebook on January 3:
"China marked my coordinates, but what they revealed was their collective inferiority complex toward democratic Taiwan."56
"As for those who were running their mouths about dashcams a few days ago, Shen Bo-yang won't call you accomplices, because you're not even in the same league. But in academia, there's a technical term for this: 'useful idiots.'"56
Two weeks later, on January 24, he posted a long article on Facebook breaking down the CCP's 2026 "lockdown on Taiwan" strategy into three axes: physical disarmament (the Blue and White parties cutting diplomatic and defense budgets), cognitive transformation (the "doubt America" narrative influencing roughly 5% of swing voters), and electoral resource monopoly (party assets and media-related bills). He concluded: "My greatest function is probably still to serve as a 'target'."60
The term "target" (箭靶) would recur in his subsequent narrative — a label he gave himself.
On February 7, he flew to France for an eight-day diplomatic mission. Key context on France: home to INTERPOL headquarters, and France has an extradition treaty with China — theoretically making this the highest-risk category of country for him, yet he proceeded as planned. The mission involved exchanges on Taiwan's new edition of the All-Out Defense Handbook, cognitive warfare response, social media and cyber warfare, and national resilience. France itself issued a similarly positioned national risk preparedness handbook in 2025, and Shen Bo-yang noted that France's anti-disinformation agencies had drawn design inspiration from Taiwan.8
He spent Valentine's Day (February 14) on a plane. After returning, he wrote on Facebook: "Despite the pressure of being globally hunted by Beijing, I still completed the eight-day diplomatic mission as planned. However, I ultimately spent Valentine's Day on a plane. And there's the next mission! My country and I will continue to stand on the front lines."61
From Target to Candidate
In early April 2026, the DPP campaign committee convened a meeting. According to a political report by the United Daily News, insiders revealed the party planned to tap Shen Bo-yang to run for Taipei mayor. 62 By mid-to-late April it was all but settled. Former Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung publicly endorsed him. 63 A TVBS poll from December 2025 showed incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an at roughly 64% support, while Shen Bo-yang stood at about 22%. 64 Trailing by a wide margin, though the election outcome is beyond the scope of this article.
On April 25, he cut off the explosion hairstyle he had worn for over a decade and shared a stage with Chiang Wan-an for the first time at the Songshan Cihui Temple Mother-Daughter Cultural Festival. 65 Yang Guo cut his hair short.
On May 13, 2026, rumor became official. The DPP Central Executive Committee finalized the decision, with President Lai Ching-te — also serving as party chair — personally announcing the nomination of Shen Bo-yang for Taipei mayor, draping a campaign sash over him as the two clasped hands and shouted "Frozen garlic!" (a Taiwanese homophone for "no problem / you got this"). 966 Lai said Shen "possesses the height of international vision, the breadth of cross-domain governance, and the warmth of concern for citizens," calling him "the undisputed choice for Taipei mayor." 66 Shen accepted the sash: "I have decided to run for Taipei mayor; please let me become your mayor." 66 Election day is set for November 28, with Chiang Wan-an seeking re-election as his opponent. 67
April 19, 2025, Shen Bo-yang attends the "Reject United Front, Defend Taiwan" rally. The man whose coordinates were published chooses to keep standing on the public stage. Photo: KOKUYO. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
At the moment of nomination, the race was lopsided. A TVBS Poll Center survey on May 27 showed Chiang Wan-an at 58%, Shen Bo-yang at 30%, a 28-point gap; even among voters aged 20–29, Shen's 37% trailed Chiang's 60%. 68 International media framed the contest as an uphill battle with low odds.
Five months later, the gap had narrowed — but to where depends on who you ask. TVBS's October 8 release of the same tracking series put Chiang at 49%, Shen at 41%, shrinking the gap from 28 points to 8; among the 20–29 cohort the figures flipped to Shen 52%, Chiang 44%; another 11% remained undecided. 69 The Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation's (TPOF) second wave published October 20 showed the opposite direction: Shen at 50.3%, Chiang at 33.3%, turning a 1.2-point deficit in September into a 17-point lead. 70 The two polls differ in sampling and weighting; KMT Taipei city councilors have publicly questioned the latter's impartiality; the spread between the two readings exceeds either poll's own sampling error, so all one can say at this moment is "the gap is narrowing," not "who is ahead." Election day is November 28; the full election calendar and candidate portals are on the 2026 Nine-in-One Elections page.
