• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS GLOBAL
    • TESTIMONIES GLOBAL
    • OP-EDS GLOBAL
    • FEATURED GLOBAL
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
    • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / Testimonies China

Where is Hu Xinyu? A New Scandal Rocks the CCP

01/18/2023Lei Shihong |

Three months ago, a 15-year-old student disappeared from a private school in Jiangxi. Because of the lack of action by the police, all sort of rumors are circulating.

by Lei Shihong

A Weibo image of Hu Xinyu.
A Weibo image of Hu Xinyu.

Remember the chained mother of eight? It happened one year ago, on January 2022, and it generated the largest Internet protests in China in a decade (to be surpassed at the end of 2022 by the protests about the Urumqi fire, which extended from the web to the streets).

The CCP’s propaganda about a brave Party man raising eight children alone in Jiangsu province led inquiring netizens to investigate who the mother of eight was. Finally she was found, and a video showed her emaciated and chained. In a few days, the video had gathered more than ten million downloads. After contradictory answers and attempts to suppress the scandal, the CCP had to admit that the “chained mother of eight” had been one among many victims of human trafficking, and had been sold to an abusive husband. The “brave Party man” ended up being arrested, and several local CCP cadres lost their jobs.

In retrospect, the story of the “chained mother of eight” taught the CCP that web protests of this magnitude cannot be suppressed, which probably played a role in the subsequent decision to hear the protesters and withdraw the Zero COVID policy.

In the last three months, a new story that involves millions of social media users and is evolving into a major scandal has emerged.

Three months ago, on October 14 , 2022 , Hu Xinyu, a 15-year-old boy from Zhiyuan Middle School in Shangrao city, Jiangxi province, disappeared after having been last seen leaving the school’s dormitory. Zhiyuan is an expensive private boarding school that Hu, a brilliant student, was able to attend thanks to a scholarship.

Hu is not the first minor who disappeared, but the school is a prestigious one and his family made noise claiming that the police has been strangely unwilling to investigate and even register the case.

Surveillance camera image of Hu leaving the dorm. From Weibo.
Surveillance camera image of Hu leaving the dorm. From Weibo.

The rumors snowballed on social media. Some of them, such that other students at Zhiyuan had disappeared or had even been killed, seem to be demonstrably false. On the other hand, after the case of the “chained mother of eight,” many netizens speculated that Hu had become himself a victim of human trafficking, and had been kidnapped to be forced into prostitution or worse. Some went so far to suggest that Hu may have become a victim of gangs kidnapping healthy young men and women for organ harvesting.

The CCP has been very active cancelling posts and suppressing discussions, but it has only itself to blame for the escalation of wild rumors. A police that gives the impression to be unwilling to investigate, and is unable to communicate with the citizens and reassure them, cannot but fuel the rumors. The CCP has now learned that social media scandals have a way of becoming uncontrollable. But it does not seem to be willing to amend its ways. 

Tagged With: Chinese Communist Party, Communist Propaganda

Related articles

  • China’s Crackdown on “Script Killing,” Act 2

    China’s Crackdown on “Script Killing,” Act 2

  • Zhejiang Party Leader Punished for Seeking Promotion Through Feng Shui

    Zhejiang Party Leader Punished for Seeking Promotion Through Feng Shui

  • CCP Scholars Suggest to Build China’s “Second Capital” in Xinjiang

    CCP Scholars Suggest to Build China’s “Second Capital” in Xinjiang

  • The Jiangsu Chained Mother of Eight: Case Closed? Not Really

    The Jiangsu Chained Mother of Eight: Case Closed? Not Really

Keep Reading

  • Courtesy of the Two Sessions: Two New Powerful (and Dangerous) Chinese Agencies
    Courtesy of the Two Sessions: Two New Powerful (and Dangerous) Chinese Agencies

    Meet the new National Financial Regulatory Administration and National Data Bureau. Both mean more CCP control on the economy and the Internet.

  • Coming Soon in China: New (and Worse) “Administrative Measures for Religious Activity Venues”
    Coming Soon in China: New (and Worse) “Administrative Measures for Religious Activity Venues”

    The new measures will replace those of 2005, and introduce stricter provisions making CCP propaganda at all places of worship mandatory.

  • Burning Effigies: China Threatens American Academic Miles Yu
    Burning Effigies: China Threatens American Academic Miles Yu

    A Cultural-Revolution-style statue vilifies a scholar who has mightily upset the Communist Party.

  • 12-Year-Old Boy Detained for Slapping a Statue of Chairman Mao
    12-Year-Old Boy Detained for Slapping a Statue of Chairman Mao

    Posting an anti-Mao video is never a good idea in China, but the police reaction against a child was immediate, disproportionate, and violent.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • There Are Christian Uyghurs, Too: New Organization Launched in London by Ruth Ingram
  • The Last Words of a Uyghur Father: A Son’s Memory by Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur
  • Xi Jinping: Beijing’ National Art Museum Is Not Socialist Enough by Hu Zimo
  • Occupied Ukraine: Anti-Cult “Experts” Target Moscow Patriarchate Dissident Priest by Massimo Introvigne
  • Chinese Agents Tried to Bribe U.S. Tax Officer in Anti-Falun-Gong Plot by Massimo Introvigne
  • Russia: Lunatic Theory that Yellowstone Volcano Caused the War in Ukraine Gains Momentum by Massimo Introvigne
  • Vandalism Against Catholic Churches on the Rise in Bavaria by PierLuigi Zoccatelli

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY