China is celebrating its National Day Holiday this week. This week-long holiday, also known as the Golden Week, is a popular time for trips, travel, and sightseeing.

On Chinese social media, it has become somewhat of a tradition to post about just how busy it is at China’s various sightseeing spots. This is often done using hashtags like “人人人人[place]人人人人” or “人人人人[me]人人人人.”

The character 人 (rén) means person or human; “人人” (rénrén) means “everyone,” and the more “人人人” (rén rén rén) are used, the more it playfully emphasizes the crowds of people.

On October 2, the hashtag “人人人人景点人人人人” was top trending, rén rén rén rén jǐngdiǎn rén rén rén rén, which basically means “people, people, people everywhere at the tourist spots, and more people.”

One such crowded place is Suzhou (苏州), where its ancient Shantang Street in the heart of the old town is packed with tourists this week ( #人人人人人苏州人人人人人#).

Crowds in Suzhou, photos posted on Weibo by @数码王小机

Other places like Chongqing, Xi’an, and Hangzhou also saw vast crowds during the various celebratory events and performances organized in these cities.

People also posted photos of the situation in places like the Guangzhou Zoo on October 2nd, or at the Beijing Great Wall, or at the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

Crowds in Luoyang, images by @李旭的散装生物学

Besides the Great Wall in Beijing, other places in the Chinese capital are also seeing large crowds this week, such as Tiananmen, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Lama Temple, and Nanluoguxiang.

Beijing crowds via @秒观视频

Beijing crowds via @秒观视频

Although China’s domestic spots are drawing massive crowds, China Daily reports that international travel has become more popular again during this year’s week-long National Day holiday, with bookings for international flights doubling compared to the same period last year.

According to the travel platform Qunar, there is increasing demand for new and more niche destinations, including countries in Africa. However, the most popular international destinations remain closer to home, such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Osaka.

Also read: China’s National Holiday Crowds: Even the Desert’s Camels Are Stuck in Traffic

By Manya Koetse
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Featured image on top: Guangzhou South Station during National Holiday, by @爱打板的乐哥

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It has already become one of China’s most famous paddles. The original paddle used by the popular Chinese table tennis player and Paris 2024 medal favorite Wang Chuqin (王楚钦) became one of the most discussed topics on the Chinese social media platform Weibo over the past 48 hours after it was stepped on and broken by a photographer at the Olympic venue.

Wang Chuqin is particularly loved on Weibo, where many fans also refer to him as “Big Head” (大头), a nickname his coach once gave him that stuck. When playing with Sun Yingsha (孙颖莎), the powerful duo is also referred to as the “Sha-tou Combination” (莎头组合) on social media.

The incident happened right after Wang Chuqin and Sun Yunsha, the powerful ‘Sha-tou’ duo, won gold in the table tennis mixed doubles final against the North Korean duo Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong. (A hashtag related to that match, by the way, received a staggering 960 million views on Weibo).

As the champions bowed to the fans and held up the Chinese flag to celebrate their win, Wang had his paddle on the side where a photographer stepped on it.

One video captured by an audience member showed Wang’s reaction upon finding out his racket was damaged. His coach tried to hold him back when he angrily confronted the Olympic venue staff for letting the photographers get all over his belongings.

The incident led to online anger. People felt for Wang, and worried about the impact the incident may or would have on his upcoming performances. Those blaming the athlete for leaving his paddle on the sideline of the Olympic table tennis court were rebuked by others. One comment by a popular Weibo blogger (@Do医生) said:

“I’m surprised to see some people blaming Wang Chuqin for leaving his paddle lying around. The paddle was not broken while lying on the ground—it was inside his luggage when it got stepped on and broken. The higher the level of competition, the greater the impact of differences in paddle feel. The team surely prepared a backup paddle, and we ofcourse hope Wang Chuqin can perform well with it and not be affected by this incident. However, you should not be confused about the photographer’s carelessness in stepping on the paddle, and you certainly shouldn’t turn things around and blame the athlete.

Others agreed, saying an athlete has every right to leave their belongings in the resting area beside the court, and that anyone stepping on these items was unnecessarily careless.

 
Who Broke the Champion’s Bat?
 

On Wednesday, one Weibo blogger posted a zoomed-in photo showing Wang’s paddle in his suitcase on the sidelines of the Olympic venue, saying: “There’s a footprint on Wang Chuqin’s paddle.”

Who broke Wang Chuqin’s paddle? Angered fans who wanted to get to the bottom of the story started to replay videos showing the aftermath of the video and closely examined which photographer must have stepped on the racket. Some people suggested it must have been intentional.

They concluded it must have been the photographer with the number 3488 on his back, as he could be seen crouching down in one of the videos, seemingly rearranging some items on the floor about where the suitcase allegedly was, before stepping away.

A related hashtag, namely “Video Replay of the Incident Where Wang Chuqin’s Paddle Was Stepped On and Broken” (#视频回放王楚钦球拍被踩断始末#), received over 370 million views on Weibo.

Many wondered: “Why is he not held accountable?” Others demanded ‘3488’ to step forward and apologize.

 
Blaming the Backup Paddle
 

The day after the broken paddle incident, the original racket and its replacement remained a topic of discussion. During the July 31st Wang Chuqin vs. Truls Möregårdh singles match, many viewers noted that Wang seemed nervous. “Was it because he did not have his original paddle,” many wondered.

Table tennis holds a special significance and extra weight for China during the Olympics. Although it’s originally an imported sport, it became one of the most popular sports in China – ChatGPT even calls it China’s “national sport” – and it is also among the sports that seem to get the most attention on Weibo, where the 24-year-old Wang Chuqin is among the most celebrated Olympic athletes.

In the end, however, Wang was unable to beat his Swedish competitor. Disappointed fans attributed his loss to the fact that he did not have his own lucky paddle.

After the match, Wang denied that using his backup paddle had anything to do with his loss. He did admit that the incident had affected him, but he blamed himself for making too many mistakes.

But many fans and commenters will not let the issue go. They suggest that the paddle was damaged on purpose, especially because nobody has stepped forward to take responsibility.

The incident in pictures, as posted by @唐哲同学.

Some Weibo users also tried to see what happened when they stepped on their own rackets. One person (@冬酿糯米糍) demonstrated what happened when she jumped on a cheap racket she had purchased – not much. “I really don’t believe it was not deliberate,” she said about the Wang Chuqin incident. “My friends also tried this out. It’s really difficult to break a racket by accidentally stepping on it.”

The only paddle more famous than the broken one is the backup one. Discussions on to what extent the replacement paddle has affected the outcome of the game are ongoing.

By now, the Weibo hashtag “Wang Chuqin’s Backup Paddle” (#王楚钦副拍#) has received over 340 million views on Weibo.

Update: On August 1st, Chinese media reported that the incident is currently being investigated (#王楚钦球拍被踩事件正在调查#).

Update, August 9: As this incident gradually fades into the background, the IOC has stated that there will be no new investigation into the matter. Disappointed fans of Wang are still demanding answers.

By Manya Koetse

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