On September 22, a popular landmark wall in Linfen, Shanxi, featuring a portrait of Marilyn Monroe, was painted white and replaced with the red characters 'Love Reading,' sparking heated discussion and mockery among netizens.
On September 22, a netizen in Shanghai posted that when purchasing two small household scissors, they were required to first scan 'Suishenban' for police registration, and then perform a secondary registration by hand on-site.
On September 20, inside a classroom at Qiqihar No. 3 Middle School in Heilongjiang Province, students wrote messages such as "not a single penny of corruption spared" and "not a single regular class taught" on their desks or walls, protesting the school's teaching quality and integrity issues.
A netizen posted that after commenting the word "steamed bun" under a Winnie the Pooh video on Douyin, their account was banned for 365 days on September 20. Their alternative account was also banned, and both appeals and communication with human customer service proved fruitless.
On June 30, multiple children at the affiliated kindergarten of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology experienced vomiting, and parents got no answers after pressing for two months. On September 14, a safety officer at the kindergarten's canteen exposed severe hygiene issues, such as washing shoes in vegetable washing pools and scrubbing woks with mops. The kindergarten had long ignored rectifications, and regulatory authorities failed to inspect the kitchen surveillance footage.
On the evening of September 20, Taiwanese Labor Minister Hung Sun-han arrived in Nanjing to attend the APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting held on the 21st. This is the first ministerial-level official to visit mainland China since the Lai Ching-te administration took office. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that he entered using the meeting invitation letter and did not need a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.
On August 29, a dispatch worker posted online that their employer reduced their salary by 1000 yuan without prior notice, and, citing a demand from the discipline inspection commission, ordered them to return nine years' worth of physical examination fees and holiday benefits. The employer claimed that dispatch workers should not enjoy such benefits, leaving the individual feeling helpless due to age and employment pressure.
On September 21, official announcements stated that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and the military due to serious violations of discipline and law.
Xishan Senior High School in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, required students to purchase a "smart device kit" priced at 4,280 RMB, with a service life of only three years. Parents questioned why the price far exceeded similar products on the market, believing that the costs of building an "AI campus" were being shifted onto students.
On September 8, a blogger posted a video refuting the argument that a two-day weekend would paralyze the service industry, sparking widespread discussion. The account has since been banned from publishing new content.
Hongtu Middle School in Datian County, Fujian Province, required students from the third grade of primary school to senior high school grade 3 to participate in social practice training every semester, charging a fee of 288 yuan. Taking leave was prohibited in principle; those needing leave had to go through layered approval by the head teacher, grade leader, and principal, which sparked dissatisfaction among parents.
On September 21, it was circulated online that the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes distributed by Huawei's Intelligent Vehicle Solution BU had expired, causing multiple employees to experience symptoms such as diarrhea and allergies after consumption. Huawei created an internal shared Excel sheet specifically to track the physical reactions of employees who ate the mooncakes.
To pass Walmart's social responsibility audit, Guangxi Wuzhou Tianmijia Bee Industry required employees to memorize false statements to cover up long-term mandatory overtime without days off, wage withholding, illegal employment practices, and lack of fire safety facilities, while also carrying out hasty temporary renovations to cope with the inspection.
Recently, after a netizen commented "I heard it's a mild stroke" under a popular science video about geriatric diseases, their account was restricted from commenting and sending danmaku, and all comments in the related video's comment section were wiped out.
On September 20, the Yibin Sanjiang Public Security Bureau announced that a 33-year-old man surnamed Lin was administratively detained and fined for fabricating and spreading a rumor online that an employee at the Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) Yibin base was forbidden by a shift supervisor from using the restroom. Previously, on September 10, REPT BATTERO had clarified that the employee had lost emotional control due to a resignation dispute, and the claim about restricted restroom access was untrue.
On September 20, villagers in Shangliangkeng Village, Dapo Town, Gaozhou, Maoming, Guangdong, clashed with relevant personnel while trying to stop their crops from being forcibly cleared, resulting in one death and three injuries. On September 21, a large number of villagers went to the gate of the Dapo Town government to hang banners for rights defense, with a large number of law enforcement personnel maintaining order at the scene.
On September 20, a fire broke out at the factory of Xibulang Textile Company in Xibu District, Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. As of September 21, the accident has resulted in 8 deaths and 1 injury, and emergency response operations are still underway.
