In a recent video exposed by the anti-human trafficking activist ‘Shangguan Zhengyi’ from Mainland China, it was revealed that a coal factory in Shanxi has been exploiting disabled individuals as slave laborers for a long period of time. Following this revelation, Shangguan received a threatening private message the next day, stating, “Do you also have weaknesses?” This incident has sparked widespread attention online.
According to Shangguan Zhengyi’s video released on January 24th, he witnessed an unidentified disabled person engaging in laborious work at a coal factory in Doucun Town, Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. The owner of the factory admitted that this person had no identification, and further mentioned that “if they don’t obey, they will be punished.”
Shangguan Zhengyi expressed his dismay upon seeing visible injuries on the disabled person’s face and the extremely poor living conditions they were subjected to. He has reported this to the relevant authorities in Wutai County, hoping for a thorough investigation into the individual’s origin and family background, and for proper placement and care to be provided.
The video revealed that the disabled person is approximately in their forties. When Shangguan Zhengyi asked them, “Where are you from?” the person shook their head and replied, “I don’t know.” A netizen commented, “He has been working there since 2006, which means he has been laboring for the boss for 20 years for nothing.”
After the incident was exposed online, on January 25th, Shangguan Zhengyi released another video revealing that he received a threat via private message from a netizen with the username ‘Chunxiaqiudong525’ from an IP address in Shanxi, saying, “Do you also have weaknesses?”
Shangguan Zhengyi stated that this threatening message was received after he exposed the exploitation of disabled individuals in the coal factory in Doucun Town, Wutai County, and he suspects a connection. He has reported the matter to the Xinzhou police in Shanxi.
A comment from a prominent Weibo user revealed, “This place is only 200 kilometers away from the terrifying village where a mentally ill female graduate was raped and gave birth, and the child was sold. The whole village remained silent for more than a decade, and in the end, they chose not to prosecute.”
The related video has attracted attention from over 600,000 netizens online. Subsequently, it was found that the ‘Chunxiaqiudong525’ account on the Kuaishou platform has been banned.
On the evening of January 25th, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province issued a statement claiming that the couple operating the coal yard discovered the individual wandering on the streets in 2006, and they have been sheltering him at the coal yard ever since. Currently, the man has been relocated to a nearby rescue facility, blood samples have been collected by the police for DNA testing to assist in locating his relatives.
The official statement has sparked public outrage online. Many netizens criticized, “Illegal detention + forced labor + violent abuse = sheltering.” “The wording is becoming more and more surreal.” “Do the people of Shanxi think illegal acts are justified?” “Evasion is their specialty.” “So how will the illegal detainment be punished?” “Shanxi has had quite a few issues, with many shady businesses before 2000.” “These places should all be thoroughly investigated, including coal mines, brick kilns, and other strenuous labor sites with potential problems.”
Under public pressure, on January 27th, Shangguan Zhengyi revealed that on January 26th at noon, the local police had filed a case and taken compulsory measures against the son of the coal factory owner. Additionally, regarding the issue of the Shanxi IP netizen who threatened him, the relevant case has been transferred to Shuozhou City in Shanxi.