Chairman Rabbit vs Hu Xijin: Divided Nationalists on Weibo
Pelosi in Taiwan: “1.4 Billion People Do Not Agree with Interference in China’s Sovereignty Issues”
Viral Bilibili Video Featuring Rural Carpenter: Disabled & Determined ‘Uncle’ Becomes Chinese Internet Sensation
The Curious Case of the Henan Bank Depositors and the Changing Health QR Codes
From Teacher to Livestreamer: Ecommerce Move is Game Changer for China’s New Oriental Education
Foreigner Clashes with Chinese Security Guards for Not Wearing Mask at Park in Taiyuan
Sichuan Power Cut: From Dinner by Candlelight to Farm Chickens Dying
Follow-Up to China’s Ugly Math Textbook Controversy: 27 People Punished
Bubble Tea Madness: ‘Modern China Tea Shop’ Opening Creates Chaos in Nanjing
Fresh Off the Boat, Xiamen Fish Are Tested for Covid-19
Finally Some Answers? Follow-Up to the 6.10 Tangshan BBQ Restaurant Incident
The Social Media Spectacle of China’s Taiwan Military Exercises
News of Pelosi Bringing Son on Taiwan Trip Goes Trending on Weibo
Chairman Rabbit vs Hu Xijin: Divided Nationalists on Weibo
Pelosi in Taiwan: “1.4 Billion People Do Not Agree with Interference in China’s Sovereignty Issues”
Quiet Streets and Well-Stocked Shelves on Second Day of Chengdu Lockdown
Chengdu City-Wide ‘Lockdown’ Sparks Panic Buying and Worries
A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Residents Force City Police to End Community Lockdown
Foreigner Clashes with Chinese Security Guards for Not Wearing Mask at Park in Taiyuan
Fresh Off the Boat, Xiamen Fish Are Tested for Covid-19
Op-Ed ⎪ Cyber Bullying and Fake News: What You Should Know About the Zhang Zhehan Story
Dutch Vlogger Discovers Her Boyfriend’s Photo on a Chinese TV Drama
Top 10 Overview of China’s Most Popular TV Dramas May 2021
The Concept of ‘Involution’ (Nèijuǎn) on Chinese Social Media
The Show is Over: Crackdown on Renren Yingshi Fansub Group
Finally Some Answers? Follow-Up to the 6.10 Tangshan BBQ Restaurant Incident
Chinese Woman Taken Away by Suzhou Police for Wearing Japanese Kimono
Zhou Zhou in West Africa: Chinese Woman Trending on Weibo after Going ‘Missing’ in Nigeria
Chinese Reporter Who Cried On Air over Abe’s Death Attempted Suicide after Online Backlash
Hunan Man Kills Wife by Running Over Her Twice with SUV
News of Pelosi Bringing Son on Taiwan Trip Goes Trending on Weibo
Chairman Rabbit vs Hu Xijin: Divided Nationalists on Weibo
China ‘Strikes Back’: Taiwan Military Drills, Countermeasures, and Waves of Nationalism on Weibo
Pelosi in Taiwan: “1.4 Billion People Do Not Agree with Interference in China’s Sovereignty Issues”
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Finally Some Answers? Follow-Up to the 6.10 Tangshan BBQ Restaurant Incident
Chinese Woman Taken Away by Suzhou Police for Wearing Japanese Kimono
Terrifying Video Shows Mother and Daughter Attacked by Man in Raincoat
Shanghai Ruijin Hospital Stabbing Incident
Hunan Man Kills Wife by Running Over Her Twice with SUV
Bubble Tea Madness: ‘Modern China Tea Shop’ Opening Creates Chaos in Nanjing
From Teacher to Livestreamer: Ecommerce Move is Game Changer for China’s New Oriental Education
Why Is Kindle Leaving China?
