On September 16, a space under a bridge near Xingfucheng in Longhua District, Shenzhen, was sealed off with iron bars and water-filled plastic barriers. The filmer pointed out that the area was originally a shelter for the homeless from the rain, and this blockade aims to drive away the homeless population, sparking criticism from netizens over urban management methods.
On September 18, in the semi-finals of the men's basketball tournament at the Nagoya Asian Games, the Chinese men's basketball team lost 77 to 97 to the Japanese team, setting a record for the largest margin of defeat against Japan. Because the match coincided with the September 18 incident anniversary, Chinese media heavily hyped nationalist sentiment before the game. The crushing defeat and videos of Chinese fans crying at the scene were widely circulated afterward, triggering strong discontent and emotional venting among domestic netizens.
On September 17, Japan's Asahi Kasei Corporation reported that former employee Shoichi Furukawa was arrested for allegedly violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act by leaking semiconductor packaging material manufacturing secrets to Shandong Shengquan New Materials Co., Ltd. Asahi Kasei plans to sue both parties and demand the destruction of the relevant materials. The compromised secrets involve manufacturing data for epoxy resin curing agents.
On September 18, a 28-year-old netizen posted that when applying for a Hong Kong and Macau travel pass in another city, the police station of their household registration called their parents and relatives to inquire about their travel intentions and verify if they knew about it. Police explained this was for safety reasons, but the individual believed their privacy and itinerary as an adult were improperly disclosed.
On September 18, at a shopping mall square in Qiantang District, Hangzhou, multiple disabled individuals performing street art came into conflict with security guards and local police. Chaos and chasing broke out on the scene, with someone scattering white powder, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
On September 19, vlogger "Yulie Qige" reported that, with the cooperation of police from Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong, a large semi-trailer truck loaded with sulfur was intercepted in Chenzhou, Hunan. Two sulfur-treated bamboo shoot processing dens in Qingyuan, Guangdong, have been sealed, relevant individuals detained, and an investigation is currently underway to trace the distribution of the problematic bamboo shoots. Previous videos showed that these bamboo shoots were abnormally white in color with a strong pungent odor, and were often supplied to large cafeterias.
On September 15, Guangming Daily published an article criticizing cultural and creative products printed with pessimistic 'Sang' culture slogans such as 'May heaven have no KPI', stating that they could lead to the distortion of minors' consciousness and behavior, and calling for regulatory resistance. This move sparked widespread questioning from netizens, who believed that the authorities were confusing cause and effect and ignoring the social root causes of young people's 'Sang' culture, which stems from life's pressures.
On September 19, students at Wancheng Primary School in Wanning City, Hainan Province, demonstrated standardized 'five classroom routine standards' to leaders. The video sparked widespread mockery among netizens online regarding compliance education and mass-produced robots, and the video was subsequently taken down.
Shandong petitioner Zhao Xigao was sentenced and imprisoned for demanding enforcement funds from a won lawsuit. His family accused that his legs and feet severely ulcerated and blackened in prison, and he eventually died behind bars.
On September 4, a video showed a woman operating a machine in a textile workshop with her young child on her back. The surrounding environment was messy and equipment was running continuously, posing serious safety hazards and triggering strong criticism from netizens regarding factory management and labor living conditions.
Late at night on September 19, residents of Poly Philharmonic Town and surrounding communities in the Zhaoqing Hi-Tech Zone gathered in front of Zhaoqing Juyuan Biochemical Co., Ltd. and Zhaoqing Changlong Biotechnology Co., Ltd. to protest. Due to long-term health damage caused by exhaust pollution from nearby chemical plants, they demanded an investigation into the enterprises' illegal discharge. Local police and environmental protection departments arrived at the scene to handle the situation, and there is currently no resolution.
On September 17, the Huai'an Municipal Bureau of Justice in Jiangsu released the results of its solicitation for legislative suggestions on municipal government regulations for 2027. Out of the 150 suggestions received, 148 related to anti-animal cruelty and the management of stray dogs and cats, accounting for 98.7%. Officials stated that relevant suggestions will be evaluated and reviewed.
On September 18, Reuters cited anonymous sources stating that Beijing had proposed holding a China-US CEO roundtable during Xi Jinping's visit to the US, but it was rejected by the White House. Sources revealed that the accompanying Chinese executives are expected to attend the White House state dinner, but will not meet with US think tanks or business groups. The White House declined to comment, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it had no information on the matter.