Source: TVBS Poll Center 2026-10-08; Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation 2026-10-20
From the bow of the floor-mopping teenager to CCTV's pseudo-documentary, from a single desk's academic research to coordinates on a satellite image, from "cannot be the person in charge of Black Bear Academy" to "officially running for Taipei mayor," Shen Bo-yang's position has shifted several times. He uses the same sentence to footnote every shift: "I am the target." The line is both self-deprecation and cool scholarly observation. In the CCP's narrative on Taiwan, he truly is the one meant to be in the crosshairs. A scholar takes the label used to mark his research subject, sticks it on himself, and keeps working; few people manage that.
Where Is the Boy Who Bowed Now
Return to that afternoon of mopping floors. The moment Shen Bo-yang came to a stop, he stepped around the water stains. The boy bowed to him.
More than a decade later, he sits at the other end of a Chongqing Public Security Bureau police bulletin, the character for "death" carved into his wife's clothing, satellite coordinates near his home publicly named by a Chinese Weibo account.
He himself wrote a very short sentence in June 2025. On the day his father's company was sanctioned by the CCP, he responded on Facebook with four words: "A great honor."40
The question from that day at the juvenile detention center still clings to him: "Why is there such a huge difference in how we treat people in different places?" He has researched this question for twenty years. In the end, what he studied came looking for him, marking him as prey. But he studied long enough to know that prey doesn't need to become a victim first; it can become the questioner first—so from The Hague in the Netherlands to the German Bundestag, and then to France, at every stop he used the same syntax to say the same thing: You can treat me this way, and I will continue doing my work.
In May 2026 he donned a campaign sash to fight another election. But on the CCP's satellite maps, the target coordinates remain in place.
Where this story traveled
Further Reading:
- Black Bear Academy — a civil defense education organization co-founded by Shen Bo-yang and Ho Cheng-hui, a school that "hopes one day Taiwan will no longer need it"
- Cognitive Warfare — the complete framework of the CCP's information warfare against Taiwan; Shen Bo-yang is one of the principal researchers
- Ba Jiong — a Taiwanese YouTuber likewise targeted by the CCP; in November 2025 the CCP offered a bounty of up to RMB 250,000
- Lai Ching-te — also listed as a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist"; publicly voiced support for Shen Bo-yang in November 2025
- Taiwan's National Defense and Military Modernization — the complementary relationship between Black Bear Academy's civil defense education and all-out national defense
- Invisible Nation — the documentary ends with Taiwanese people taking a civil defense class; Black Bear Academy is the real-life version of that final class
Image Sources
This article uses 6 CC-licensed / public domain / fair use editorial images, all cached in public/article-images/people/ to avoid hotlinking source servers; also embedded are 2 official CNA videos.
- Shen Bo-yang 2024 election image (hero) — Photo: Tseng Cheng-hsun / Flickr, CC BY 2.0
- Shen Bo-yang official legislator portrait — Photo: Legislative Yuan, Attribution (source must be credited)
- Shen Bo-yang lecturing at Black Bear Academy — Photo: S099001 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Shen Bo-yang speaking on information warfare in Chiayi — Photo: Chiayi County Human Resources Development Center, Attribution (source must be credited)
- Shen Bo-yang attending "Reject United Front, Defend Taiwan" rally — Photo: KOKUYO / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Book cover of "Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It" — Image: Locus Publishing, fair use editorial commentary
Embedded media: Shen Bo-yang travels to Germany to explain Taiwan's disinformation attacks, Shen Bo-yang travels to Netherlands to attend international conference, both from the official CNA (Central News Agency) video channels.