KFC China’s Psyduck Toy is a Viral Hit
Stinky Marketing: Chinese Feminine Hygiene Brand Fuyanjie Stirs Controversy with “Dark and Smelly” Ad
Chinese Woman Taken Away by Suzhou Police for Wearing Japanese Kimono
Mamianqun Gate: Dior Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Copying Design of Traditional Chinese Skirt
KFC China’s Psyduck Toy is a Viral Hit
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
Would You Like Coffee with Your Sneakers? Chinese Sports Brand Li-Ning Registers Its ‘Ning Coffee’ Brand
Chengdu City-Wide ‘Lockdown’ Sparks Panic Buying and Worries
Fangcang Diaries: China’s Makeshift Covid Hospitals, from Wuhan to the Future
“Experts Are Advised Not to Advise”: Why Weibo Users Are Fed Up with ‘Expert Advice’
Fangcang Forever: China’s Temporary Covid19 Makeshift Hospitals To Become Permanent
Shanghai ‘Dead Man’ Taken Away to Morgue, Found to Be Alive
Bubble Tea Madness: ‘Modern China Tea Shop’ Opening Creates Chaos in Nanjing
KFC China’s Psyduck Toy is a Viral Hit
Would You Like Coffee with Your Sneakers? Chinese Sports Brand Li-Ning Registers Its ‘Ning Coffee’ Brand
Weibo Has Still Blocked ‘Shanghai Buy Groceries’ Hashtag
Fried Belt Fish on the Menu for Shanghai Residents in Lockdown
Follow-Up to China’s Ugly Math Textbook Controversy: 27 People Punished
Prohibited to Promote Top Students, Chinese Schools Are Praising their Excellent ‘Fruit’ Instead
From Teacher to Livestreamer: Ecommerce Move is Game Changer for China’s New Oriental Education
Chinese Math Schoolbook Gate Continues
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
‘Little Sheep People’: The Stigmatization of Covid Patients in China
Chinese Term ‘Wuxin Gongzuo’: Can’t Focus on Work Due to Russia-Ukraine Crisis
No More ‘SissyGuy’ or ‘Douchebag1990’: Weibo Bans Usernames Containing ‘Bad’ Words
The Top 10 Buzzwords in Chinese Online Media in 2020 (咬文嚼字)
“Offensive to Chinese Language” – USC Controversy over Chinese Filler Word 那个 (Nèigè) Discussed on Weibo
Zhejiang Movie Theatre Displays Blacklisted Individuals in Avengers Movie Preview
“Be as Good as Your Word”: The Chinese Social Credit Song is Here
Insights into Sesame Credit & Top 5 Ways to Use a High Sesame Score
Insights into the Social Credit System on Chinese Online Media vs Its Portrayal in Western Media
4 Years of What’s on Weibo: Discussing Social Credit and Latest Trends on the “China Experience Show”
Relief in Chengdu about well-stocked shelves, but frustrations are building over slow Covid testing processes.
After the pre-lockdown chaos, some sense of calm has been restored in the city of Chengdu. But despite relief over well-stocked supermarket shelves, Chengdu-based social media users also express frustration about long Covid testing lines and systems going down.
W hat a difference a day makes. After scenes of panic buying and worries about an upcoming lockdown dominated discussions among Chengdu-based social media users on Thursday, many expressed relief on Friday to find some calm after the storm and plenty of groceries in the city’s supermarkets.
Following a spike in COVID-19 cases, Chengdu authorities announced on Thursday that the city would implement a semi-lockdown starting at 6pm, meaning people would have to stay at home and participate in the mass testing campaign until September 4th.
Different from a strict lockdown, one member of each household is allowed to leave the home one time per day for a two-hour timeframe to do groceries and buy essential items.
This was initially also the case in Xi’an during its lockdown in late 2021/early 2022, but the lockdown later became more strict after which many residents struggled with food shortages.
Although Chengdu authorities told people not to ‘stock up blindly,’ many people still rushed to the markets, and some bought piles of meat and carts full of vegetables.
Some scenes from Chengdu before city-wide lockdown. pic.twitter.com/w6pCgK7gPf
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) September 1, 2022
Thursday’s scenes of overcrowded shopping streets and chaos at supermarkets reminded of previous panic buying moments in China’s Covid era, including those in Shanghai and Tianjin.
But after people left their homes on Friday within the permitted two-hour time frame, many were relieved to find that the markets were open with well-stocked shelves and that deliveries were not canceled.
Exit card: 1 person per household, once day for maximum of 2 hours.
