Public Hospital Strike in Heilongjiang: Medical Staff Protest Long-Term Wage and Social Security Arrears (2025.11.20)
On November 20, medical staff at Suihua People’s Hospital in Heilongjiang Province launched a collective strike. With the hospital failing to pay wages for five consecutive months and long overdue contributions to medical insurance and social security, staff across multiple departments—including doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel—took to the streets. They unfurled banners at the hospital entrance demanding the hospital “return our hard-earned money.”
Footage from the scene shows multiple medical staff holding bright red banners with white lettering reading: “Suihua People’s Hospital owes employees wages and social security—return our hard-earned money.” A staff representative at the scene stated that the protest arose because the hospital had for many years failed to pay social security and medical insurance according to regulations, and wages had been unpaid for five consecutive months. They want to know, given the hospital has been profitable all these years, where the staff’s money has gone. When police tried to disperse the protesting staff, a representative shouted emotionally at the officers: “Police, you have no authority here!” and demanded they leave the staff alone.
This collective protest is not an isolated incident, but the culmination of long-standing labor disputes at the hospital. As early as March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff used social media to report that frontline workers were owed three to four months’ wages and asked: “How are those standing on the frontlines supposed to survive?”
The dispute became further public in July 2023, when a staff member recorded a video publicly accusing the hospital director of long-term wage withholding and threatening and insulting employees. The staff member reported that over the past 13 years, the hospital never paid full 12-month wages, frequently withheld several months’ pay with no explanation, and in 2022, only half of the 19 months of base plus performance wages issued by the state to public institutions reached staff. When employees reported financial difficulties, the director reportedly said, “The money is with me; I will pay or withhold as I wish.” The whistleblower also claimed that frontline staff received no wages, while finance staff aware of the director’s “secret accounts” received four salaries each month.
Suihua People’s Hospital is a Grade II Class A public hospital. In addition to serious labor disputes, the hospital’s management and finances have repeatedly been questioned. Less than two months before the strike, on September 30, 2025, the Suihua Medical Security Bureau fined the hospital over 911,500 yuan for violations including excessive treatment and duplicate charges.
Wage arrears are usually seen in construction and manufacturing, but now have spread to the healthcare system, even affecting public hospitals. This year, the “Yesterday” channel has reported multiple incidents of medical staff protesting long-term wage arrears, including at Linyi Hedong Hospital in Shandong, Xindu District Central Hospital in Hebei, and Suihua People’s Hospital. From these online reports, wage arrears in hospitals appear widespread in China. However, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s strict censorship and post deletions, and the fact that many medical staff remain silent under pressure, the cases that have been exposed are likely just the tip of the iceberg.
“Guizhou Farmers Surround County Official in Protest Against Mandatory Cremation: Villagers Lash Out, Saying ‘Dig Up Xi Jinping’s Ancestral Tomb First’ (Nov. 22, 2025)”
On Saturday (November 22), two separate protests broke out in Shidong Town, Xifeng County, Guiyang, Guizhou Province. Villagers resisting the local government’s mandatory cremation policy confronted officials, and at one point surrounded a deputy county chief.
Mandatory cremation policy provokes widespread discontent; villagers tell officials to “dig up Xi Jinping’s ancestral tomb first”
The protests stemmed from Xifeng County’s recent implementation of a mandatory cremation policy requiring all residents to be cremated after death. The policy has triggered broad public dissatisfaction. Villagers noted that many neighboring cities and counties, due to public opposition, had already shifted from mandatory to voluntary cremation, yet Xifeng County continued to push ahead and failed to provide any legal grounds for the requirement.
They argued that the local government was enforcing cremation for financial gain, in a way that not only contradicts the traditional custom of burial for “resting in the earth,” but also increases the financial burden on rural households. Many villagers said that after paying for cremation and purchasing urns, they still had to buy coffins for burial because rural areas have no designated facilities to store urns.
When government staff entered the villages to promote the policy and solicit signatures, villagers angrily confronted them, saying: “If the Communist Party wants to dig up ancestors’ graves, then start by digging up Xi Jinping’s ancestral tomb! Do you dare?” They also warned that if authorities attempted to forcibly exhume bodies already buried, “Go ahead and try—let’s see whether ordinary people will let you walk away.”
