“Compensation Set at Only 0.3N: Hundreds of Supermarket Employees Protest for Days (Oct 20–22, 2025)”
Hundreds of employees from Renrenle Supermarket branches across China gathered for three consecutive days, from October 20 to 22, outside the company’s headquarters in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. They protested against long-term wage arrears and unpaid social insurance contributions, demanding fair compensation.
According to employees, Renrenle’s controlling shareholder, Qujiang Cultural Investment Group (Qujiang Wintop), in an effort to “maintain its listing status,” conducted a capital restructuring by transferring 13 Renrenle subsidiaries to shell companies for just 1 yuan each. After shifting the debts, the company continued to pay executive salaries while ordinary employees went unpaid, lacked social insurance coverage, and were denied severance compensation upon resignation. Over the past year, Renrenle employees in cities such as Shenzhen, Nanning, and Tianjin have repeatedly staged protests to demand unpaid wages and insurance.
At the protest site, employees chanted slogans such as “We need to eat!” and “We want compensation!” According to those present, the company insisted on compensating workers based on a “0.3N” formula—far below China’s legal standard—resulting in no progress in the negotiations.
Public records show that Renrenle Chain Commercial Group Co., Ltd. (Renrenle) was founded in 1996 and was one of China’s earliest large-scale supermarket chains. Initially headquartered in Shenzhen, it was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2010 but was delisted in 2025 after years of financial losses.
In recent years, Renrenle has closed a large number of stores nationwide, affecting thousands of employees. Its controlling shareholder, Xi’an Qujiang Cultural Industry Investment (Group) Co., Ltd.—a state-owned enterprise—took over in 2021, pledging to “restructure Renrenle and preserve jobs.” However, as losses continued to mount, labor protests have become increasingly frequent.
“Yi Students in Sichuan’s Liangshan Protest Weekend Classes (Oct. 17, 2025)”
On October 17, students in Grade 8 at Xide County Ethnic Middle School in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan, went on strike and gathered in front of the school building, chanting slogans to protest against weekend make-up classes. According to students, the school had already held eight consecutive days of classes following the long holiday, yet administrators still demanded that Grade 8 students attend additional weekend lessons. Facing mounting student pressure, the school eventually canceled the planned weekend classes that same day.
“Case of Dalian Girl Xu Yuan’s Mysterious Death Reopens; Hundreds Gather Outside Court in Support (Oct 24, 2025)”
On the afternoon of October 24, the highly controversial “Xu Yuan case” was once again heard at the People’s Court of Pulandian District, Dalian, Liaoning Province. Hundreds of netizens from across China gathered outside the courthouse to support the victim’s family. A large number of police officers and SWAT forces were deployed to maintain order, and the atmosphere outside the court was tense. The crowd chanted slogans such as “A murderer must pay with his life.” During the confrontation, clashes broke out between supporters and police, and at least one person was detained. Inside the courtroom, the judge once again declared Xu Yuan’s ex-boyfriend, the suspect Shan Mou, not guilty. Xu Yuan’s sister said the hearing lasted only about two minutes before the judge directly announced the verdict.
The case dates back to the early morning of April 26, 2022. Xu Yuan, a 23-year-old woman, was found dead in the home of her boyfriend, Shan Mou, with a fruit knife lodged in her chest, fractured ribs, and dozens of bruises across her body. A forensic autopsy determined that she died from “stab and cut injuries to the chest causing rupture of the heart and lungs.” However, the court later ruled her death a suicide, and Shan was acquitted—an outcome that immediately triggered outrage and disbelief among Xu’s family and the public.
According to records, Xu Yuan met Shan through an introduction on February 12, 2022. They soon began dating and moved in together two months later. The first trial found that on the night of April 25, Shan, Xu, and several friends had dinner and drinks at a local barbecue restaurant and karaoke bar. In the early hours of the next day, after returning home, the couple argued—first inside, then outside the building—during which Shan verbally insulted and assaulted Xu. They then went back home, where the fatal incident occurred.
Shan claimed that Xu went to shower, and when she refused his request to cook instant noodles, an argument broke out. He slammed the door and left the apartment, with Xu following him outside wearing only a towel. They scuffled about ten meters from the building entrance; Shan admitted to hitting Xu several times and pulling her to the ground. Later, he persuaded her to return home, and the two went back together. Shan said Xu put on a white shirt, walked to the kitchen sink, picked up a fruit knife, removed its sheath, said “What have I, Xu Yuan, ever done to you?” and suddenly lifted her shirt and stabbed herself in the chest. No third person was present that night to verify what really happened.
A forensic report from the Pulandian District Public Security Bureau determined that Xu died from massive bleeding due to stab wounds that pierced her left lung and heart. However, her clothing showed no tear marks. The report also noted blunt-force injuries to her eyes, nose, left ear, and lips consistent with assault, and additional bruises on her forehead, arms, and legs. Bloodstains on her palms were hollow-patterned, and her right fingers were cut. Two details have been particularly controversial:
No tear in clothing – despite a fatal knife wound penetrating her heart.
Multiple external injuries – These findings led her family to firmly believe that Xu Yuan was murdered, not suicidal.
Records show that Shan had a history of violent offenses. In 2014, he was convicted of intentional injury and sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. During probation, he was convicted again for group assault and sentenced to four years and two months. In 2021, he was detained for 15 days and fined 500 yuan for assaulting another person.