References
- Mirror Weekly 'One Mirror to the End' Series: Dissecting the Professor of Evil — Mirror Weekly, April 27, 2019, second installment of the series'人物專訪, documents Shen Bo-yang's childhood contact book, the Fuxing/Jianzhong class contrast, the senior's wholesale store case, a visit to a juvenile detention center, impressions of Irvine as the safest city in the U.S., five oral-exam professors urging him to return to Taiwan, the Yang Guo idol theory, and other scenes; it is the key origin-scene source for Shen Bo-yang's academic shift to criminology.↩234567891011
- National Taipei University Graduate Institute of Criminology: Shen Bo-yang Faculty Page — The university's official faculty page confirms Shen Bo-yang's current position as associate professor and director, with research areas in criminal law, legal sociology, criminal policy, and white-collar crime.↩23
- Black Bear Academy Official Website: About Us — The Black Bear Academy's official page introduces founders Shen Bo-yang and He Cheng-hui, the founding background, curriculum design, and the 'whole-of-society defense' concept.↩
- Legislative Yuan Global Information Network: Legislator Shen Bo-yang Profile — The Legislative Yuan's official website profile for Legislator Shen Bo-yang confirms he assumed office as a 11th-term legislator on February 1, 2024.↩2
- Central News Agency: Chongqing Public Security Bureau Opens Investigation on Shen Bo-yang — Central News Agency, October 28, 2025 report, fully records the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau's police bulletin opening an investigation on Shen Bo-yang on suspicion of 'incitement to split the country,' and cites Shen Bo-yang's original Facebook response.↩
- Liberty Times: CCTV 7.5-Minute Exposé on Shen Bo-yang — Liberty Times, November 9, 2025 report, records CCTV News' release that evening of a 'doxing' feature video on Shen Bo-yang, containing the warning 'Stop now, or you'll be next.'↩
- Liberty Times: Chinese Weibo Account Uses Commercial Satellite to Publish Shen Bo-yang's Home and Workplace Coordinates — Liberty Times, January 2026 exclusive report on a Chinese Weibo account self-funding custom Jilin-1 satellite imagery to publish coordinates of Shen Bo-yang's residence (near Daan Forest Park) and workplace (Section 1, Jinan Road, near the legislative organ), and the subsequent reposting by Chinese state media 'Today's Strait.'↩23
- Liberty Times: Undeterred by CCP Wanted Threats, Shen Bo-yang Travels to France to Complete 8-Day Diplomatic Mission — Liberty Times, February 2026 report on Shen Bo-yang's departure on February 7, 2026, an 8-day diplomatic mission, spending Valentine's Day on a plane, and details of mutual referencing between France's 'Little Orange Book' and Taiwan's National Defense Handbook.↩2
- UDN: Confirmed! DPP officially decides Puma Shen to run for Taipei mayor — UDN May 13, 2026 report: DPP Central Executive Committee officially nominates Puma Shen for Taipei mayor; President Lai Ching-te, also party chair, personally drapes campaign sash on Shen, they hold hands and shout 'Freeze garlic!' (a Taiwanese phrase meaning 'no problem').↩2
- Wikipedia: Shen Bo-yang Entry — The Chinese Wikipedia entry for Shen Bo-yang compiles his family background, education, and early experiences, including his complete schooling at Fuxing Kindergarten, Fuxing Elementary School, Fuxing Middle School, and Jianguo High School.↩
- Mirror Weekly 'One Mirror to the End': Shen Bo-yang Profile Feature — Mirror Weekly, April 27, 2019, first installment of the series, documents Shen Bo-yang's involvement in the cram-school industry during university, the origin of his stage name 'Puma' (撲馬), and his subsequent academic turning point.↩
- Shen Bo-yang Threads Official Account @pumashen — Shen Bo-yang's personal official account on the Meta Threads platform.↩
- Wikipedia: Puma Shen — The English Wikipedia entry for Puma Shen compiles his academic timeline: Master of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania (2007), Master of Criminal Law from National Taiwan University (2008), Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine (2017), with doctoral advisors Henry Pontell and Elliott Currie.↩
- Wikipedia: Shen Bo-yang (Decision to Return to Taiwan Section) — Chinese Wikipedia compiles the context of Shen Bo-yang's decision, after obtaining his Ph.D. in 2017, to decline tenure-track offers from U.S. universities such as North Carolina State University and choose to return to Taiwan for his career.↩