Mushan Village: Hundreds gather to stop officials from exhuming a body
During the day on Saturday in Mushan Village, hundreds of villagers gathered after hearing that government personnel intended to remove the body of a recently buried resident. Villagers stood guard around the gravesite holding wooden sticks, saying they would “resist to the death” if the authorities attempted a forced exhumation. Loudspeakers were used on site to broadcast their demands for the mandatory cremation policy to be withdrawn. Villagers continued guarding the area late into the night. Officials—who earlier had threatened to “seize the body”—did not act because they were outnumbered.
Shuitou Village: Deputy county chief allegedly assaults deceased’s sister and is surrounded
On Saturday night, a more intense confrontation occurred in Shuitou Village, only a few kilometers away. According to villagers, Xifeng County Deputy Chief Qiang Yong struck the sister of a deceased resident while demanding that the family hand over the body, which sparked anger.
Villagers quickly gathered—growing from dozens to hundreds—surrounding the deputy county chief along with accompanying officials and police. A physical clash followed. Video from the scene shows Qiang Yong promising to cover all medical expenses for the injured woman. The standoff lasted until the early hours of the next morning, during which Qiang eventually escaped amid the commotion.
Both incidents continue to escalate, and many netizens from nearby areas have expressed intentions to travel to the scene to support the villagers.
“Guangdong Hospital Refuses to Treat Critical Patient; Family Beaten While Seeking Answers (2025.11.21)”
Recently, in Puning City of Jieyang, Guangdong Province, a hospital was accused of refusing to treat a critically ill patient. A 26-year-old woman sought medical help for stomach pain at Puning People’s Hospital and tragically passed away less than 48 hours after admission. What enraged the family was that during the nearly four-hour “golden rescue window” after the hospital issued a critical-condition notice, not a single doctor came to provide emergency care despite the patient’s severe distress and repeated pleas for help—ultimately leading to her death.
Four Hours Without Medical Intervention at a Critical Moment
According to the family, the patient went to Puning People’s Hospital on the morning of November 13, 2025, due to persistent stomach pain. Tests showed extremely low platelet levels, and she was immediately admitted. However, after a full day of treatment, her condition did not improve; instead, her platelet count dropped even further.
The turning point came late at night on November 14. At around 11:50 p.m., the hospital officially issued a critical-condition notice. The family reported that during the nearly four hours after receiving this notice, the patient’s condition sharply deteriorated, and she began experiencing severe chest pain. During this life-or-death period, the family rushed to the nurses’ station for help at least five times, pleading that the patient was in critical condition. Yet throughout these almost four agonizing hours, no doctor ever came to evaluate the patient or administer emergency treatment. Only one nurse briefly checked in for less than a minute.
At 3:49 a.m. on November 15, after the family discovered that the woman’s heart had stopped and had been desperately shouting for help for 19 minutes, a doctor finally arrived to perform CPR—but it was too late. She could not be revived. Heartbroken and furious, the family said, “She was only 26—her life had just begun. From stomach pain to intense chest pain, she fought death alone in a place full of so-called ‘angels in white.’”
Family Beaten While Seeking Accountability
On November 21, six days after the incident, the family returned to the hospital seeking an explanation, as the hospital had still offered no clear response. They scattered funeral paper money at the hospital entrance in protest. Instead of addressing their concerns, Puning People’s Hospital dispatched security guards—and even hired thugs—to violently remove the family members. According to the family, several unidentified individuals also joined in the assault.
Afterward, the family tried to seek help online, only to find that many of the videos they recorded at the scene could not be uploaded. The few videos that were successfully posted were quickly suppressed or removed. Many netizens who claimed to have personal experience with the hospital commented, criticizing Puning People’s Hospital as “truly unreliable” and “utterly lacking in medical ethics.” One commenter lamented: “This is what happens when those in power can cover the sky with one hand. Ordinary people have no voice at all.”
“Hainan and Guangxi Demolish Temples and Ancestral Halls, Triggering Clashes (2025.11.14–17)”
Southern China has recently seen two forced demolition incidents targeting folk-religion sites. In mid-November 2025, local governments in Lingao, Hainan, and Fuchuan, Guangxi, forcibly tore down a folk temple and an ancestral hall. Both demolitions not only destroyed villagers’ places of worship, but also led to physical clashes between villagers and officials.
