Shenzhen Biel Crystal Workers Strike Against Disguised Layoffs Through Wage Cuts (July 15, 2026)
On July 15, workers at Biel Crystal in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, launched a strike to protest the company’s attempt to force employees to resign by introducing a “five-day, eight-hour” work schedule and drastically reducing their incomes, thereby avoiding the payment of legally required severance compensation.
For years, because basic wages and hourly pay have remained extremely low, Chinese workers have often been forced to accept factory schedules consisting of only one day off per week and 12-hour shifts, relying on extensive overtime merely to earn enough to survive. Now, amid an economic downturn and declining orders, some factories are using the introduction of a “five-day, eight-hour” schedule to sharply reduce workers’ incomes and pressure them into resigning, effectively carrying out disguised layoffs while evading severance payments.
Elderly Couple Selling Popsicles in Chengde, Hebei Beaten by Urban Management Officers, Husband’s Ribs Broken (July 14, 2026)
On July 14, in Chengde, Hebei Province, an elderly couple in their sixties were driving a low-speed electric vehicle (“old folks’ joy cart”) to sell popsicles near the Chengde Mountain Resort when they were driven off by chengguan (urban management officers). During the confrontation, their goods and personal belongings were seized, and the husband’s ribs were broken.
Xi’an Residents’ “Boycott Sage” Campaign Continues: Middle-Finger Gestures, Car Decals, and an Empty Mall (July 07-15, 2026)
As of July 15, the boycott by residents of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, against the Xiaozhai Sage International Shopping Center continues. Compared to before, when the surrounding roads were often congested and the mall was packed with shoppers, traffic outside the mall has now noticeably thinned and the interior is largely empty, with foot traffic far below previous levels. Meanwhile, some residents have launched boycott actions such as posing with a raised middle finger at the site and affixing car decals, expressing their discontent with Sage.
Illegal Layoffs at Juzi Digital Technology Spark Employee Protests Nationwide; Rooftop Rally in Chongqing (July 13, 2026)
On July 13, employees of Juzi Digital Technology Co., Ltd.’s Chongqing branch gathered on the roof of the West Investment WORK Chongqing North Station Building in Yubei District, chanting slogans such as “Juduoduo, pay us back,” to protest the company’s illegal layoffs, wage arrears, and reduced severance standards.
Starting July 12, Juzi Keji began releasing branch-by-branch layoff and staff resettlement plans across the country. According to the announcements, the compensation offered by the company not only falls below the legally mandated “N+1” standard but also treats employees differently depending on region: the plans for Beijing and Shanghai state explicit severance of “0.5N,” while those for Dalian, Anshan, Jinan, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Changsha specify only “0.5 times base salary.” Calculated out, this leaves employees with just over 1,000 yuan in compensation — far below what Beijing and Shanghai employees are owed.
Regarding the unpaid June and July wages and separation compensation, Juzi Keji’s plans for Dalian, Anshan, Jinan, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Changsha state payment is scheduled for August 15. Whether Beijing and Shanghai employees’ wages will be paid on time, the company said, “depends on the status of incoming payments”; even for employees who accept the “0.5N” compensation plan, payment will be made in installments in October and November. In Shanghai, one employee with late-stage cancer — who depended on her salary and medical insurance just to keep up with treatment and daily life — has been left in a desperate situation as a result. Compounding her despair, the head of the Shanghai office has already left the country, and the company’s accounts are empty, leaving it a hollowed-out shell.
The announcement immediately triggered discontent among employees in multiple regions. Beyond the rooftop rally in Chongqing, employees elsewhere have also begun taking action, demanding the company apply a uniform “N+1” compensation standard, end differential treatment by region, and immediately settle all unpaid wages, compensation for unused annual leave, and other benefits owed for time worked.
In late June, because Juzi Keji’s affiliated platforms Jiuxiaohua, Juduoduo, and the related platform Yikoudai failed to deposit borrowers’ repayments into the designated repayment bank accounts, borrowers were wrongly flagged as delinquent by the system and subjected to debt collection. Hundreds of affected users had gathered at the company’s headquarters in Yingkou, Liaoning to protest; on June 29, Yingkou authorities announced they had opened a criminal investigation into related issues at Juzi Keji.
As of July 14, the situation continues to develop.
Bank in Jilin freezes company account for no reason; account unfrozen only after workers block entrance (July 13, 2026)
A branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Yanji city, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin province, froze a company’s corporate account without any given reason, leaving the company unable to pay its workers on time. On July 13, the company’s owner went to the bank to resolve the issue, but bank staff kept stalling for hours without resolving it, and demanded the company prove on its own that the funds in the account were legitimately obtained. It was only at midday, after the owner and workers blocked the bank’s entrance, that the branch manager finally stepped in and unfroze the account.
Disabled delivery rider in Guangdong’s Dianbai draws attention online, receives over 7,000 yuan in donations (July 13, 2026)
Recently, a food delivery rider who lost one leg in Dianbai district, Maoming city, Guangdong province, drew attention online after being forced to walk into residential complexes on crutches, hopping on one leg, to make deliveries, since e-bikes were banned from entering. On July 13, netizens from a Dianbai No. 1 High School alumni group donated over 7,000 yuan to him. According to reports, he had previously traveled from Xinjiang to Maoming to start a business, but was scammed, and has since relied on food delivery to make a living.
Construction workers in Yunnan’s Zhaotong detained by police while demanding unpaid wages (July 13, 2026)
On July 13, in Zhaoyang district, Zhaotong city, Yunnan province, construction workers went to demand wages owed to them on the Xiaolizi Garden resettlement housing project, built by Yunnan Construction Investment Holding Group. Instead, they were detained by police.
Hundreds of high school students in Hubei’s Anlu strike, march for “less authoritarianism, more equality” (July 10, 2026)
On July 10, hundreds of first-year students at Anlu No. 1 High School in Hubei province staged a collective protest after the school shortened their summer vacation from 20 days to just four and a half. Students chanted slogans such as “give us our long vacation,” held up sheets of white paper reading “vacation,” and marched around the campus behind a banner that read, “Less authoritarianism, more equality — give us back our 20-day summer vacation!” The school ultimately backed down under student pressure and canceled its summer tutoring plan.
Villagers in Hebei’s Sanhe protest homes being turned into a “flood diversion zone,” clash with officials (July 12, 2026)
On the evening of July 12, villagers from several villages, including Hougezhuang, in Huangzhuang township, Sanhe city, Langfang, Hebei province, gathered near a dike to protest authorities’ plan to use excavators to breach the riverbank and divert floodwaters into their homes. During the protest, villagers clashed with government officials on site. Hebei province has been hit by days of heavy rain and severe flooding, driven in part by this year’s Typhoon Bavi, the ninth named storm of the season. Over the years, villages across Hebei have repeatedly been used by authorities as flood diversion zones to “protect Beijing,” with residents often receiving minimal compensation, or none at all, after their homes and land were damaged.
“Little Luoxi” case update: Mother Deng Rongrong intercepted by local officials during disaster relief in Guangxi (July 11, 2026)
On July 11, Deng Rongrong, mother of “Little Luoxi,” was intercepted by local government personnel while taking part in disaster relief efforts in Hengxian County, Guangxi. She was ordered to remove a banner bearing the name Xu Luoxi from the vehicle carrying relief supplies. Deng and a friend accompanying her noticed that the official had just finished a phone call with Ningbo police. Deng later discovered that the banner on the vehicle had been torn apart.
