“Under CCP Repression, ‘Electronic Employees’ Continue Speaking Up for Wangwang in More Discreet Ways (2026.08.06)”
As August began, despite a sweeping crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party, the “electronic employees” did not give up. Instead, they continued speaking up for Wangwang in more discreet ways.
On August 6, at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Sichuan, a woman walked through the airport carrying a shopping bag printed with images of Wangwang and his family, along with the words “Remember Wangwang.” In Bijie, Guizhou, a large public advertisement supporting Wangwang remained on display.
In addition, a milk tea beverage featuring images of cats and dogs received support from the “electronic employees.” Many purchased it, took photos and uploaded them online to show their support. Online, the “electronic employees” also continued their check-in campaign by leaving messages in comment sections, reposting content and sharing related images to keep the information circulating.
“67 Chinese Workers Walk 11 Kilometers in Algeria to Demand Unpaid Wages (2026.08.05)”
On August 5, 67 workers employed by CCCC Second Highway Engineering Bureau at Section 3 of Algeria’s 121-kilometer railway project walked 11 kilometers to the Algeria branch of China Road and Bridge Corporation to demand their unpaid wages. They called on the company to immediately pay all outstanding wages and ensure that they could safely leave the country.
“Foot Spa Owner in Jinsha, Guizhou, Flees After Withholding Wages; Workers Parody His ‘Empty Promises’ at Human Resources Bureau (2026.08.05)”
On August 5, after Su Lin, the owner of Gangjin Karaoke & Foot Spa in Jinsha County, Bijie, Guizhou, fled while owing employees wages, workers who had spent several days unsuccessfully seeking payment reenacted his behavior inside the Jinsha County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. They mimicked his original promise that “wages would be paid on time and never delayed,” as well as the repeated empty assurances he gave after failing to pay them.
“The Plague God Is Coming” II: Hundreds of Thousands of Businesses Close to Avoid Fines as the “Avoiding the Plague God” Movement Spreads to Nine Cities Across Four Provinces (July 22–August 4, 2026)
From late July to early August, the “Avoiding the Plague God” movement, which had previously swept across many parts of Heilongjiang Province, began spreading southward after lying dormant for more than two weeks.
During the period from July 22 to August 4, the Yesterday Project documented large-scale collective business closures in nine cities across four provinces—Jilin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Guangdong—involving hundreds of thousands of merchants. Businesses temporarily suspended operations to avoid the potentially heavy fines imposed by Chinese Communist Party inspection teams.
The latest wave of closures has been concentrated mainly in Zhejiang Province. As of August 4, large numbers of businesses remained closed in six cities: Ningbo, Jinhua, Wenzhou, Quzhou, Taizhou, and Shaoxing. Originating in Heilongjiang, this decentralized movement of “nonviolent noncooperation” is now crossing provincial boundaries and spreading to multiple regions of southern China.
Petitioners Protest Alleged Unlawful Rulings Outside a Court in Zhaodong, Heilongjiang (August 4, 2026)
On August 4, more than a dozen petitioners gathered outside the Zhaodong People’s Court in Heilongjiang Province. They chanted slogans including “Unlawful rulings!” and “Severely punish the cancers of the judiciary!” to protest what they described as unlawful judgments issued by multiple judges at the court.
Submission: Wuxi Police Harass Rights Defender Shen Aibin at His Home (August 4, 2026)
A video submitted by a netizen on August 4 shows that at approximately 7:30 a.m. that day, police officers Wang Xiaoming and Bian Zhiqiang from the Guangyi Police Station of the Liangxi Branch of the Wuxi Public Security Bureau, accompanied by several auxiliary security personnel, arrived at the home of rights defender Shen Aibin and ordered him to report for questioning.
In the video, Shen refuses to open the door and asks the police through the closed door why they have come so early in the morning. The officers say they are there to summon him for questioning and note that he is currently out on bail pending investigation. Shen responds that he has not had enough rest and asks to sleep until nine or ten in the morning before cooperating. He also asks those outside to stop disturbing his rest.