On September 20, at the Jinan Talent Introduction Conference in Shandong, multiple recruitment booths were left unstaffed, and paper resumes submitted by job seekers were piled up in heaps on the desks, sparking mockery and concern among netizens regarding the employment situation.
On September 20, the UK government announced the establishment of a national "Combat Misogyny" working group, chaired by the Minister for Women and Equalities, focusing on preventing misogynistic attitudes online, in the workplace, and in communities. The government is also investing 26 million pounds in healthy relationships education in schools and targeted interventions for children, as part of a policy to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
On September 16, a netizen posted a video on Bilibili interviewing local security guards and cleaners, revealing that their daily wage was only 55 to 64 yuan, and used supermarket purchasing power to satirize the low human rights advantage of cheap labor in China, triggering discussion among netizens.
Data from the General Administration of Customs of China shows that China's exports of rare earth magnets to the U.S. in August fell 21% from July to 512 tons. Ahead of a meeting between Trump and Xi, outside analysts suggest the Chinese side may use the expansion of rare earth exports as a negotiating chip. In addition, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held a meeting on trade and artificial intelligence issues, and both sides agreed to further consultations.
On September 18, the Commission for Discipline Inspection of Chenzhou, Hunan, announced that Hu Qiming, former chairman of Zigong Cemented Carbide Co., Ltd., is suspected of serious disciplinary violations and illegal acts, and is currently undergoing review and investigation. The next day, online rumors circulated that he was suspected of smuggling waste tungsten alloy to Western military enterprises and accepting bribes, with four people reportedly arrested so far; however, these rumors have not yet been officially confirmed.
In a conversation, Morgan Stanley's Chief Economist for China, Xing Ziqiang, pointed out that China's social security expenditure accounts for only about 8% of GDP, far below the OECD average of 25% and the levels of developing countries with similar per capita GDP, and also mentioned group disparities in the enjoyment of public services.
The National Day holiday shift makeup policy on September 20 sparked public dissatisfaction, with numerous posts on social media platforms like Xiaoshongshu (RedNote) opposing the shift adjustments. Netizens expressed their discontent and proposed forms of retaliation such as slack off and reducing large purchases.
In the early morning of September 20, about 1,000 representatives of primary, middle, and university flag-raising teams from Hong Kong and Macao who came to Beijing to participate in the "Salute to the National Flag" event watched the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square and sang "Ode to the Motherland" together as they left.
An undercover investigation by Hebei Television found that the Xianyu platform harbors a pornographic traffic-routing industrial chain disguised as photoshoot appointments and fitness. Customer service claimed they could provide services involving minors as young as 14, using high prices and fake medical certifications as bait to route users to private domains for transactions.
On September 21, multiple workers gathered to defend their rights at the Shenzhen JD.com headquarters project. Workers stated that the construction party and general contractor, Shanghai Baoye, unilaterally canceled their access cards and demanded they leave the site before settling payments. Consequently, the workers protested at the project department's entrance, demanding the resolution of unpaid wages and related payment issues.
On September 19, population expert Huang Wenzheng published an article refuting National Health Commission Director Lei Haichao's statement that the labor force is sufficient. He pointed out that 8-million annual births cannot sustain long-term scale and warned of a demographic collapse in 20 years without substantial improvements in fertility support. The article was subsequently deleted.
An employee submission from Shanghai Gree Auto exposes that the company has a severe excessive overtime issue, and project site managers subject employees to verbal insults and sexual harassment.
Universities such as Sichuan University and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics have stipulated that consumer-related bad habits such as smoking, alcoholism, and internet addiction will be listed as grounds for canceling tuition waiver eligibility. This regulation has re-attracted online attention due to the recent controversy over relief eligibility triggered by a girl from a low-income family in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, who traveled to Hong Kong to attend a concert.
A domestic blogger posted a video criticizing the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday arrangement, pointing out that only one day is a newly added holiday while the other two days are already the weekend. The blogger also expressed dissatisfaction with the exclamation mark used in official propaganda stating 'Three-day holiday, no work schedule adjustment!', arguing that it attempts to create a fake sense of welfare.
On Sep 18, netizens exposed chat logs showing a physics teacher at Dafang No. 2 Middle School in Bijie, Guizhou, sexually harassing a female student. The victim continued to be harassed after explicitly refusing, and has now reported the incident to the police. On Sep 19, the local police station, education bureau, and discipline inspection commission confirmed they have intervened in the investigation. The school stated that the teacher involved has been removed from his post.