Hainan Lingao: Villagers throw rice to “ward off evil,” protesting state force
On November 17, clashes broke out in Meilan Village, Bohou Town, Lingao County. That day, local authorities deployed large demolition teams and police to surround a village temple, intending to level it completely. Videos from the scene show villagers—unarmed and outnumbered—forced to remove the statues while facing shield- and baton-bearing police. As drums sounded, villagers grabbed handfuls of rice and hurled it at the demolition squads. During the pushing and shoving, a female villager was violently knocked down, escalating tensions. In Lingao folk custom, throwing rice symbolizes both “expelling evil” and “cursing misfortune.” Villagers used the ritual to express anger, implying that demolishing a temple offends the gods and brings bad luck. This ritual-charged act of resistance underscored their helplessness in the face of overwhelming state power.
Guangxi Fuchuan: Ancestral hall destroyed; Yao villagers rebuild the next day
Just days before the Lingao incident, an ancestral hall in Fuchuan, Hezhou, also faced the same fate. On November 14, the township head of Lianshan personally led police and officials into Jingtou Village to tear down a Yao ancestral hall. For Yao villagers, an ancestral hall is not only a sacred place for rituals but also a symbol binding the entire clan. Women of the village tried to block the demolition with their bodies, but they were outnumbered. The hall was eventually reduced to rubble. Yet the next day, undeterred villagers returned to the ruins and began rebuilding it brick by brick.
Across China, similar scenes are common. Religious and folk-ritual sites are frequently demolished under labels such as “illegal construction,” “land regulation,” or “safety rectification.” From the Cultural Revolution’s “Destroy the Four Olds,” to recent campaigns tearing down church crosses and flattening mosque domes, to today’s removal of rural temples and ancestral halls—the cleansing of folk-belief sites has never truly stopped, only changed its justification. At its core lies an authoritarian system that tolerates no spiritual authority outside the Party. Even a small place honoring ancestors or local deities is treated as a potential challenge to absolute power.
“Xishuangbanna Abandoned Property Owners Suppressed While Seeking Audience with Governor (Nov 18, 2025)”
On November 18, in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, owners of the Wanxiangcheng development who went to the prefectural government to petition for their rights were suppressed by police, with multiple people taken into custody.
Wanxiangcheng, located on Mannongfeng Street in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna, was originally named “Banna Story” and developed by Xishuangbanna Tianrui Real Estate Co., Ltd. The project has been stalled since 2018 due to a broken funding chain. According to Leju Finance, Tianrui Real Estate Co., Ltd. and its legal representative Chen Bin were restricted from high-consumption activities in 2022 because they failed to fulfill legally binding payment obligations within the timeframe specified in the enforcement notice.
Owners reported that despite protesting for more than six months, neither the Xishuangbanna government nor Tianrui Real Estate has provided any substantive solution. During this period, some owners were reportedly harassed by police over the phone under the pretext of “legal education,” and in some cases, drunk police officers even entered homes to intimidate residents.
Footage from the scene shows owners holding signs reading “Meet the Governor, Help with Resettlement” and “Tianrui Company, Fraud Syndicate” while protesting in front of the Xishuangbanna prefectural government, demanding to see the governor. Plainclothes officers then arrested multiple people. One male owner was reportedly restrained on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back for an extended period before being taken away. As of November 19, the whereabouts of the arrested owners remain unknown.
“Hundreds of High School Students in Longli, Guizhou Rally Against ‘Prison-Style’ Management (2025.11.17)”
Hundreds of students at Longli No.1 High School in Guizhou launched a collective action this Monday, gathering in front of their dormitory building and chanting slogans to protest the “prison-style” schedule the school began enforcing that day.
The incident stemmed from a new timetable the school released on November 11. According to the plan, students must complete 13 class periods each day, plus morning reading. To fit in such an intense workload, the school requires students to wake up at 6 a.m. and go to bed at 11:10 p.m. This means students get less than seven hours of sleep per night— even with a one-hour lunch break added, it still falls short of the eight hours recommended by China’s National Health Commission for high school students. What angered students further was that the new rules require them to take their lunch break in the classroom and forbid returning to the dorms. Many said that sleeping face-down on a desk cannot provide any real rest. Such high-intensity scheduling and reduced sleep, they argue, will inevitably damage their physical and mental health.