- Shen Bo-yang Threads Self-Description of Doctoral Education — Shen Bo-yang states on Threads that his Ph.D. is from the University of California, Irvine's School of Social Ecology, spanning criminology, urban planning, public policy, and environmental psychology.↩
- USCC: Puma Shen Testimony on CCP Influence Operations PDF — Shen Bo-yang's March 2023 testimony PDF before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), analyzing section by section the multiple bureaucratic lines of the CCP's information operations against Taiwan (Ministry of State Security, Central United Front Work Department, Central Taiwan Affairs Office, PLA system, Communist Youth League network) and their respective tools and tempos, serving as the original academic output of his 'five lines' analytical framework.↩
- Doublethink Lab Official Website — The official website of the Taiwan Democracy Lab, introducing the organization's founding background (2019), research mission, and Puma Shen's role as chairman.↩
- Taipei Times: China Index Launch by Doublethink Lab — Taipei Times, April 28, 2022 report, recording the time of Doublethink Lab's release of the China Index (April 25, 2022) and the design framework of nine dimensions with ninety-nine indicators.↩
- USCC: Puma Shen Testimony PDF — The official US-China Economic and Security Review Commission page for downloading the full PDF of Puma Shen's 2023 testimony, covering the CCP's information warfare strategy against Taiwan and the China Index data foundation.↩
- Dakuai Culture: 'Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It' Book Page — The official book introduction page from Dakuai Culture Publishing, recording the background and table of contents for the July 2024 publication of 'Better to Deceive Taiwan Than Attack It: Q&A on China's Cognitive Warfare Against Taiwan' co-authored by Puma Shen and Wu Ming-hsuan.↩
- Wikipedia: Black Bear Academy Entry — Chinese Wikipedia entry summarizing the history of the Black Bear Academy, co-founded by Puma Shen and Ho Cheng-hui, formally established in December 2021.↩
- Black Bear Academy Public Course List — Black Bear Academy's open course schedule on the OEN platform, listing basic civil defense course content including firefighting, search and rescue, evacuation, information literacy, AED/CPR, etc.↩
- Liberty Times: Robert Tsao Donates NT$3 Billion to Resist China and Defend Taiwan, NT$6 Billion to Black Bear Academy — Liberty Times, September 1, 2022 report, fully recording former UMC chairman Robert Tsao's announcement of donating NT$3 billion to resist China and defend Taiwan, with NT$6 billion allocated to the Black Bear Academy, at a press conference.↩
- Liberty Times: Puma Shen's Remarks at Black Bear Warriors Press Conference — Liberty Times report directly quoting Puma Shen's on-site remarks at the Black Bear Academy NT$6 billion fundraising press conference on September 1, 2022.↩
- Liberty Times: Black Bear Academy's 3-Year Plan to Train 3 Million People — Liberty Times report on the Black Bear Academy's goal and timeline to train 3 million 'Black Bear Warriors' within three years.↩
- Liberty Times: NT$6 Billion Disbursed Quarterly with Verification Mechanism — Liberty Times report on the execution mechanism design for Robert Tsao's NT$6 billion donation to the Black Bear Academy, disbursed quarterly with plan-based verification.↩
- Liberty Times: Over 3,000 on Waitlist for Black Bear Academy's First Basic Camp — Liberty Times report on the Black Bear Academy's first basic camp opened in September 2022, with a waitlist exceeding 3,000 people, reflecting Taiwan society's high demand for civil defense education.↩
- Black Bear Academy Public Course Information — Black Bear Academy course announcement on the OEN platform, listing complete course modules including firefighting, search and rescue, first aid, evacuation, cybersecurity, fraud prevention, AED/CPR, and tourniquet bandaging.↩
- PTS News: Black Bear Academy's Blue Magpie Action Outdoor Exercise — PTS News report on the Black Bear Academy's semi-annual 'Blue Magpie Action' outdoor field exercise, simulating wartime evacuation and medical aid procedures for non-combatants.↩