Biography of Shen Aibin
Shen Aibin, born on October 15, 1973, is a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He is a military veteran, former urban-management official, citizen journalist, and human rights defender. He joined the military in 1991 and later attended a military academy. In 2002, he transferred to Wuxi’s urban-management system, where he held positions including squadron leader, deputy brigade leader, and head of the legal affairs section. According to publicly available information, Shen began providing legal advice to petitioners around 2009 and drew attention to the unlawful detention of petitioners and the operation of so-called “black jails.” Front Line Defenders recognizes him as a human rights defender in China.
In 2013, Shen was arrested after taking part in the rescue of petitioners who were being detained. That year, Amnesty International issued an urgent action concerning the arrests of Shen and several other rights defenders, as well as allegations that they had been tortured. In 2014, Shen was sentenced to 18 months in prison for “intentional destruction of property.” In 2017, he was sentenced to another two years and six months for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He received a third prison sentence of three years in 2023 and was released on April 30, 2025. His three prison terms amounted to a total of seven years.
After his release in 2025, Shen continued to pursue appeals and participate in rights-defence activities. He was subsequently subjected again to administrative detention, criminal detention, and residential surveillance. On May 30, 2026, the coercive measure imposed on him was changed from residential surveillance to bail pending investigation.
“Huawei’s Attempt to Silence ‘Bamboo Cicada’ Videos Sparks Outrage and a Nationwide Wave of Mockery (2026.07–08)”
Recently, a traditional bamboo toy known as the “bamboo cicada” went viral online, with related videos quickly surpassing 10 million views and its distinctive “wah-wah” sound echoing across social media platforms.
The trend reportedly began in late July, when some users noticed that the sound produced by spinning the toy closely resembled the audience’s astonished reaction at the 2023 AITO M9 launch, after Huawei executive Richard Yu declared it “the best SUV under 10 million yuan.” Large numbers of users then began turning the resemblance into an online joke.
Huawei subsequently filed complaints with several platforms, alleging that the videos used insinuation, indirect references and altered sound effects to ridicule the company and its executives and damage its business reputation. Some videos were deleted or had their reach restricted.
The move, however, provoked an even stronger backlash. Large numbers of users joined the mockery, continued buying bamboo cicadas and uploaded videos of themselves spinning the toys. Others imitated the sound using bottle caps, pot lids, wrenches, medicine bottles and various other objects, with some even developing “prop-free performances.” As a result, both public attention and sales of the toy continued to rise.
“Hundreds of Workers at China National Chemical Engineering No. 11’s Russian Far East Project Protest Unpaid Wages, Sparking Clashes (2026.08.02)”
On August 2, hundreds of Chinese workers staged a collective wage protest at the NFP methanol project in Vostochny Port, Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai, in Russia’s Far East. The project, undertaken by China National Chemical Engineering No. 11 Construction Co., had reportedly failed to pay the workers for as long as six months. During the protest, workers briefly clashed with the company’s management personnel.
In the early morning of July 31, large numbers of Chinese Communist Party officials and police entered Anlong Village’s Fifth Team and Shelong Village’s Eleventh Team, in the former Wansheng Subdistrict of Guang’an District, Guang’an City, Sichuan Province. They forcibly seized land and threatened villagers who were taking photographs.
“Sanitation Workers in Shenzhou, Hebei, Protest After Going Unpaid for Six Months (2026.07.30)”
Sanitation workers in Shenzhou, Hengshui, Hebei Province, originally earned 2,000 yuan per month. After the local government outsourced sanitation services to Renhe Environmental Company, their monthly wages were cut to 1,500 yuan. Yet even these meager wages had gone unpaid for as long as six months.
On July 30, the workers gathered outside the company’s premises to demand payment of their overdue wages.
