Trending in BJ: Heat, Hospital Violence, and Thanking Poverty
A wrap-up of the top stories and hashtags Beijingers have been discussing on Chinese social media this week, exclusively for the Beijinger by What’s on Weibo(whatsonweibo.com) editor-in-chief Manya Koetse.
1) The Hottest Topic in Town: Beijing’s Heatwave Sets Records
This could become the city’s hottest summer since 1950
The heat is officially on in Beijing – a heated topic in the city this week. For a historical third time since 1950, the city is going through a period of this kind of excessively hot weather.
Since June 1st, this summer has already seen 18 high-temperature days (‘high-temperature’ are days where the highest temperature exceeds 35 degrees). The hot weather is expected to continue in the month to come. This summer’s 18th high-temperature day was measured in Beijing on Thursday, Aug 2.
Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reports that, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, the only time Beijing has seen a hotter summer than this one was in 2000 (25 high-temperature days) and in 1999 (21 days). If the extreme heat continues in August, this could potentially become the number one record-breaking hot summer for Beijing.
On Weibo, people have been complaining about the continuing Beijing heat, but also about the weather reports: “They said it was 35 degrees, but I’ve measured 42 degrees here,” one Beijinger said. “You probably don’t even dare to report it’s hotter than 40 degrees here,” others commented.
“I can’t even go outside for two minutes and already I’m drenched in sweat,” some wrote: “I don’t like Beijing summers anymore.” Amidst all the heat, there’s a bit of relieve ahead for those dreading the humid heat: rainy days are coming in the week to come, bringing some cooler temperatures.
2) Outburst of Doctor-Patient Violence Caught on Camera at Jishuitan Hospital
Hospital violence is on the rise
The short video above of a violent incident taking place in Beijing’s Jishuitan Hospital also made its rounds on social media this week. According to witness accounts, an altercation between a Chinese medicine doctor and a patient took a nasty turn when the doctor allegedly used a hemostat to stab the patient. It is yet unclear if the doctor was fighting back or initiating the attack.
By now, authorities have confirmed that a patient-doctor altercation indeed took place at the hospital, but they have not given out any details yet as the case is still under investigation.
Outbursts of violence in Chinese hospitals have become more ubiquitous over recent years. In July, news of a patient killing a female doctor at a Tianjin Hospital also became a trending topic on social media.
Patient-doctor violence is called yīnào (医闹 ‘medical disturbance’), and it is a growing problem in China today. Tensions between patients and doctor are on a rise due to, among others, a lack of trust in medical staff, high costs of treatment and medicine, and poor treatment outcomes.
3) From Poor Village to Beijing Uni: “Thanking Poverty” Essay Goes Viral
This is how state media propagates the gaokao winners
Over the past week, the story of an 18-year-old Hebei girl named Wang Xinyi has gone viral on Chinese social media – from Beijing-focused news to national headlines. The girl, who scored 707 out of 750 for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (better known as the ‘gaokao’), was admitted to Peking University’s Chinese department.
Wang attracted the attention of netizens because she comes from an impoverished background and wrote an essay titled “Thanking Poverty” (感谢贫穷 gǎnxiè pínqióng) about her experiences.
The essay stirred some online controversy, as some people assumed the girl was happy for being poor. It is rare for children from poor families to get into a top university since they generally lack the access to the same quality education resources as those coming from urban, middle-class families. “Don’t thank poverty [for being admitted], thank your own resilience,” a typical comment amongst thousands of reactions said.
But as the girl was interviewed by a group of reporters at her home, she said social media users had misunderstood her viral essay; she was not thanking poverty itself for bringing her where she is today, but the struggle to change her own life from poverty, which has made her “change for the better.”
Wang’s story was propagated by various local and national Chinese state media outlets this week, and indicates a general changing trend in reporting on gaokao students. Annually, students with the highest scores receive ample media attention, but this year, the Ministry of Education banned the idolization of the country’s top achievers.
In line with the Xi Jinping Thought, state media now need to promote equality in education, and focus on the hard work and social efforts of more average students – Wang is the perfect role model for this kind of student, showing that poor, rural students can also make it to China’s Ivy League.
At the time of writing, the topic “Entering Beida with 707 points, thanks to poverty” (#707分考入北大 感谢贫穷#) has been read over 89 million times on Weibo, making it one of the bigger trending topics in this hot Beijing summer week.
By Manya Koetse @manyapan
What’s on Weibo editor-in-chief
Manya Koetse is the editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer and consultant (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends in China, with a focus on social media and digital developments, popular culture, and gender issues.
Photos: img.gmw.cn, Weibo
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