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China Local News

Welcome to China’s Warmest Library

Hangzhou Library is not only China’s ‘warmest’ library, it is also the most open library of Mainland China. The library is not only frequented by students and bookworms; to many vagrants, it is their second home.

Manya Koetse

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Trending on Sina Weibo this week is the library of Hangzhou and its homeless visitors (流浪汉泡图书馆). The New Library of Hangzhou is China’s first free-of-charge and “zero barrier” library, meaning that all visitors, including vagrants and beggars, are welcome. The library only upholds one rule: visitors have to wash their hands to keep the books clean.

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Earlier this week, Chinese newspaper The Mirror (法制晚报) published an article and picture series of Hangzhou’s homeless people frequenting the library of Hangzhou. The topic became popular amongst netizens who sympathize with the open environment of Hangzhou Library. Vice director Chang Liangliang says that a lot of homeless visitors are already waiting by the library gates when it opens at eight o’clock in the morning. They often stay in the library until closing time. Their homeless status is visible through their ragged clothing and large bags. Another special rule in the library: luggage is allowed in. For most of these people, the library is both their home and their window to the world. In the library they cannot only read books, they can also watch movies, listen to music, and browse the Internet.

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The 76-year-old homeless Zhang Jie goes to the Hangzhou Library 2-3 times a week. Although his clothes are unclean, he makes sure he washes his hands before touching the books so that he does not stain them. He has an injured hip. To save medical costs, he looks up ways to cure himself.

The New Hangzhou Library is one of the largest public libraries in China, attracting over three million visitors per year. The library is praised online as the “warmest library in China’s history”. The library is 43,680 square meters, offers 2,200 seats and 2 million volumes of book storage. Over 6000 people visit the library on a daily basis.
About 40,000 square meters of the new library, which is 90% of the total area, is open to the public, making it the most ‘open’ library in the country.

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Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Tsingtao Brewery ‘Pee-Gate’: Factory Worker Caught Urinating in Raw Material Warehouse

The pee incident, that occurred at a subsidiary Tsingtao Beer factory, has caused concerns among consumers.

Manya Koetse

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A video that has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19 shows how an alleged worker at a Tsingtao Beer factory climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate.

The incident reportedly occurred at the Tsingtao Beer Factory No. 3, a subsidiary of the Tsingtao Brewing Company, located in Qingdao, Shandong.

After the video went viral, the Tsingtao Brewery Company issued a statement that they took the incident very seriously and immediately report it to the authorities, who have started an investigation into the case. Meanwhile, the specific batch in production has been halted and shut off.

The incident has caused concern among consumers, and some commenters on social media wonder if this was the first time something like this has happened. “How do we know this hasn’t happened many times before?”

Others speculate about what might have motivated the man to urinate at the production site. There are those who believe that the man is part of an undercover operation orchestrated by a rivaling company, aimed at discrediting Tsingtao. It’s even suggested that there were two ‘moles’ leaking in this incident: one doing the urinating, and the other doing the video ‘leak.’

Meanwhile, there are voices who are critical of Tsingtao, suggesting that the renowned beer brand has not effectively addressed the ‘pee gate’ scandal. It remains uncertain how this incident will impact the brand, but some netizens are already expressing reservations about ordering a Tsingtao beer as a result.

But there are also those who joke about the “pissing incident,” wondering if Tsingtao Beer might soon launch a special “urine flavored beer.”

By Manya Koetse

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Featured photo by Jay Ang (link).

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Local News

Streamed Without Realizing: Chinese Village Cadres Suspended after Sex Scene Video Leaks Online

“Village cadres are so hard-working. Besides conducting conferences, they also do live-streaming!”

Manya Koetse

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Two cadres working in Weicheng District in Shandong Province were suspended this week after an “inappropriate video” that showed them engaging in sexual acts started circulating on Chinese social media.

The two got a bit too cozy together in a meeting room, and the moment allegedly was unknowingly caught on camera after a secretary did not turn the camera off after a video conference.

On October 6, Phoenix News (@凤凰网) reported that the subdistrict office in question denied that such an incident took place in their jurisdiction.

The local Discipline Inspection Commission, however, confirmed that the incident did take place and that the case was under investigation, although they would not confirm which positions the two cadres held. Online, it was claimed that they are a thirty-something male secretary in and a fifty-something female director.

Some Chinese media sources noted that the video in question seems to have been recorded from a security camera system screen, raising questions about whether the two had forgotten about the security cameras, or if they actually forgot to turn off a conference call camera, or if the incident was captured by both the security cameras and the webcam.

On Weibo and other Chinese social media, the incident has caused some banter among netizens.

“At least our Party comrades are now addressing their needs internally without causing harm to society – that could be considered a form of progress,” one popular comment said.

“It’s not bad, it’s just bad that they forgot to turn the webcam off,” others replied.

“Ah, so this is officially what officials do?” others wondered.

“Village cadres are so hard-working. Besides conducting conferences, they also do livestreaming!”

By now, it’s been confirmed by a staff member at the Wangliu St. Office in Weifang that the two individuals involved, both village cadres, have been suspended. They are currently under investigation by the Disciplinary Inspection Committee. By early Saturday, a related hashtag had garnered over 200 million views on Weibo (#两干部流出不雅视频被停职#).

By Manya Koetse

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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