On September 19, residents in Warsaw, Poland held a rally outside the Chinese Embassy to show solidarity with "Wangwang", protesting animal abuse, displaying banners, photos, and commemorative items at the scene, and calling on China to strengthen animal protection.
Xinyi People's Hospital in Maoming, Guangdong Province, was exposed for tying interns' blood donation to a two-day holiday. After relevant complaints were posted online, the head of the hospital's education department demanded in a work group that school team leaders investigate the student who posted it, threatening that if they did not come forward voluntarily, the school would be contacted directly.
In January 2024, Shanghai entrepreneur Zheng Shuai was taken away by Shaoyang County police because his company developed VPN software. Citing financial difficulties, the police demanded 100 million yuan to "buy freedom." Although Zheng paid the money, he was still arrested. Currently, at least 64.8 million yuan has been credited to the Shaoyang County treasury. The case involves prolonged detention beyond statutory limits without a verdict, and the implicated Public Security Bureau Director Yin Xiangfeng and others were removed from office in July 2025.
On September 20, a medical dispute occurred at the Wuhan Jiangxia District First People's Hospital, where family members of a patient blocked the hospital from transferring a body and clashed with security personnel. The hospital stated that the patient's body had remained in the ICU for over 10 hours and was handled in accordance with regulations. A hospital announcement showed that the patient, surnamed Wu, died on the 19th after resuscitation efforts failed.
The Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting, officially determining that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee will be held in Beijing from October 26 to 29, and submitted the decision on exercising full and strict governance over the Party for deliberation.
Xinhua News Agency officially released a press release on September 21 at Beijing time, confirming that Chinese top leader Xi Jinping will pay a two-day state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. Previously, Xi Jinping had not made a public appearance for seven consecutive days.
After experiencing health risks, Xi Jinping returned to the public eye on September 21 following his illness and immediately chaired a Politburo Standing Committee meeting. The meeting set the tone for comprehensive vetting and cracking down on potential dissidents and opposition forces within the party through ideological struggle and political line purges, aiming to prevent political turmoil triggered by sudden health crises.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Trade Representative Katherine Tai held a day of talks with a delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, paving the way for an upcoming summit between the leaders of the US and China.
The Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting ahead of schedule to completely expel Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Party and the military, and transfer them to military procuratorial organs for review and prosecution.
U.S. Congress bipartisan lawmakers introduce a resolution, urging the Trump administration to prioritize the immediate unconditional release of Uyghur doctor Guli Xian Abbas, who has been forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government for eight years.
The Chinese Communist Party announced that the Fifth Plenum of the Central Committee will be convened at the end of October, personally chaired by Xi Jinping, with the agenda to study major issues concerning the persistent advancement of comprehensive strict Party governance.
He Lifeng first went to the United States to negotiate with US Treasury Secretary Bessent; the talks are expected to continue until September 23, and Xi Jinping will depart for the United States thereafter.
In September 2026, during Xi Jinping's visit to the US, Flushing Main Street in New York witnessed simultaneous protests by Chinese pro-democracy groups and a Mid-Autumn Festival parade by a hometown association, leading to fierce disputes between the two sides over political differences. Protesters called for democracy, freedom, and the release of prisoners of conscience. Event organizer Ji Lijian stated he had previously received death threats and attended wearing a bulletproof vest. Toward the end of the parade, a physical altercation occurred when a placard was snatched, and the man involved was subsequently arrested by the New York police.
Bessent stated on CNBC on September 21 that China's financial regulatory authorities have contacted the United States regarding the enforcement of Iran sanctions across aviation, maritime shipping, cryptocurrency, and gold sectors.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in New York late on September 21 and held talks with US President Trump on September 22. The discussions focused on emphasizing $550 hours in US investments and job creation in the US to offset pressure to increase funding for US forces in Japan.
The collected works “Beautiful China English Edition” by Chinese legal scholar and founder of the New Citizens Movement, Xu Zhiyong, was released on September 21 at George Washington University Law School.
The video claims that local staff of the CCP embassy in Washington mobilized Little Pinks, international students, and pro‑China Chinese‑Americans to organize a team in preparation for Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States.
Opponents from California, Texas, New York and other places have gathered in Washington, preparing to protest Xi Jinping's visit to the United States.