In the days leading up to Xu’s death, the couple frequently quarreled. On April 20, Xu reportedly went to Shan’s family’s funeral shop to find him drunk and was beaten by him. Shan’s father testified that Xu called saying she had been hit; he went to mediate, and the two later reconciled. On the night of April 23, Shan told Xu, “Go die.”
Despite numerous inconsistencies, in September 2023 the Pulandian District Court ruled that Xu Yuan had stabbed herself in the chest during an emotional outburst. Although Shan admitted to minor assault, the court held there was insufficient evidence to link his actions directly to her death, and he was acquitted. Prosecutors appealed, but after multiple hearings, the court upheld the original verdict.
For nearly three years, Xu Yuan’s family has refused to accept the “suicide” conclusion. They insist that Xu had no suicidal tendencies and point to multiple irregularities—such as the intact clothing, questionable blood patterns, omissions in the crime scene investigation, and lack of transparency in the judicial process—as evidence of foul play. Xu’s mother said firmly in an interview: “My daughter would never stab herself in the heart. She was only 23, she had a job, friends, and plans for her future.”
After the October 24 hearing, many supporters who had traveled long distances expressed deep anger and disappointment at the verdict, calling it a betrayal of justice and the victim’s family. Xu Yuan’s relatives vowed to continue their fight for justice and “never give up.”
On the evening of October 22, in Baiyun District, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, street vendors confronted urban management officers (chengguan) on the street. The vendors said each stall’s daily revenue is often less than 80 yuan, while stall fees run as high as 100 to 200 yuan. If they pay the fees required by the government to operate “legally,” they would operate at a loss; but if they don’t pay, they are immediately driven off by the chengguan for “occupying public space” and even risk having their food carts confiscated.
During the standoff, one vendor, visibly emotional, said he has four children and two elderly dependents to support and more than 200,000 yuan in loans to repay, adding, “If you’re going to force me to steal, then give me a written certificate.”
“Three Factories in Jiangxi and Zhejiang Flee, Workers Protest for Unpaid Wages (Oct 20–22, 2025)”
From October 20 to 22, the owners of three factories in Jiangxi and Zhejiang fled, sparking days of worker protests for unpaid wages.
On October 21, the owner and his family of Jinhong Printing Factory in Leping, Jiangxi, disappeared, owing about 200 workers four months of wages—totaling several million yuan.
Workers protested for two straight days at the factory and in front of the city government, but the issue remains unresolved.
According to workers, the factory owner had originally run his business in Wenzhou and only relocated to Leping in July 2024.
Before fleeing, he had promised to pay the arrears on October 20 and repeatedly urged employees to work overtime—but on payday, he vanished with his entire family without a trace.
Meanwhile, the owners of Tingqi Shoe Factory in Wenling, Taizhou, and Linhao Garment Factory in Haining, Jiaxing, also fled on October 20 and 21 after failing to pay wages, leading to continuous protests by workers demanding their pay.
“Hundreds of Students in Pubei, Guangxi Protest School’s Ban on Mobile Phones (October 21, 2025)”
On the evening of October 21, at Pubei No. 1 Vocational School in Qinzhou, Guangxi, hundreds of students gathered in the dormitory corridors to protest the school’s newly implemented policy prohibiting students from using mobile phones.
Several students stated that they would not surrender their phones, regardless of whether the school revoked the ban.
According to a student who participated in the protest, the planned continuation of the protest that night was forced to be canceled because the school deployed multiple teachers to the dormitory area on the following day, October 22, to “monitor” the students.
“Hubei Retirees Deprived of Pensions Clash with Police During Protest (October 21, 2025)” On October 21, at the Hubei Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, retired elders protesting for their pensions clashed with stability-maintaining police, leaving one elderly person collapsed on the ground. According to the participants, these individuals had legally paid into Hubei’s pension system, retired normally, and received their pensions for many years. However, in March 2019, the Hubei Department of Human Resources and Social Security unilaterally suspended their pensions without prior notice, citing alleged “criminal records.”
In May 2020, following protests by many affected retirees, the department issued a legally questionable document, and based on it, forcibly required them to undergo a “second retirement,” demanding the return of pensions they had already received. The department threatened enforcement through measures such as “deducting from burial expenses” or holding their children financially responsible.
In 2025, without notifying the victims, the department again altered and deducted from their actual years of service in a so-called “second calculation.” Over the past six years, these pension-deprived retirees have repeatedly protested for their rights, facing long-term suppression by Wuhan authorities through surveillance, travel restrictions, and other measures, yet their struggle has not ceased.
On October 21, at the security checkpoint of Longjia International Airport in Changchun, Jilin, multiple petition interceptors attempted to abduct a woman who was preparing to travel. When the police arrived at the scene, they instead warned the woman, saying, “Don’t disturb public order.”
“Seven Days and Nights Seeking Unpaid Wages, Worker Breaks Down in Tears (Oct 13–20, 2025)”
On October 20, after seven days and nights of unsuccessful efforts to claim their unpaid wages, a woman broke down in tears inside the headquarters of Gaoke Group in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.
According to the workers, they are among the 14 construction workers who built the Hongmiaocun resettlement housing project developed by Gaoke Group. Although the project was completed and delivered for use half a year ago, the workers have yet to receive wages owed from three years ago. They have repeatedly gone to Gaoke Group to demand payment, but without success. Since last year alone, Gaoke Group and the construction contractor, Xi’an Construction Engineering Group, have made four separate promises to pay the wages — none of which have been fulfilled.
On October 13, the workers launched another wage claim action, standing vigil day and night at the Gaoke Group headquarters, and have continued their protest ever since.
