China and Covid19
Foxconn Protests 2.0: Riots at Zhengzhou’s Foxconn Factory as New Workers Enter and Old Problems Remain
Fed up with Foxconn, employees vented their frustrations and started a riot at the Zhengzhou factory campus.
There is trouble in Foxconn, again. Dealing with a Covid outbreak, anti-epidemic guidelines, a loss of employees, and the pressure to deliver at a time of peak production demand, the anger, panic, and frustrations have been mounting inside the Foxconn premises.
In late October, Foxconn (富士康), the world’s largest technology manufacturer and Apple supplier, already made headlines after its factory in Zhengzhou, Henan, was hit by a Covid outbreak that was grossly mismanaged. The Foxconn complex in Zhengzhou, where half of the world’s iPhones are made, employs approximately 300,000 people. Factory workers live at the Foxconn dormitories and usually eat inside the campus, but as living conditions worsened amid the wave of Covid cases, employees started fleeing the Foxconn ‘factory city,’ starting their long journey home on foot, walking on highways and fields across the Central Plains while carrying their blankets, bags, and other personal belongings.
Foxconn employees leaving the bad situation at the factory campus and going home by foot in late October of 2022.
After the big walk-out, the company dealt with a staff shortage so local government staff teams were called in, allegedly to get into the factory and help with the recruitment of new employees. But as they faced challenges in meeting their targets and attracting enough new workers and did not meet their targets, frustrations at the factory site were allegedly building up due to the increased pressure on the employees who had to continue working while Covid cases were still popping up.
Videos circulating on social media show riots and unrest at Zhengzhou Foxconn, where workers are fed up working during a mismanaged Covid outbreak and feel cheated by the company. As the topic is restricted on Weibo, some wonder if they were shooting a movie there.. pic.twitter.com/CCPI3y2ICR
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) November 23, 2022
As rumors grew strong on Chinese social media about something happening at Foxconn in Zhengzhou in the early morning of 23 November, the majority of posts related to the issue are: “What happened?” and “Can anybody send me a private message on what happened?” “Is it true that they are filming a movie at Foxconn or is something else going on?” Due to censorship, many people did not understand the exact circumstances surrounding some of the videos that circulated online.
Censorship and self-censorship makes it hard to find out exactly what's going on. When one commenter asked what is happening here, the other replied: "They're watching the World Cup, cheering on the Japanese team" ("看世界杯，给小日本加油呢.") pic.twitter.com/p15XaI9aVC
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) November 23, 2022
Meanwhile, posts circulating on WeChat and Douyin suggested that riots had erupted at Foxconn. Photos and videos making their rounds showed explosive and violent scenes involving police riot teams and people in full hazmat suits. The unrest continued during the day on Wednesday.
One post published by an anonymous Henan-based Douyin user explained:
“Let me tell you what happened at Foxconn today. Foxconn has recruited people from all over the country to come work in Zhengzhou Foxconn under generous conditions. Now in total more than 100,000 people have been recruited to come work at Zhengzhou Foxconn. They came over and were quarantined in the cities near Zhengzhou to isolate and quarantine for four days while getting paid.”
“But the problem now is that the first batch of people who have isolated have arrived at the Foxconn campus as new workers. Foxconn originally promised that new workers and original workers would live separately, but in reality they all live in the dorm buildings; and the old employees haven’t done nucleic acid testing for 7-8 days, which means that there are positive Covid cases living and working together with new employees. This caused panic among the new workers, who feel cheated. That was the first deception.”
“The second deception is that tonight everybody received a new contract from Foxconn, regardless if they were new employees who had already entered the Foxconn campus or employees who were still in quarantine, and the contract was totally different from the one issued by Foxconn at the time of recruitment.”
“Everyone felt that Foxconn has deceived from the start and tricked them, which led to the outburst of riots today. Up to now, the Zhengzhou government has not given any response and we do not know how this will develop.”
It is suggested in other videos that the problems at Foxconn had been building up for much longer now and that there have been smaller altercations and incidents in the days leading up to the outburst of protests on Wednesday.
Some news sources confirm that Foxconn workers stated to reporters that the company introduced new factory subsidy policies that were not in line with what they were promised at the time of recruitment.
Because this is the second big wave of unrest at Foxconn Zhengzhou this fall, allegedly mainly led by the new workers, the protest is also referred to as the “Foxconn Workers Movement 2.0” (富士康2.0工人运动) by some on social media.