- Puma Shen's X Post: Black Bear Academy Identity Issue — Puma Shen's own post on X platform explaining that due to his roles as DPP think tank deputy director and legislator, legal regulations prevent him from serving as the Black Bear Academy's legal representative.↩
- CNA: DPP 2024 At-Large Legislator List, Puma Shen Ranked 2nd — CNA, November 15, 2023 report on the DPP's release of the 2024 at-large legislator list, with Puma Shen ranked second (first is Lin Yueh-chin).↩
- People News: DPP Caucus' Top 10 National Security Amendment Bills — People News reports on the DPP caucus's top 10 national security amendment bills led by Shen Bo-yang, including the Cross-Strait Act, Hong Kong and Macau Act, Nationality Act, National Security Act, Telecommunications Management Act, Anti-Infiltration Act, Cybersecurity Management Act, Criminal Code, Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, and National Intelligence Work Act.↩
- Official Information of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee — The Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee page records the rotating conveners of the 11th session (Shen Bo-yang served as one of the conveners in 2025).↩
- Storm Media: TAO Names Shen Bo-yang, Robert Tsao, and Black Bear Academy — Storm Media, October 14, 2024, reports the full transcript of TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua's press conference announcing the inclusion of Shen Bo-yang, Robert Tsao, and the Black Bear Academy on the 'die-hard Taiwan independence separatists' list.↩
- CNA: Shen Bo-yang's Facebook Response to Investigation Filing — CNA, October 28, 2025, reports with full direct quotes from Shen Bo-yang's Facebook post that day, including 'This is the 6th time in a year,' 'Solving the person who raises the problem... truly Communist Party,' and 'Taiwanese aren't scared.'↩23
- CNA: Legal Basis for Crime of Splitting the Country - '22 Measures to Punish Taiwan Independence' — CNA reports that the legal basis for Chongqing police's case filing is the Criminal Law and the 'Opinions on Punishing Crimes of Splitting the Country and Inciting Splitting the Country by Die-hard Taiwan Independence Separatists in Accordance with the Law' (commonly known as the '22 Measures to Punish Taiwan Independence').↩
- Xinhua: Full Text of Chongqing Police Bulletin — Xinhua, October 28, 2025, releases the full text of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau's police bulletin, including the reporting email CQGACTD@163.com and phone number 023-65697660.↩
- Taipei Times: Sanctions on Shen's Father's Company — Taipei Times, June 5, 2025, reports that the CCP announced sanctions against Chao Yi Ltd., owned by Shen Bo-yang's father Shen Tu-cheng, prohibiting transactions with mainland enterprises/individuals.↩
- CNA: Customs Revokes Sicuens Registration — CNA, July 16, 2025, reports that China Customs revoked the importer registration qualification of Shen Bo-yang's family business Sicuens International Co. Ltd.↩
- Cnews: Shen Bo-yang's Response to Father's Company Sanctions — Cnews, June 5, 2025, reports Shen Bo-yang's verbatim response to his father's Chao Yi company being sanctioned by the CCP: 'Very honored to be sanctioned by the TAO for the 3rd time in just one year,' 'Such a stupid thing, I think only China could do it,' and his interpretation that the sanctions were incurred due to his promotion of national security bills.↩2
- Liberty Times: CCTV Warns 'You're Next' — Liberty Times, November 9, 2025, reports on the CCTV 'Exposing Shen Bo-yang' special's narrator warning 'Stop now, or you're next' and analyzes its intimidation implications.↩
- Business Weekly: CCTV 7.5-Minute Exposé on Shen Bo-yang — Business Weekly, November 9, 2025, reports that CCTV News Channel aired a 7.5-minute exposé on Shen Bo-yang, and relays Shen's own Facebook response quoting 'fake documentary' and 'Nobody cares.'↩23
- Taipei Times: MAC Statement on Transnational Repression — Taipei Times, October 29, 2025, reports the Mainland Affairs Council's official statement defining the CCP's case filing and investigation against Shen Bo-yang as 'transnational repression.'↩
- Business Weekly: CCTV 7.5-Minute Exposé on Shen Bo-yang (Excerpts from Shen's Facebook Response) — Business Weekly verbatim transcribes Shen Bo-yang's November 9 Facebook post, including the line 'Can you not do exactly what I predict you'll do every time? Be a little creative.'↩
