China’s economy is deteriorating, with various industries in a state of depression and the people suffering unbearable hardships. The entire society is engulfed in a sense of sadness and hopelessness. Incidents of people jumping off buildings or bridges are on the rise. Many mainland Chinese citizens have revealed that authorities are pushing ordinary people to the brink, leading to many feeling they can’t go on, with several business owners even resorting to suicide.
In recent times, the relay of jumping off buildings and bridges in cities like Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and Chongqing, Sichuan Province, has shocked the whole nation. Online users have noted that in May alone, over 20 people in Taiyuan have committed suicide by jumping off bridges. Some netizens have disclosed that the Chinese Communist Party rigorously suppresses related news, with restrictions on leaving comments on WeChat and removal of critique videos on Douyin.
On May 30, a resident of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province named Ms. Sun told Epoch Times, “In the first ten days of this month, there were over ten bridge suicides in Taiyuan, with six of them being business owners. I heard they all took this extreme step because their businesses went bankrupt due to poor performance. I don’t know the specifics of their trades. They must have felt despair about the overall economic environment, feeling there was no hope left, leading them to choose the path of no return.
“We have many factories and enterprises closing down here, many people are jobless and can’t find work. We have reached a dead end, with no savings left, and still having to repay housing and car loans.”
Ms. Sun expressed, “I’m already retired, but even I feel there’s no hope. With the economy failing, I fear my pension may stop one day, and my children who are working might also face layoffs. There are many worries, fearing falling ill when medical expenses are costly, and many people are getting sick, especially cancer patients.”
Mr. Wang, an ambulance driver in Chengdu, Sichuan, shared with Epoch Times, “Many people are under great work and life pressure. Recently, multiple taxi drivers around Tianfu Airport have died. There is an increase in suicides, with several cases of children jumping off buildings in schools. Nowadays, there are many children suffering from depression, with quite a few attempting to jump into rivers.”
Mr. Jiang, a resident of Chongqing, disclosed that many people are jumping off the Changjiang River Bridge in the city. In response, guards are stationed every fifty meters on the bridge to prevent further incidents.
The Changjiang River Bridge at the confluence of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River has been highlighted by mainland internet users in videos showing guards stationed every few meters on bridges in Chongqing, Yibin, and Taiyuan to prevent suicide attempts. Firefighters are also patrolling in boats below the bridges, ready to act at any moment.
Mr. Jiang further revealed, “Internal conflicts in mainland China are severe, with a lot of hostility. Not only are there more suicide cases, but incidents of stabbings and hit-and-runs are also on the rise, making stability maintenance costs very high. Even rural areas are now under tight control. Since last year, remote villages have assigned grid personnel to oversee a few families, with one grid monitor in charge.”
He believes, “The significant increase in social contradictions is primarily due to the failing economy. Formerly bustling commercial streets in Chongqing are now lined with closed shops. Chongqing, being a first-tier city, has many people working in other regions unable to find jobs or earn money.
“Unpaid wages, layoffs, and pay cuts are widespread here. Both state-owned and private entities are struggling to survive, but there’s simply no way out.”
Mr. Yu from Guangdong told Epoch Times that many people in the area are resorting to jumping off buildings or bridges, while some are engaging in reckless road incidents as a form of societal revenge. He stated, “While it may seem economically driven on the surface, the reality is political.”
Mr. Yu revealed, “If you look at the official figures released, the economy seems to be improving. But living here, can we not tell how things truly are? I reside on a pedestrian street, and you can see how few people enter the shops. Is this really a commercial street? The commercial activities here are practically nonexistent. Even the BBQ stalls here on the pedestrian street are left empty.
“Many people are jumping off because they see no way out, consumed by deep despair. The national situation is exceptionally grim, including the deteriorating economy in Guangdong. Despite the struggles of ordinary citizens, officials and elites live comfortably, unconcerned about whether people are jumping off buildings or bridges.”
Mr. Li from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, shared that due to the poor economy, many are unemployed, leading to a lack of income and a situation where they can’t make ends meet, resulting in a surge in suicides by jumping off buildings or into rivers.
“Many foreign investments have pulled out of our area, and factories have shuttered. Some are finding it difficult to continue living in the city and are returning to rural areas. As a result, the urban population has decreased. There are fewer people on the streets, creating a profound sense of desolation. Shops and restaurants lining the streets are up for transfer, rent prices have plummeted, storefronts are vacant, and the economy is in dire straits.”
Ms. Su from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, stated, “There have been several recent incidents of people jumping off buildings or into rivers here. Likely due to the struggles of life, a couple recently lost their jobs and constantly quarreled at home. They felt hopeless and couldn’t bear it, leading the wife to jump into the river and the husband to jump off a building, feeling life was no longer tenable.”
Using the pseudonym Wang Qian, a teacher at a university in Henan, disclosed, “A colleague from our institution recently jumped off a building due to financial difficulties at home, unable to cope with the situation. The conditions here are quite dire presently. The economic issues are severe, with delayed wages in our institution, which used to pay at the beginning of the month but now delays to the end of the month, if at all.”
She said, “Work pressures are manageable, but there are many psychological restraints that make it suffocating. Now, there’s a limit to what one can openly express. Whenever people meet, they just talk about how nice the weather is.”
A teacher in the education industry in Shanxi, Mr. Li, mentioned that suicides by jumping off buildings or into rivers have become rampant, with such incidents occurring across various regions, making people numb to the startling numbers of cases.
He explained, “Just in Shanxi alone, there have been 16 incidents of jumping off buildings or bridges within 20 days. Why is this happening? Because people can’t survive. Look at the high rate of unemployment among young people, coupled with a significant number of businesses collapsing. Many people can’t afford their mortgages and have lost their livelihoods. Some may appear to own houses and cars, but are unable to produce a few hundred yuan when needed.
“The economy is in a terrible state, with overall circumstances being quite dire. People like us, both born in the 1980s, are both working, managing to get by, but feeling immense pressure. The 1980s generation feels stressed, while the 1990s generation faces even more intense pressures.”
Mr. Li continued, “Seventy percent of people born in the 1990s are unmarried because they can’t afford marriage, and even those who are married are afraid to have children due to significant pressures and costs, with income not matching expenses. Healthcare, education, and retirement burdens are suffocating people, along with car and house loans, leaving many feeling they can’t go on.
“In our class, those who made a little money in the past are now barely surviving, and many are just managing to scrape by. Those at the bottom are struggling even more, unable to find even odd jobs, let alone maintain a basic standard of living.”
Mr. Li pointed out, “The best regions in China like the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta are now home to a large number of unemployed individuals. Many involved in foreign trade have no business and no orders. Countless businesses have closed down, with numerous big bosses going bankrupt, not to mention the plight of these workers who either return home or take up odd jobs.
“Many state-owned enterprises and central enterprises are reducing salaries, laying off workers, and withholding wages, with teachers finding it difficult to receive their due payments. Overall, the situation is very dismal, such that what used to earn you 300,000 yuan in the past now barely brings in 100,000 yuan. Numerous companies are struggling to survive across various sectors.”