As of September 20, Xi Jinping has not made a public appearance for seven consecutive days. With his scheduled visit to Maryland's Andrews Air Force Base in the United States approaching in a few days, Xinhua News Agency and major Party media outlets have unusually published no articles regarding US-China friendship or exchanges over the past week, triggering external speculation about Xi Jinping's health and high-level political trends.
On September 20, 2026, US Treasury Secretary Bessent and US Trade Representative Greer held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York. The two sides discussed issues including trade, artificial intelligence safety, and rare earth supplies, preparing for the Trump-Xi summit to be held next week.
On the final day of the Russian parliamentary elections, the skies over Moscow were hit by a large-scale drone attack. An oil refinery in the Moscow Oblast caught fire, billowing black smoke, and the area near the Kremlin was also affected.
Multiple pro-CCP rallies aimed at welcoming the General Secretary's visit to the US were held in Flushing, New York, clashing with dissidents protesting the visit on the street. A pro-communist man was arrested by police for kicking and assaulting a protester.
On the afternoon of September 20, a white Volvo knocked down a bicyclist outside the Baoding Beiguo Xian天下 Plaza before speeding into the interior of the shopping mall, and the driver's whereabouts are unknown.
On September 20, North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the Sea of Japan. Subsequently, North Korean state media announced the successful testing of a new important combat weapon system and released photos.
During military training at Hebei Software Institute, a large number of students were seen kneeling and crawling through colored smoke, sparking mockery from netizens.
Multiple netizens posted group notices from Liaoning Normal University stating that participating in school-organized blood donations allows students to apply for up to 13 consecutive days off for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
On September 17, media reported that high-speed rail and bullet train discounts narrowed ahead of the National Day holiday, resulting in actual fare increases. 12306 customer service responded that holiday fare fluctuations are normal, triggering public dissatisfaction, with some netizens calling for a boycott through refraining from consumption.
On September 18, multiple employees of Dongguan Shengkai Animation Technology Co., Ltd. gathered on a rooftop to demand unpaid wages spanning from May to September after management became unreachable. Fire departments at the scene laid out an inflatable rescue air cushion for emergency response.
Recently, a conflict broke out between a food delivery worker and a car driver. The driver violently kicked the delivery worker's e-bike, prompting the delivery worker to pull out a knife in a standoff. Eventually, thanks to the persuasion of a woman accompanying the driver, the dispute was calmed down.
On September 16, a netizen shared chat logs from applying for a nurse position, revealing that private clinics engage in illegal hiring practices such as 8-to-10 shifts, one-day weekends, and no social security. Subsequently, multiple nurses chimed in with exposures, stating that during their work in private clinics, they were often required to take on non-medical tasks like cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning, with extremely low pay.
A delivery auntie shared her daily work routine, showing that she worked until 11:50 PM and earned a total of 197 yuan through two platforms.
On September 17, a food delivery worker in Jiangsu fell asleep from extreme fatigue at a traffic light intersection while making a delivery at 2 AM. The incident resonated with many netizens, as several delivery workers reported suffering fractures from falling after dozing off while riding, reflecting the survival dilemma under high-intensity labor in the delivery industry.
Public commentary points out that Chinese tech companies process data at a low cost by exploiting domestic labor, thereby enabling the distillation and application of foreign artificial intelligence models, which has sparked concerns over technological ethics and labor rights.
On September 18, the first two characters of the propaganda slogan "Serve the People Wholeheartedly" fell off at a cultural and creative street in Jiangxi, leaving the phrase "Serve the People Turtle-Bastard-Heartedly" instead. After relevant videos spread online and sparked ridicule from netizens, they were quickly removed from short-form video platforms.
On September 17, a blogger published a video self-narrating their training experience of wearing high heels during military service, stating they had to run in stiletto heels and stand for long periods, with the hard texture of the footwear causing foot injuries. Currently, the video and the user can no longer be searched.
On September 20, China and the US held 8-hour economic and trade talks in New York. The two sides announced the establishment of an AI dialogue mechanism and a new bilateral trade mechanism, but the US side made it clear that export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor equipment are not on the negotiating agenda.
The Beijing airspace control department issued Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) A4484/26, announcing the activation of a 24/7 long-term no-fly zone centered on Beijing with a 300-kilometer radius starting from September 20, covering Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as well as parts of Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning.
On September 20, a netizen shared photos of themselves wiping away pornographic advertisements on a shared bicycle seat. The images show two instances of the phrases "hookup with little sister" and website URLs printed on the seat. After wiping, the text faded significantly but still left traces. #InternationalRelations
On September 20, Li Yun was officially elected as the Mayor of Shenzhen, succeeding Qin Weizhong, who had previously resigned.