“Last night I was so super nervous and rushed to stock up on food, only to find today – after I got a card to exit the gates – that there was so much fresh produce at the Qiandama grocery store and Manpeng food market! Same at Hema supermarket! Chengdu people really don’t need to worry about going hungry during the lockdown, just worry about how to eat all that tasty food,” Weibo user @kkyoon_lim wrote.
Weibo user points out that supermarkets are fully stocked and that the panic buying was unneccessary.
“I was the one who went out today for two hours of fresh air on behalf of my family,” another Chengdu-based netizen wrote: “There were not a lot of people out and the drug stores and supermarkets were open. Express delivery couriers also came to deliver. I was afraid it wouldn’t be the case. The grocery prices were also regular. So I’m happy I didn’t join the panic buying yesterday.”
Another Chengdu resident wrote: “Went out today to get groceries. There were very few people outside and it was so quiet. To be honest, I thought it was quite nice actually.”
Despite some relief, frustrations are also still building, especially regarding the process of mass testing. Some nucleic acid testing points saw the systems go down on Thursday and not everything seemed to be going smooth on Friday either. For a second day in a row, the hashtag “Chengdu Nucleic Acid System Down” (#成都核酸系统崩了#) went trending on Weibo.
“Fixed-point nucleic acid testing really is a joke,” one angry commenter wrote: “There are multiple testing point across town and every single one is more crowded than a supermarket during panic buying. After lining up for a couple hours, they tell us the system is down and we spent another few hours wasted.”
“I’ve been waiting for three hours already, I’m going crazy, what kind of system is this?” another Chengdu-based social media user complained.
“Chengdu’s Covid testing system is just ridiculous, it goes down every day, and the more it breaks down, the longer we are exposed to a crowded environment where we could catch the virus,” one poster wrote.
Despite the struggles, there were also people who enjoyed the quiet night scenes in the city of 21 million.
On Weibo, netizens wished each other a good night after this first full day of semi-lockdown. One person wrote: “Chengdu, we’re doing quite well, good night everyone!”
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
Chengdu City-Wide ‘Lockdown’ Sparks Panic Buying and Worries
Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.
Chengdu City-Wide ‘Lockdown’ Sparks Panic Buying and Worries
A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Residents Force City Police to End Community Lockdown
Finally Some Answers? Follow-Up to the 6.10 Tangshan BBQ Restaurant Incident
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Chengdu’s ‘lockdown’ is called ‘staying at home.’
“A ll Chengdu Residents are to Stay Home from 6pm Today” (#成都今日18时起全体居民原则居家#) is the hashtag that is trending on Weibo today, receiving over 670 million clicks by Thursdaynight.
In light of rising Covid cases in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the local Epidemic Prevention and Control authorities announced mass testing campaigns in the city starting from 1-4 September and ordered people to stay at home.
Over the past seven days, the city reported a total of 606 new positive cases, almost one-third of all the newly reported cases in mainland China this week.
Local supermarkets saw an increase in shoppers coming to stock up on groceries since August 29, when rumors about an upcoming lockdown started spreading like wildfire.
Although authorities warned people not to “stock up blindly” (#成都官方说不必盲目囤积生活物资#), panic buying was visible across the city, with many images going viral on WeChat showing people stocking up on meat, vegetables, condoms, and even live chickens.
Some scenes from Chengdu before city-wide lockdown. pic.twitter.com/w6pCgK7gPf
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) September 1, 2022
One of the netizens who first started the rumor of Chengdu locking down on August 29 was detained by Chengdu police the next day for “provoking trouble.” The person, whose social media ID was ‘Tropical Rainforest’ (热带雨林), received a 15-day sentence and a fine of 1000 yuan ($145).
Some memes circulated about the incident, saying that the social media user sparked “the August 29th Tropical Rainforest Shopping Festival.”
“The 8.29 Tropical Rainforest Shopping Festival” meme.
“Tropical Rainforest told us to start lining up.”
But just two days later, the rumors seemed to hold truth after all when the authorities announced the 4-day stay-at-home order. Families can still send one person out once per day for groceries.
The word ‘lockdown,’ however, was not used by authorities and the hashtag “Chengdu Lockdown” (#成都封城#) was also taken offline at the time of writing. “Ah, so it was all just rumors after all! This is not a lockdown, this is just ‘staying at home,'” some commenters wrote.