“We are not asking for anything, just regular nucleic acid testing and food delivery would do,” one female said in a video that circulated on Kuaishou, another popular Chinese social video app.
“Foxconn is trash, they’re garbage, they’ve used military force to suppress the workers, many staff members got injured, and the Zhengzhou government is colluding with them in bullying ordinary workers,” one Weibo commenter wrote.
Two men look defeated at the Foxconn site, the hazmat suits in the back lined up like a brick wall.
“I feel so sorry for the workers.”
There are also those on Weibo who are drawing comparisons between protests at Foxconn and the Hong Kong riots: “I find it odd that once riots broke out in Hong Kong, everyone unanimously sided with the police and cheered on as they beat the ‘cockroaches,’ and now that riots are breaking out in Foxconn, people don’t even take the time to know the cause and effects before already blaming the police and the government.”
“We should support mainland China police in the same way we supported the Hong Kong police force,” others wrote.
Meanwhile, a clear majority of the people speak out in support of the Foxconn workers. They post old propaganda posters that emphasize how the Chinese working class will lead the revolution, and recommend other Weibo users to read Karl Marx. “Is the working class still leading?” they ask.
Noteworthy enough, one somewhat popular post on Weibo pointed out that the online censorship of the Foxconn protests had not been that bad as many videos and images surrounding the event were still circulating online. “That’s rare these days,” they wrote. Ironically, the image they posted with their text was censored.
It is now frequently pointed out that Zhengzhou is ruining its reputation. Although the entire country cheered for the city at the time of the floods in 2021, local authorities have been increasingly criticized since the duped depositors came to protest in the city and saw their health codes turn red. People also condemn Zhengzhou’s handling of the epidemic. Earlier this week, a local community went viral for warning outsiders that they would ‘be killed on the spot’ if they would enter; last week, a local initiative to launch extra expensive, extra fast ‘VIP services’ for nucleic acid testing was also met with disapproval.
“I feel so distressed about this,” one Weibo commenter replied to the Foxconn situation: “It’s time to wake up!”
“What’s the first sentence of the national anthem?” one blogger wrote: “Stand up, those who refuse to be slaves!”
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By Manya Koetse , with contributions by Miranda Barnes
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China and Covid19
Repurposing China’s Abandoned Nucleic Acid Booths: 10 Innovative Transformations
Abandoned nucleic acid booths are getting a second life through these new initiatives.
Just months ago, nucleic acid testing booths were the most lively spots of some Chinese cities. During the 2022 Shanghai summer, for example, there were massive queues in front of the city’s nucleic acid booths, as people needed a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours for accessing public transport, going to work, or visiting markets and malls.
The word ‘hésuān tíng‘ (核酸亭), nucleic acid booth (also：核酸采样小屋), became a part of China’s pandemic lexicon, just like hésuān dìtú (核酸地图), the nucleic acid test map lauched in May 2022 that would show where you can get a nucleic test.
Example of nucleic acid test map.
During Halloween parties in Shanghai in 2022, some people even came dressed up as nucleic test booths – although local authorities could not appreciate the creative costume.
Halloween 2022: dressed up as nucliec acid booths. Via @manyapan twitter.
In December 2022, along with the announced changed rules in China’s ‘zero Covid’ approach, nucleic acid booths were suddenly left dismantled and empty.
With many cities spending millions to set up these booths in central locations, the question soon arose: what should they do with the abandoned booths?
This question also relates to who actually owns them, since the ownership is mixed. Some booths were purchased by authorities, others were bought by companies, and there are also local communities owning their own testing booths. Depending on the contracts and legal implications, not all booths are able to get a new function or be removed yet (Worker’s Daily).
In Tianjin, a total of 266 nucleic acid booths located in Jinghai District were listed for public acquisition earlier this month, and they were acquired for 4.78 million yuan (US$683.300) by a local food and beverage company which will transform the booths into convenience service points, selling snacks or providing other services.
Tianjin is not the only city where old nucleic acid testing booths are being repurposed. While some booths have been discarded, some companies and/or local governments – in cooperation with local communities – have demonstrated creativity by transforming the booths into new landmarks. Since the start of 2023, different cities and districts across China have already begun to repurpose testing booths. Here, we will explore ten different way in which China’s abandoned nucleic test booths get a second chance at a meaningful existence.
1: Pharmacy/Medical Booths
Via ‘copyquan’ republished on Sohu.
Blogger ‘copyquan’ recently explored various ways in which abandoned PCR testing points are being repurposed.
