On May 17, a 22-year-old mother in Dalian, Liaoning, who was making food deliveries with her 2-year-old child, broke down in tears on the street after her child refused to cooperate while being dressed, drawing the attention of passersby — one of whom stepped forward to help dress the child. That same day, in Guiyang (Guizhou), Hongqiao (Shanghai), and Jinhua (Zhejiang), netizens captured footage of delivery riders with no choice but to carry their children on their backs while working their routes.
On May 18, hundreds of workers at the Yuqiang Shoe Factory in Nanxiamei Village, Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian, blocked the factory gates after failing to receive their wages.
On May 18, more than one hundred homeowners from the unfinished “Rose Garden Phase II” housing project in Gaobeidian, Hebei, gathered at the city government demanding the delivery of their homes and requesting a meeting with the mayor, but were met instead by a large number of special police officers.
“Hundreds of Investors in Fujian March in Protest, Met with Violent Police Crackdown (2026.05.18)”
Victims of the “Golden Wharf” investment scheme in Putian, Fujian, launched another protest action on Monday, only to once again face police repression. Multiple people were beaten and arrested. The Golden Wharf Group had long attracted deposits with promises of high returns before its capital chain collapsed in early March 2026, involving more than 10 billion yuan in funds. Although investors have repeatedly staged protests, no substantive progress has been made so far.
According to one participant, at around 9 a.m. on May 18, hundreds of investors gathered outside the Putian municipal government building. Holding Chinese national flags and chanting slogans such as “Golden Wharf is fraud,” they marched through the streets in protest.
When the procession reached the vicinity of the old campus gate of Putian University, it was suddenly intercepted and dispersed by a large number of police officers. Several people were beaten at the scene, and three investors were arrested on the spot.
By that evening, two of the three detained investors had reportedly been released, while the whereabouts of the third remained unknown. One elderly woman who was released said she was assaulted by police inside the police vehicle: her hair was grabbed and pulled, her neck was restrained, and her head was pinned down with an elbow.
Ping An Bank Avoids Layoff Compensation, Employees Report Bank for Using Them to Launder Money (2026.05.14–16)
Ping An Bank and its outsourcing contractor, Shaanxi Yinyan Technology, have kept 75 employees — including 11 pregnant workers — in indefinite standby status following the abrupt cancellation of a project, in an apparent attempt to avoid paying legally mandated severance. After repeated attempts to seek redress through official channels came to nothing, the employees filed a collective report alleging that Ping An Bank has been laundering money or evading taxes by overpaying employees’ salaries and then requiring them to transfer the excess amounts back. According to the employees, the scheme has been running for more than four years, with an average of around 90 employees required to participate each month, each transferring back approximately 10,000 yuan per month.
On May 16, workers at the Chongqing branch of Zhejiang Baotai Electronics Co., Ltd. in Bishan District went on strike to protest the company’s relocation of its factory without providing compensation to employees.
“Hundreds of Tibetans in Shangri-La Protest Flooding Caused by Government Water Retention (2026.05.16)”
On May 16, hundreds of Tibetan villagers gathered at the Napa Lake sluice gate in the Napa Lake Nature Reserve, located in Shangri-La, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, to protest what they say is the long-term illegal retention of water by local authorities. Villagers said the prolonged closure of the sluice gates has caused surrounding roads to be submerged, homes to flood, farmland to fail, and livestock to die, resulting in severe losses for local residents.
According to villagers, the water retention at Napa Lake has already lasted for two years, allegedly for “water quality testing.” However, some online sources claim the water may actually be being retained to attract tourists.
“Over 2,000 Students in Wenshang, Shandong Hold Mass Protest Against School’s Harsh Policies, Forcing Reversal (2026.05.16)”
On May 16, more than 2,000 students at Wenshang No.1 High School in Wenshang County, Jining, Shandong Province launched a collective protest against what they described as the school administration’s “unreasonable oppressive policies,” ultimately forcing the school to revoke its decision to delay dismissal times.
According to students, the immediate trigger for the incident was the school’s unilateral decision to extend weekend dismissal time from 3:50 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. in order to increase exam preparation time. However, deeper resentment stemmed from the school’s long-term and relentless compression of students’ rest time. Wenshang No.1 High School had previously implemented a “one day off every four weeks” system for many years. Although reforms were introduced in 2024 under policy pressure, the school still has not adopted a true two-day weekend system, leaving students with only 24 hours of rest each week. After Vice Principal Wu Zhiguo took office, students say conditions worsened further as he continuously rolled back earlier reforms, tested students’ limits, and attempted to restore the “one day off every four weeks” system, causing grievances to intensify.
On the night of May 15, after students learned about the school’s plan to delay dismissal, dissatisfaction spread rapidly across campus. Students quickly organized themselves through word of mouth, discussing protest demands and formulating a concrete action plan.
At around 9:50 a.m. on May 16, students on the third floor of the school’s teaching building took the lead, collectively rushing out of their classrooms while shouting “Give us our holiday!” before gathering in the school square. Their actions were soon joined by more than 2,000 first- and second-year high school students, who poured into the protest.
During the demonstration, some students raised a prop banner used in a historical drama bearing the slogan: “Defend sovereignty abroad, eliminate traitors at home,” triggering loud cheers from fellow students. At the same time, a text titled “Declaration Against Wenshang No.1 High School” circulated among students. It stated: “Thousands of students, united in shared anger, must stand firm in our convictions, fight with reason and justice, and never submit to unjust oppression!”
After approximately 45 minutes of sustained protest, the school administration ultimately backed down and announced the restoration of the original 3:50 p.m. dismissal schedule. Students then gradually returned to their classrooms, marking the protest as a successful action.
On May 15, a woman in Hengdong County, Hunan — believed to be a petitioner — posted six consecutive videos on Douyin pleading for help. She described having been subjected to prolonged organized harassment, with her phone and home network placed under surveillance, and said she was being forcibly transported to Changsha for a psychiatric assessment by local government personnel and staff from a Hengdong psychiatric hospital. Visibly terrified, she expressed fear that she would no longer be able to care for her daughter and that she would be subjected to sexual violence while institutionalized, stating that if she were declared mentally ill she would request euthanasia. The videos also show several men accompanying her, behaving aggressively. Her Douyin account was subsequently wiped and disappeared.
Pregnant Street Vendor Faces Off Against Chengguan in Haikou as Hundreds of Bystanders Rally in Support (2026.05.14–15)
On the night of May 14 through the early hours of May 15, 2026, in Haikou, Hainan, several female street vendors — including a pregnant woman — engaged in a prolonged standoff with urban management officers (chengguan) and police in an effort to prevent their food stall from being seized. The confrontation drew hundreds of onlookers who gathered to watch and show their support.