On September 20, the School of Mathematical Sciences of Harbin Engineering University reported that, after verification by higher authorities, 20 undergraduates and graduate students used campus network accounts to access overseas networks via VPN on September 18–19, which was recorded by the network security monitoring system. Because it was their first violation and there were no serious consequences, they were given a warning sanction.
On September 20, a Polish influencer posted a video on Douyin criticizing certain netizens for double standards: while fiercely hating Japan over its invasion of China, they simultaneously treat the Nazi blitzkrieg against Poland as a joke. The video received numerous likes and reposts, sparking heated discussions among netizens.
On September 20, at the Douyin Creator Conference held in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, multiple bloggers openly expressed dissatisfaction with the current schedule adjustment system and explicitly supported restoring two-day weekends and canceling schedule adjustments.
On September 20, a netizen in Xiongan, Hebei posted that the police came to their home and confiscated a toy gun bought online, and then seized their high-spec computer on the grounds of video game addiction, only returning it after forcing them to sign a guarantee letter stating it was "voluntarily handed over for safekeeping."
On September 20, the intern posted screenshots showing the process of the teacher in question recalling messages in the chat group to respond to forgery accusations.
On September 18, Study Times, the official newspaper of the CCP Central Committee Party School, published an article pointing out that public opinion has become a high-risk explosion point for social conflicts. It criticized the government for its habitual avoidance of responsibility, suggested channeling emotions through empathy and apologies, and called for incorporating public opinion management into the national governance system.
On September 21, the Georgetown University Center for Asian Law and Boyden House in New York will host the English-language book launch and symposium for Xu Zhiyong's 'Beautiful China' in Washington. As the founder of the New Citizen Movement, Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison in April 2023 for promoting educational equality and the public disclosure of officials' assets, and he is currently still serving his sentence.
On September 17, the Financial Times reported that the EU has asked China to restrict exports of hybrid vehicles to Europe, setting a 15% market share cap. EU officials warned that if Beijing fails to cooperate voluntarily, the EU will take mandatory restrictive measures aimed at protecting domestic European industries from shocks.
On September 18, media reports indicated that the crowdfunding platform Shuizhichou increased its platform service fee from 6% to 8% starting August 15. Patient families reported that hefty service fees and channel fees were deducted upon withdrawal. Shuizhichou customer service responded that the price hike was intended to provide higher quality services, which triggered public skepticism regarding its commercial nature versus its charitable positioning.
On September 18, a woman in Guizhou posted a video on social media claiming that due to financial hardship and depression, she had given her daughter away for adoption. In the video, the woman expressed resentment toward raising children and confirmed in the comment section that the child had been sent away, while also revealing that she had previously had thoughts of harming the child due to stress.
On September 17, employees of public institutions reported encountering pop-up alerts when applying for entry and exit documents, being required to provide a consent letter from their unit's human resources department. Even when opting for off-site processing, the system still indicated that record-filing was required, triggering concerns and panic among labor dispatch and grassroots employees regarding restricted freedom of travel.
On August 30, a blogger tested the purchasing power of sanitation workers in Heze, Shandong. The interviewed worker had a monthly salary of only 600 yuan, working 4 to 5 hours a day with no weekend holidays. The blogger conducted a shopping test based on a daily wage of about 20 yuan, sparking discussions among netizens about low wages and the lack of social security.
Between late 2025 and early 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were plotted against and confirmed to be taken down. Subsequently, in late August 2026, the National People's Congress explicitly relieved Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of their positions as deputies to the NPC and members of the Central Military Commission, among other posts, drawing external attention to the rift between the military and the central leadership.
On September 18, the official authorities in Zhumadian, Henan released a promotional video showing citizens spontaneously observing a moment of silence when the air raid siren sounded. This triggered skepticism among netizens in the comment section, who accused it of being staged and mocked official formalism such as not granting a holiday on the anniversary and keeping assembly lines running.
In early August, an explosive-laden attack drone targeting Ukrainian transport planes suddenly appeared near Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and was subsequently shot down by the German military. Following an investigation confirming that Russia was responsible, Germany announced the expulsion of dozens of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, triggering a diplomatic storm of mutual expulsions of diplomats between the two countries.
Between August 2024 and February 2025, a South Korean Army soldier repeatedly leaked non-public information, such as South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises and South Korean military training, to an individual claiming to be a Chinese intelligence officer, receiving a total of 88,000 RMB. In August 2026, the South Korean Supreme Court upheld the second-instance ruling, sentencing him to 4 years in prison, along with fines and the confiscation of illegal proceeds.