Wildlife park slammed for hotel room overlooking tiger enclosure

Authorities in Nantong, Jiangsu province, have ordered a wildlife park to stop construction on a hotel room overlooking a tiger enclosure, citing concerns for tourist safety as well as animal welfare. Last October, the same wildlife park went viral when a red panda entered a hotel room onsite and interacted with a tourist.

Man videoed abusing wife in front of 2-year-old daughter

A video of a man repeatedly beating his wife in front of his 2-year-old daughter went viral last Wednesday, with multiple comments on Weibo condemning the man and debating the prevalence of domestic violence in China. The man, identified as Wang Pengfei, a deputy director at New Silk Road Trading in Shaanxi, was suspended from his job and placed under disciplinary inspection by the company after the public backlash.

Local police drew further ire from netizens after they released a statement saying they’d placed Wang in administrative detention for five days and “criticized and educated” Wang’s wife, and that the couple have “reconciled” their differences.

Woman in quarantine watches via CCTV as pet dog wrecks her apartment

A woman in quarantine in Xi’an watched helplessly via video as her dog made a mess of her apartment. The woman, who was told she could not bring her pet into the quarantine hotel, had left food for the dog and while it was home alone. On the second day, the dog ripped her sofa apart and dragged furniture around, leaving a trail of mess in its wake. “The house may be trashed, but we can clean it up and it will be okay,” the woman told Jiupai News.

Man smashes ancient Buddha statues after prayers go unanswered

A man in Lishui city, Zhejiang province, smashed seven ancient Buddha statues in a local temple after his prayers for a lottery win went unanswered. According to Lishui TV station, the man also stole candles, incense, and oil from the altar after smashing the statues. The man is now in criminal detention.

Couple engaged after quarantine forces them to live together for 23 days

A woman surnamed Zhao in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, agreed to marry her blind date after spending 23 days in his home because of lockdown measures. Zhao originally planned to visit for a day, but was unable to return home after a Covid-19 outbreak restricted her movement. Zhao livestreamed the experience, and claimed the awkwardness of the situation soon dissipated as her date’s family was very friendly toward her.

Boy sues biological parents for selling him as a toddler

Liu Xuezhou, a 17-year-old from Xingtai, Hebei province, has sued his biological parents for allegedly selling him as a toddler for 5,000 - 6,000 yuan. Liu’s adopted parents passed away in 2009, when he was 4 years old, and Liu has since been living with different relatives. In December last year, Liu sought out his biological parents, but they quickly entered a dispute after Liu asked them to buy him a house. Liu’s lawyer says the biological parents may be guilty of desertion and human trafficking, so a home was reasonable compensation.

Update: Police in Sanya, Hainan province, have reported that Liu committed suicide in the early morning of January 24.

Man rides horse from Xinjiang to Chongqing for Lunar New Year

Le Xiaoyun, a 28-year-old man from Chongqing, has gone viral for riding back home from Xinjiang for the Lunar New Year on horseback, saying he wants to enjoy the scenery. Le, who quit his job and began traveling in Xinjiang last April, began his 4,400-kilometer journey home at the end of June. He and his horse, “Hotpot,” were 130 kilometers from home at the time of his last video update on January 21.

Cashier embezzles a million yuan to reward livestreamer

A court in Hechi city, Guangxi, sentenced a female cashier surnamed Yin to four years and six months in prison for embezzling over one million yuan to give to a livestreamer. According to a local court, Yin used her position as a cashier in a local property company to siphon money to purchase virtual coins on short video platform Douyin and buy virtual gifts for her favorite livestreamer between June and November in 2020. Yin fled to Cambodia after her company reported her to police, but she later turned herself in and confessed. The court has also ordered Yin to return the embezzled money to the company and fined her 10,000 yuan.