Large-scale demonstrations have erupted at Foxconn's massive iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, central China, as evidenced by images circulating on Weibo and Twitter.

Wednesday's videos show hundreds of workers marching on a street in broad daylight, with some being confronted by riot police and individuals wearing hazmat suits.

Others show hundreds of people in hazmat gear standing on a road near what appear to be factory residential buildings, while the person filming the clip from an adjacent apartment building states, "It began again from last night to today."

Separate Livestream footage showed dozens of workers confronting a line of police officers and a flashing-lights police vehicle at night while yelling: "Protect our rights! Protect our rights!"

At noon on Wednesday, the hashtag "Foxconn Riots" on Weibo appeared to have been censored, while some text posts referencing large-scale protests at the Foxconn factory remained online.

Vast swaths of the population have grown weary and resentful due to Beijing's strict zero-Covid policy; some have been confined for weeks at factories and universities and cannot travel freely.

'Closed loop' bubble

In recent months, Apple's primary subcontractor, Foxconn, saw an increase in Covid-19 cases at its Zhengzhou facility, prompting the company to close the vast complex to contain the virus.

Since then, the massive facility of approximately 200,000 employees, dubbed "iPhone City," has operated in a "closed loop" bubble.

Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the largest contract manufacturer of electronics in the world, assembling devices for numerous international brands.

Foxconn is the largest private sector employer in China, employing over a million people in approximately 30 factories and research institutes.

Zhengzhou is the crown jewel of the Taiwanese company, producing iPhones in unprecedented quantities.