- CNA: Shen Bo-yang Video Responds to CCTV 'One Country on Each Side' — CNA, November 9, 2025, reports Shen Bo-yang released a short video responding to CCTV, with three direct quotes: 'Taiwan and China are one country on each side,' 'Don't delude yourselves into extending your hands into Taiwan by fabricating charges,' and 'Advise CCTV to just do your domestic propaganda properly.'↩
- Human Rights Watch: Maya Wang Statement — Human Rights Watch Asia Deputy Director Maya Wang's October 31, 2025 statement in full, condemning the CCP's move in this case as 'Chinese law imposing abusive power across borders.'↩
- CNA: US State Department Concerned Over China's Investigation of Shen Bo-yang — CNA reported on November 15, 2025 that the US State Department expressed public concern over China's investigation of Shen Bo-yang and criticized the move for undermining cross-strait status quo norms.↩
- Liberty Times: IPAC Co-founder Luke de Pulford Voices Support for Shen Bo-yang — Liberty Times reports on Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) co-founder Luke de Pulford publicly posting in support of Shen Bo-yang.↩
- Liberty Times: Legislative Yuan Foreign and National Defense Committee Passes Condemnation Resolution — Liberty Times reported on November 19, 2025 that the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee passed an interim motion condemning the CCP's investigation of Shen Bo-yang, including original remarks from proposers such as Wang Ting-yu.↩
- Liberty Times: China Offers Bounties for 'Ba Jiong' and 'Min Nan Lang' — Liberty Times reported in November 2025 that Chinese public security issued bounties for YouTubers 'Ba Jiong' and 'Min Nan Lang,' with rewards up to RMB 250,000.↩
- Liberty Times: Shen Bo-yang Reveals Pinhole Camera at Doorstep and Threatening Letters — Liberty Times reported on August 31, 2025 that Shen Bo-yang disclosed on Cheng Hung-yi's 'Talk of the Times Figures' program a pinhole camera disguised as a motorcycle screw at his doorstep, a threatening letter with the word 'death' written on a photo with his wife, threats to slit his daughter's throat, and his wife Tseng Hsin-hui's anxiety and insomnia.↩23
- ETtoday 'Fireline Figures': Shen Bo-yang and Tseng Hsin-hui Adoption Interview — ETtoday's 'Fireline Figures' column on July 6, 2024 reported the full process of Shen Bo-yang and his wife Tseng Hsin-hui adopting their daughter 'Mochi' through the Garden of Hope Foundation, including the 2.5-year process, the 'tummy mummy' concept, the 'first time I was truly needed' moment, and Shen's views on blood relations.↩
- UDN: Shen Bo-yang's Testimony at German Bundestag Hearing — UDN reported on November 12, 2025 on Shen Bo-yang's participation in the German Bundestag hearing 'Threats of Disinformation from Dictatorial States to Democracy and Human Rights,' including the proceedings and his post-hearing remarks.↩
- CNA: IPAC Hague Meeting - Shen Bo-yang and Fan Yun Photo — CNA reported on November 21, 2025, documenting Shen Bo-yang and Fan Yun attending the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) meeting at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.↩
- Taipei Times: Shen at Liberal International Hague Panel — Taipei Times reported on November 23, 2025 on Shen Bo-yang's remarks at the Liberal International 209th Executive Committee panel, including the quotes 'China is a paper tiger,' 'symbolic propaganda for domestic audiences,' and 'This is where dictators are tried for war crimes or genocide.'↩2
- Liberty Times: Shen Bo-yang's Jan 3 Facebook Response on 'Collective Inferiority' and 'Useful Idiots' — Liberty Times reported on January 3, 2026 on Shen Bo-yang's Facebook response to the satellite positioning incident, including 'China marked Shen Bo-yang's coordinates, but revealed their collective inferiority complex toward democratic Taiwan,' academic citation of 'Useful Idiots,' and analysis of a 'poor imitation of the Kansai Airport incident.'↩23
- MOFA: Strongly Condemns CCP Doxxing of Shen Bo-yang's Residence — The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs official website on January 3, 2026 issued a full condemnation statement, including the official phrasing: 'Doxxing, this despicable tactic of digital authoritarianism,' 'losing the bottom line of civilization, deeply contemptible,' and 'domestic collaborators who cooperate with China in transnational repression should all face legal sanctions.'↩