“Stay at home is just another word for lockdown,” others wrote, although others suggested that this kind of measure was far more relaxed than an actual strict lockdown.
There were also those who were confused: “On the one hand they’re telling us to do mass testing and go outside, on the other hand they’re telling us to remain at home and stay inside.”
During the night of September 1st, the hashtag “Chengdu Nucleic Acid System Collapses” (#成都核酸系统崩了#) also attracted attention online, as the system registering the nucleic acid tests allegedly could not handle the peak. “I’ve been standing in line for over two hours,” some people wrote, complaining about long testing queues that seemed neverending.
Weibo users also shared their worries about the epidemic situation in Chengdu and how long these measures would last. Previously, the ‘phased lockdown’ of Shanghai was only supposed to last for five days but ended up lasting two months.
“Great, I don’t have any rice, no oil, no noodles, all I have is a bag of nuts and some candies,” one commenter wrote.
A recurring comment on Chinese social media said: “Ah, when will this epidemic ever end?” “I just hope the lockdown will be soon lifted.”
Also read our update here: Second Day of Lockdown in Chengdu
Read more about China and Covid-19 here.
By Manya Koetse and Miranda Barnes
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
‘If you can leave, we can leave!’ This end to a local community lockdown was beautifully played by Nanning residents.
Locked-down residents in Nanning pointed out to visiting city police that they could not just freely enter and exit their community in accordance with epidemic prevention measures, giving them the option to either isolate with them or completely lift the community lockdown.
A local incident that occurred in the city of Nanning, Guangxi Province, has attracted some online attention these days. According to various Weibo bloggers, the incident happened in a local community by the name of Fule New Town, which was in lockdown due to an alleged heightened risk of Covid transmission.
When one resident decided to set up a stall selling fruit and vegetables for the convenience of the locked-down neighborhood, the property management called up local law enforcement, asking them to remove the illegal stall and confiscate the vendor’s fresh fruit and produce.
But the team of chengguan (city officers) did not receive a warm welcome when they arrived in the community to remove the street stall.
Reporter Li Jifeng (@李继锋) explained on Weibo how a large group of local residents interfered, demanding that the city officers themselves should also adhere to the epidemic prevention laws.
They pointed out that once they had entered the community, they should not be free to leave and should isolate along with the rest of the community residents.
Since the chengguan could not isolate inside the community, the result was that if they were to leave, the entire community should be able to end their isolation, too. Because the residents were not prepared to let the chengguan leave in accordance with epidemic guidelines, the lockdown had to be lifted.
Remarkable incident. Local law enforcement came to locked-down Nanning community to remove & confiscate an illegal vegetable stall. Residents interfered, told them that in accordance with the strict epidemic rules, they were not to leave. You should now isolate together with us! pic.twitter.com/Np04upIUnr
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) August 31, 2022
As the city officers exited the gates, the neighbors gave them a big ‘send-off’ with laughter and cheers. In one of the videos that is circulating on Weibo, residents can be heard yelling: “Thank you chengguan, thank you so much!”
“Well played, beautifully done!” many commenters on Weibo responded, applauding the local residents for their efforts and teamwork. “They are experts!”
The incident also triggered some comments about the sustainability and logic behind some of the measures included in China’s zero-Covid policy, with people suggesting that local lockdowns are sometimes ordered somewhat arbitrarily instead of being based on science or rationality.
“So the epidemic situation suddenly changed just like that?” some people wondered in light of the Nanning incident. “They fought magic with magic,” others wrote.
Nanning is seeing a stricter implementation of Covid prevention measures this week as the 19th China-ASEAN Expo 2022 will be held at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center from 16-19 September. As of August 30, there were a total of 6 local asymptomatic infections in the city of Nanning.
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
What Happened in Tangshan? The Violent Restaurant Incident Everyone Is Talking About
Chinese Elementary School Textbook Triggers Controversy for Being “Tragically Ugly”
The Impossible Love Story: Nancy Pelosi and Hu Xijin Become Popular Imaginary Couple
Chinese Math Schoolbook Gate Continues
Copyright © 2022 What's on Weibo. All Rights Reserved.