One way in which they are used is as small pharmacies or as medical service points for local residents (居民医疗点). Alleviating the strain on hospitals and pharmacies, this was one of the earliest ways in which the booths were repurposed back in December of 2022 and January of 2023.
Chongqing, Tianjin, and Suzhou were among earlier cities where some testing booths were transformed into convenient medical facilities.
2: Market Stalls
In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, the local government transformed vacant nucleic acid booths into market stalls for the Spring Festival in January 2022, offering them free of charge to businesses to sell local products, snacks, and traditional New Year goods.
The idea was not just meant as a way for small businesses to conveniently sell to local residents, it was also meant as a way to attract more shoppers and promote other businesses in the neighborhood.
3: Community Service Center
Small grid community center in Shizhuang Village, image via Sohu.
Some residential areas have transformed their local nucleic acid testing booths into community service centers, offering all kinds of convenient services to neighborhood residents.
These little station are called wǎnggé yìzhàn (网格驿站) or “grid service stations,” and they can serve as small community centers where residents can get various kinds of care and support.
4: “Refuel” Stations
In February of this year, 100 idle nucleic acid sampling booths were transformed into so-called “Rider Refuel Stations” (骑士加油站) in Zhejiang’s Pinghu. Although it initially sounds like a place where delivery riders can fill up their fuel tanks, it is actually meant as a place where they themselves can recharge.
Delivery riders and other outdoor workers can come to the ‘refuel’ station to drink some water or tea, warm their hands, warm up some food and take a quick nap.
5: Free Libraries
image via sohu.
In various Chinese cities, abandoned nucleic acid booths have been transformed into little free libraries where people can grab some books to read, donate or return other books, and sit down for some reading.
Changzhou is one of the places where you’ll find such “drifting bookstores” (漂流书屋) (see video), but similar initiatives have also been launched in other places, including Suzhou.
6: Study Space
Photos via Copyquan’s article on Sohu.
Another innovative way in which old testing points are being repurposed is by turning them into places where students can sit together to study. The so-called “Let’s Study Space” (一间习吧), fully airconditioned, are opened from 8 in the morning until 22:00 at night.
Students – or any citizens who would like a nice place to study – can make online reservations with their ID cards and scan a QR code to enter the study rooms.
There are currently ten study booths in Anji, and the popular project is an initiative by the Anji County Library in Zhejiang (see video).
7: Beer Kiosk
Hoegaarden beer shop, image via Creative Adquan.
Changing an old nucleic acid testing booth into a beer bar is a marketing initiative by the Shanghai McCann ad agency for the Belgium beer brand Hoegaarden.
The idea behind the bar is to celebrate a new spring after the pandemic. The ad agency has revamped a total of six formr nucleic acid booths into small Hoegaarden ‘beer gardens.’
8: Police Box
In Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, authorities have repurposed old testing booths and transformed them into ‘police boxes’ (警务岗亭) to enhance security and improve the visibility of city police among the public.
Currently, a total of eight vacant nucleic acid booths have been renovated into modern police stations, serving as key points for police presence and interaction with the community.
9: Lottery Ticket Booths
Image via The Paper
Some nucleic acid booths have now been turned into small shops selling lottery tickets for the China Welfare Lottery. One such place turning the kiosks into lottery shops is Songjiang in Shanghai.
Using the booths like this is a win-win situation: they are placed in central locations so it is more convenient for locals to get their lottery tickets, and on the other hand, the sales also help the community, as the profits are used for welfare projects, including care for the elderly.
10: Mini Fire Stations
Micro fire stations, images via ZjNews.
Some communities decided that it would be useful to repurpose the testing points and turn them into mini fire kiosks, just allowing enough space for the necessary equipment to quickly respond to fire emergencies.
Want to read more about the end of ‘zero Covid’ in China? Check our other articles here.
By Manya Koetse,
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China and Covid19
The Hottest Place in China: How Zibo Became a Popular Tourist Destination and an Online Hit
There are even special Zibo BBQ trains now. This is how Zibo barbecue suddenly became the hottest meal of the country.
In central Shandong province, bordering the provincial capital Jinan to the west, you will find the city of Zibo (淄博). With its 4.7 million inhabitants, the old industrial and mining city was not exactly known as a trendy tourist destination. But that has all changed now. Everybody is talking about Zibo.
For the upcoming May 1st holiday, hotel bookings in Zibo went up 800% compared to 2019, making it one of the most popular destinations in Shandong. The city has especially attracted online attention since March of 2023, with hashtags and hot searches peaking over the previous week.