- Liberty Times: National Police Agency Vows to Protect Shen Bo-yang's Safety — Liberty Times reported on January 3, 2026 that the National Police Agency responded to the satellite positioning incident, announcing full efforts to protect Shen Bo-yang's safety and crack down on local collaborators.↩
- Taiwan News: Meta, Google Remove Satellite Imagery Posts — Taiwan News reported on January 5, 2026 that Meta and Google, at the request of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, removed posts, videos, and images published by 'Gu Yan Mu Chan' and 'Today Strait' revealing Shen Bo-yang's satellite imagery.↩
- Liberty Times: Shen Bo-yang Reveals China's Three-Pronged Strategy to Lock Down Taiwan in 2026 — Liberty Times reported on January 24, 2026 on Shen Bo-yang's long Facebook post revealing the CCP's three-pronged strategy: 'physical disarmament, cognitive manipulation, election resource monopoly,' including his self-deprecating remark: 'My biggest function is probably still being a target.'↩
- Taipei Times: Shen Returns from 8-Day France Mission — Taipei Times reported on February 16, 2026 on Shen Bo-yang completing an 8-day diplomatic mission to France, spending Valentine's Day on a plane, and his full Facebook post upon return pledging 'I will continue to stand on the frontlines with my country.'↩
- UDN: Plans to nominate Puma Shen for Taipei mayoral race — UDN April 2026 report recording the DPP election campaign meeting on April 7 discussing, with insiders revealing plans to nominate Puma Shen to represent the party in the Taipei mayoral race.↩
- UDN: Former Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung endorses Puma Shen for Taipei mayor — UDN reports on former Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung publicly endorsing Puma Shen's bid for Taipei mayor.↩
- TVBS Poll Center: December 2025 Taipei Mayoral Poll — TVBS Poll Center released the full PDF of the December 2025 Taipei mayoral poll: Chiang Wan-an 64% support, Puma Shen 22%.↩
- UDN: Puma Shen transforms, shares stage with Chiang Wan-an for first time — UDN April 25, 2026 report: Puma Shen ditches his 'explosion hair', appears on stage with Chiang Wan-an for the first time at the Songshan Cihui Hall Mother-Daughter Cultural Festival; comparisons drawn to Takuya Kimura, Joseph Chang, Bae Yong-joon.↩
- Yahoo News: Puma Shen officially runs against Chiang Wan-an; Lai Ching-te praises him as 'the only choice for Taipei mayor' — Direct quotes from May 13, 2026 press conference: Lai Ching-te calls Shen 'possessing the height of international vision, breadth of cross-domain governance, and warmth of care for citizens' and 'the only choice for Taipei mayor'; Shen accepts nomination: 'I decide to run for Taipei mayor, please let me be your mayor.'↩23
- Focus Taiwan: DPP taps Puma Shen for Taipei mayoral race — Focus Taiwan (CNA English) May 13, 2026 report confirms election date November 28, 2026, opponent is KMT Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an seeking re-election; cites Lai Ching-te affirming Shen's NGO experience at Black Bear Academy and Taiwan Democracy Lab, and cross-disciplinary background in criminology, law, and public policy.↩
- UDN: Latest Taipei poll shows Chiang Wan-an leading Puma Shen by 28 percentage points — UDN reports TVBS Poll Center May 27, 2026 Taipei mayoral poll: Chiang Wan-an 58%, Puma Shen 30%, gap 28 points; among 20-29 age group, Shen 37% still lower than Chiang's 60%.↩
- Liberty Times: Latest TVBS poll reveals Chiang Wan-an 49%, Puma Shen 41%, gap down to single digits after 4 months — Liberty Times October 8, 2026 reports TVBS Poll Center same-day Taipei mayoral poll: Chiang 49%, Shen 41%, gap narrowed from 28 points in late May to 8 points, 11% undecided; ages 20-29 Shen 52% vs Chiang 44%, reversing May's 37%. Survey conducted Oct 3 and Oct 5-7, valid sample 1,120, sampling error ±2.9 percentage points.↩
- Liberty Times: Major turnaround! Taipei poll: Shen 50.3% overtakes Chiang 33.3%, leading by 17 points — Liberty Times October 20, 2026 reports Shinmin Association second-wave Taipei mayoral poll: Shen 50.3%, Chiang 33.3%, a 17-point swing from September's Chiang 41.7%, Shen 40.5%. Questionnaire design and analysis by Tai Li-an, telephone interviews by Beacon Market Research, conducted Oct 14-16, 1,075 completed interviews (753 landline, 322 mobile), maximum sampling error ±3.0 percentage points. Report notes KMT Taipei city councilors questioned the association's impartiality before previous poll release.↩