[DiogenesKynikos]

It's not difficult at all to find Chinese people in China who criticize the government in private conversations about politics.

What's often shocking to Westerners, however, is that most people in and from China have a fairly positive view of their country. If you start telling them that China is a dystopian nightmare, yada yada, and they push back, it's because they actually don't agree with you, and may even be offended. If they're silent, it's most likely because they don't want to get into an argument with you. You don't have to invent stories about them fearing being reported to the authorities back home.