How did Zibo become such an online sensation, especially among China’s young travelers? The city’s hit status is widely discussed on Chinese social media apps these days. The emergence of such an overnight sensation is usually the result of various factors coming together at the right time, and this is also the case with the hype surrounding Zibo.
Zibo Barbecue
Its appealing barbecue culture is the first and main reason why Zibo is so hot nowadays. The city has been known for its barbecue restaurants for years, and creating a thriving open-air BBQ entertainment environment is also something the local authorities have invested in. They are publicizing Zibo as an ambassador city for “Friendly Shandong” (“好客山东”), the slogan the province uses to promote its image and boost tourism.
The Zibo BBQ experience includes every table having its own small stove and it has that ‘do it yourself’ factor that hotpot-style dinners also have: when the skewers are served, the diners have to grill them themselves and then wrap them in thin pancakes, usually with spring onions.
Zibo barbecue, images via social media.
As one of its tourism promotion initiatives, Zibo has set up special tourist trains and dedicated BBQ bus routes to attract groups of tourists and boost local tourism after the pandemic years. Train ticket sales for May 1st already doubled that of Spring Festival, and tickets for the Beijing South-Zibo route sold out online within a minute the moment they became available.
A Kind City in Difficult Times
Another reason for Zibo’s sudden fame was suggested by some Chinese netizens (including the popular @地瓜熊老六), who said that Zibo played a special role during China’s zero-Covid policy.
Zibo first went trending after a group of students from Jinan went there in March of this year. They came to Zibo because this was where they apparently were quarantined for a while during Covid, and they were well taken care of during their stay.
According to one Zibo local, the students also celebrated their last night in Zibo at the time with a major BBQ feast.
It is said that the students from Jinan wanted to go back to Zibo at this time and spend time there as a way to thank the city – not knowing they would start a viral sensation.
Power of TikTok
Douyin, the Chinese TikTok app, is also at the heart of Zibo’s recent success.
As reported by 36kr, Zibo first became a hot topic on Douyin in early March, when the videos of the initial groups of students taking the high-speed train to Zibo to eat barbecue went viral.
In April, Zibo again hit the hot trending lists on Douyin after one vlogger tried out ten different food stalls in the city and found that they all gave him the right portions or even gave him some extra food for free, reinforcing the idea that Zibo is a hospitable city.
What followed was a snowball effect, from Douyin to Xiaohongshu to Weibo, with videos showing Zibo diners singing together while eating and having a good time spreading all over social media, only increasing the appeal of the city. “Zibo is just all over my timeline,” some commenters wrote on April 15.
Crazy Travel after Covid
According to the Chinese media platform DT Finance (DT财经), Zibo is a destination that especially resonates with Chinese students who have new wishes when it comes to traveling.
Especially during the pandemic and China’s stringent Covid measures, many people have spent a lot of time indoors, quarantined, locked down, and/or unable to travel. Now that spring is here, people want to seize the moment and go out and enjoy their leisure time. This also means that instead of planning longer holidays well in advance, people book shorter, last-minute trips.
Social media pics of Zibo trips.
This is also one of the reasons why Zibo is especially popular among students from Shandong, who can hop on a train, reach their destination, and find themselves enjoying a beer and barbecue within a matter of hours.
Stories from Zibo
In light of the craze surrounding Zibo, there are various stories emerging from the thriving city that only add to its charm. For example, there are many videos showing the lively scenes around BBQ restaurants which went viral.
One visitor needed to catch his train but still wanted a taste of Zibo BBQ, so one female shop owner hurried things along and made sure he got his Zibo dinner (#淄博老板娘为赶高铁小伙1v1烤串#).
Then there was a 95-year-old veteran who visited the Zibo BBQ scene and his visit also made its rounds on social media (#95岁老兵体验淄博烧烤被围观#).
Another trending hashtag is about Zibo’s music events (#淄博音乐节#), about some of the planned events and (rock) concerts taking place in Zibo in late April and early May. “Zibo’s cultural tourism office really understand how to do it,” various commenters wrote, praising how Zibo is not just known for its barbecue restaurants but also for its lively music scene.
Then there are the videos showing an entire crowd singing ‘happy birthday’ because one person is celebrating their birthday.
All in all, it’s clear that Zibo did something right. Especially in these times when so many cities across China are doing all they can to promote their town as a tourist destination (read all about it here), Zibo has proven that consistency is key to success: stay kind, be reliable, but most of all, keep the barbecue hot.
By Manya Koetse , with contributions by Miranda Barnes
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