After the timetable was published, students quickly voiced strong dissatisfaction on social media, sparking widespread resonance. Among the posts, an article titled “Youth Kidnapped by Time” spread widely among students. It sharply criticized this distorted education model and asked: “Is this a school meant to nurture talent, or a factory assembly line?” The article said this approach not only harms students’ health—leading to “rising myopia rates, sleep deprivation, and younger psychological issues”—but also destroys their motivation to learn, making “academic burnout” a heavy label on their youth. Some even said, “It’s worse than a prison—just pure exploitation.” These voices laid the groundwork for the eventual collective action.
On November 17, the day the new schedule took effect, hundreds of students gathered in front of the dormitory, chanting “Open the door!” to express their discontent with the school’s prison-like management and to demand access to their rooms. According to students on site, several teachers tried to stop them but failed. In the end, under the pressure of united student action, the school administration made a temporary concession: students were allowed to return to their dorms for lunch break that day, and the school announced that future lunch breaks would also be taken in the dorms.
However, as of November 18, the school has not decided whether it will revise the timetable or reduce study hours. Students say they are still negotiating with the school and hope for a positive outcome.
“Ningbo Baby ‘Little Luoxi’ Dies After Minimally Invasive Surgery; Mother’s Protest Draws Massive Online Support (2025.11.17)”
On the evening of November 17, at Tianyi Square in Haishu District, Ningbo, Ms. Deng — who had lost her infant daughter just one day earlier — recounted to supportive citizens how Little Luoxi passed away, and publicly accused Dr. Chen, director of the cardiology department at Ningbo Women and Children’s Hospital. Over the previous two days, her story had gone viral on social media, drawing tens of millions of views. Many local residents arrived at Tianyi Square after seeing the news online. However, Ms. Deng’s attempt to seek accountability was blocked by the police.
Low-risk minimally invasive surgery goes wrong; 5-month-old baby dies
According to Ms. Deng, her daughter, born prematurely on May 26, 2025, had been growing well under careful family care. During a routine checkup on November 11, doctors discovered atrial septal defects — two secundum holes measuring 3 mm and 7 mm. After researching similar cases, Ms. Deng learned that many children naturally recover after age one. But Dr. Chen insisted surgery should be done early, claiming delayed treatment might affect lung and brain development. He also told the family the procedure was common and low-risk, with only a 1% complication rate and an expected duration of 2.5 to 3 hours.
Little Luoxi underwent surgery at 7:48 a.m. on November 14. However, the operation dragged on far beyond expectations — it still had not concluded by 3 p.m. The family repeatedly called the hospital for updates but received no response. Around 4 p.m., a doctor finally informed them the surgery was “not going very smoothly,” and reluctantly admitted that the chances of survival were “fifty-fifty.” At 4:37 p.m., the baby was wheeled out of the operating room, swollen and covered in tubes, and transferred to the ICU. Although doctors still claimed the procedure had been successful, Ms. Deng immediately sensed that “my daughter was already gone” and requested emergency assistance from partner specialists in Shanghai. The hospital agreed, but according to Ms. Deng, “no Shanghai doctor ever came.” At 10:03 p.m., the hospital pronounced Little Luoxi dead. Ms. Deng described her daughter’s face as severely swollen and darkened, with blood marks and tears still visible.
Family suspects the hospital concealed critical information; attempts to view footage met with force
The family later learned that the initial surgery had actually ended around 1 p.m., but doctors performed a second procedure afterward. By then, Little Luoxi was already in critical condition — yet none of this was disclosed to the family. The total procedure lasted nearly nine hours, with 7 hours and 12 minutes of general anesthesia. The family believes prolonged anesthesia and a second opening of the chest directly led to the baby’s death.
The hospital refused the family’s request to review surgical footage and deployed security staff to forcibly drag them into an area without surveillance cameras. Ms. Deng said she was beaten by security guards. At Tianyi Square, she showed supporters a large bruise on her thigh.
