China Insight
“This is Swedish Police!” – Sweden under Fire in China for “Brutal Abuse” of Chinese Tourists
Swedish police drag Chinese tourists out of hotel – some call them thugs, but others say it is the Chinese who were misbehaving.
China Insight
Blame Games & Bad Signs: Nepal–Tibet Floods, Huawei’s Toilet Trouble, “Screwed” Graduates
How the Nepal–Tibet floods are being discussed on Chinese social media. From solidarity and sadness over Gyirong to censorship and anger at Taiwanese, Indian, and Western media.
In this edition:
- Teachers get shamed for their students’ bad grades
- Why the Nepal–Tibet floods sparked arguments about blame, BBC reporting, and Chinese censorship
- Huawei doesn’t appreciate viral toilet humor
- Dads are carrying mattresses into Peking University
- Chinese graduates are getting “screwed” by a million-dollar company
🗞️ QUICK SCROLLS
🧑🏫 A teacher “shame photo” taken at a local education meeting in Liangshan, Sichuan, has sparked nationwide outrage. A group of primary school teachers was forced to pose in front of a giant “SHAME” sign because their classes’ average final exam scores were below 30. “This isn’t merely ‘shame’—it’s outright public humiliation,” one commenter wrote. Liangshan’s education bureau confirmed the photo was real and said it was “puzzled” by the practice; the Leibo County government has apologized and launched an investigation.
Teachers lined up in front of a big screen that says: “Group photo of primary-school teachers whose classes averaged below 30 points in the 2025–2026 end-of-year examinations”
🥬 “Chemical cabbages” (药水白菜) or “formaldehyde cabbages” (甲醛白菜) have been a major topic on Chinese social media after a Chinese investigative vlogger captured workers in Kangbao, Hebei, dipping cabbages into formaldehyde solution before loading them onto trucks. This procedure, which allegedly adds 2–3 extra days of shelf life, is illegal: formaldehyde is a Group 1 carcinogen.
🍫 It’s been a bad week for Mars-owned chocolate brand Dove. A marketing campaign suggesting that a girl received a box of chocolates from a man she was flirting with while her boyfriend was away (“趁男友不在”) drew anger online. Then the brand’s apology also became a massive failure: when it was flagged as 100% AI-generated, Chinese netizens had little sympathy left for the brand.
💸 A “century-old” shark fin soup served by a Shanghai restaurant for no less than 4,800 yuan (US$715) per bowl (!) has gone viral for its exorbitant price and claims that it has been “simmering for more than 100 years,” since the late Qing dynasty. There was plenty of skepticism about the soup, but also disbelief that anyone would spend an ordinary person’s entire monthly living budget on a single bowl of soup.
👩💻 An eighth-grader from Shanghai earned 18,000 yuan (US$2,678) in three days using AI. Despite her limited programming experience, the 13-year-old placed third in a marketing hackathon, where teams had 48 hours to develop and market an entire AI product. She launched a study-companion app called “Being There” (在场) that 92 people bought. Although Chinese media praised her, commenters were critical, suggesting she received help from her mother, an influencer on Douyin.
💍 In an aging society where marriage rates have AGAIN dropped, more and more places are making it easier than ever to tie the knot. Registration services are popping up in…
Chapter Dive
The Power of Ugly: Why Niu Lai Became China’s Unlikeliest Box-Office Hit
How the two-person animated film Niu Lai turned its “ugly” visuals, dreamcore nostalgia, and remarkable cinema journey into a nationwide participatory meme.
-
China Arts & Entertainment11 months agoThe Wong Kar-wai Scandal Explained: The Dark Side of ‘Blossoms Shanghai’
-
Chinese New Year7 months agoInside Chunwan 2026: China’s Spring Festival Gala
-
China World12 months agoFrom Schadenfreude to Sympathy: Chinese Online Reactions to Charlie Kirk Shooting
-
China Brands, Marketing & Consumers10 months agoHasan Piker’s China Trip & the Unexpected Journey of a Chinese School Uniform to Angola
Joachim Plahn-Andersson
September 16, 2018 at 3:52 pm
wow…china,the rest of the world is laughing at you….
Eric
September 16, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Really funny bro, I am laughing at how Donald Trump is manhandling the EU with a leash around its neck like a good little doggy.
youstinkofwhitepoop
September 17, 2018 at 12:55 am
why would they go to a Europe anyway if they cant even speak the local language? he can barely speak English let alone Swedish. if you’re gonna go, then you make sure you have a local Swedish guide to meet you there or you go as part of a tour group for safety. you don’t just show up with two old folks if you can’t speak the local language, you’re asking for trouble.
World Traveler
September 17, 2018 at 1:27 pm
> why would they go to a Europe anyway if they cant even speak the local language?
Please tell us, how many tourists going to Africa can speak the local Swahili language?
What’s the percentage of tourists traveling in Japan are fluent in the Japanese language?
Has there been a law requiring all tourists to India to speak and write in Hindi?
Please answer. Thanks !
Ingrid Lindquist
September 17, 2018 at 7:55 am
The place Skogskyrkogården is a metrostation 9 minutes drive from the center of Stockholm. They did not walk into the very beautiful cemetary close to the metro.
It would have been better if the chinese tourists communicated with the police instead of rolling around on the ground yelling. You can see how puzzled the police are. Another solution is that Chinese Embassy could set up a telephone service line to contact so the police could drive them there if the tourists want so. For chinese tourist acting normal there is no problem but if you travel alone you must be able to communicate if you cant its better to travel in a group.
Zoe
September 17, 2018 at 8:03 am
This article acts as though social media accounts are reputable sources…. They’re not. Most of this is just hear say
admin
September 19, 2018 at 5:51 am
What’s on Weibo reports on Chinese social media trends and news media. We clearly state where we used what sources.
Matin Smith
September 17, 2018 at 7:13 pm
ugly chinese every where, they are obnoxious, dirty and greedy people
A.Person
September 18, 2018 at 4:44 am
Martin Smith what a sad and ignorant racist you are. I pity you.
Jerry
September 27, 2018 at 2:45 am
Please don’t make personal attacks. There are many police will help you in English, if you make trouble in China. So if the police can ask politely and gently, maybe it won’t be happened. （Advice from Chinese.）
Michael
September 19, 2018 at 5:14 am
I would recommend updating this piece. As another commenter mentioned, a lot of hearsay seems to have been taken for fact. For some better reportage and details, I recommend http://inbeijing.se/bulletin/2018/09/17/all-the-details-you-need-on-the-chinese-tourists-who-were-brutality-handled-by-swedish-police/, which actually links to this piece. That article contains a lot of information, and video, that would be helpful in updating this article.
admin
September 19, 2018 at 5:54 am
We’ve updated briefly; since we first published this piece on Sunday, the case has now been widely covered in international media with the latest developments. Thanks for the link.
NB
September 19, 2018 at 4:34 pm
you mistranslated the swe embassy statement…
Info@whatsonweibo.com
September 20, 2018 at 4:43 am
Please refresh the page. The translation has been changed on Wednesday, but the browser will cache the website. If you refresh the latest version appears. Regards, admin
Mauricio
September 22, 2018 at 12:05 am
China is helping Maduro in Venezuela. I think that’s worse.
Clive
September 24, 2018 at 8:35 am
What does abuse of Chinese civilians have to do with the Chinese government’s relation with Venezuela?
Alex
October 2, 2018 at 5:54 am
Yup. You guys were brutalized. Not being total assholes like you normally are. Please stay home.