Online support surges as the mother turns to the internet for help
After failing to communicate with the hospital, Ms. Deng turned to social media, posting a detailed account and listing three demands:
The provincial health commission must dispatch an expert team to investigate and disclose the surgical footage and truth behind the incident.
Dr. Chen must publicly apologize so that her daughter may “rest in peace.”
The hospital must announce disciplinary actions against Dr. Chen, including revoking his medical license to prevent future harm.
Her post quickly gained widespread attention. Thousands of users on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and other platforms amplified her story. Some pointed out that Dr. Chen had been involved in previous incidents; in June, he was accused of causing the death of another one-year-old child, but the hospital allegedly suppressed the case. Others noted that atrial septal defects are common and that holes under 5 mm typically require only observation rather than surgery.
After public pressure, the hospital issues a statement; online posts begin disappearing
On November 17, Ningbo Women and Children’s Hospital announced it had suspended Dr. Chen and opened an investigation, promising to cooperate with the family and address any medical malpractice according to law. The Ningbo Health Commission also stated that the incident had been classified as a “major medical dispute.” Meanwhile, many related posts on social media began disappearing or being restricted.
Liaoning Yingkou Government Arbitrarily Halts Fishing, Suppresses Fishermen; Fishermen Say “The Communist Party Won’t Let People Live” (Nov 15, 2025)
On November 15, in Beihai Village, Gaizhou City, Yingkou, Liaoning Province, fishermen protesting the local government’s “one-size-fits-all” fishing ban and vessel inspection policy were suppressed by police. Videos show that at least four fishermen were taken away.
According to local netizens, following several recent fishing accidents, Yingkou City launched a city-wide fishing safety inspection policy, requiring all vessels to stop fishing for inspection and correction. This “one-size-fits-all” approach immediately triggered strong anger among fishermen.
Fishermen said that a single vessel can cost millions of yuan, and annual expenses for labor, supplies, and nets create enormous financial pressure. Many are heavily in debt. A fishing ban means direct economic losses, even threatening their livelihoods. During the inspection process, enforcement officers arbitrarily fined fishermen, sometimes tens of thousands of yuan, causing great hardship.
Meanwhile, amid widespread layoffs in other industries, the fisheries department hired many new staff to carry out inspections, with few permanent officers involved. Official standards for vessel compliance are unclear, leaving fishermen—many of whom have fished for generations—confused, not to mention the new inspectors. Heavy reliance on inexperienced staff makes inspections full of arbitrariness and uncertainty. Fishermen also questioned why such a massive inspection wasn’t scheduled during the off-season, but instead during the fishing season, showing no regard for their survival.
Not only were protesting villagers suppressed, but online discussions were heavily monitored. Related posts were quickly deleted, and some fishermen even received police warnings. One fisherman angrily said: “This is the Communist Party of China. They won’t let people live.”
「贵州、山西、河南四煤矿工人罢工讨薪（2025.11.01-12）」11月上半月，「昨天」频道共记录到四起煤矿工人罢工事件，引发原因均为欠薪，其中贵州六盘水攀枝花煤矿已经拖欠工资长达一年。这四起煤矿工人讨薪事件分别是：11月1日，贵州省遵义市桐梓县大河煤矿工人罢工讨薪。11月11日，山西省晋中市榆次区坤源煤矿工人罢工讨薪。11月12日，贵州省六盘水市水城区攀枝花煤矿工人罢工讨薪。11月12日，河南省洛阳市新义煤矿工人罢工讨薪。 “Coal Miners Strike for Unpaid Wages in Guizhou, Shanxi, and Henan” In the first half of November, the “Yesterday” channel recorded four coal miner strike incidents, all triggered by unpaid wages. Among them, the Panzhihua Coal Mine in Liupanshui, Guizhou, has reportedly withheld wages for as long as one year. The four wage-protest strikes were as follows: — On November 1, workers at Dahe Coal Mine in Tongzi County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province went on strike. — On November 11, workers at Kunyuan Coal Mine in Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province staged a strike. — On November 12, workers at Panzhihua Coal Mine in Shuicheng District, Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province went on strike. — Also on November 12, workers at Xinyi Coal Mine in Luoyang City, Henan Province launched a strike.
