In May, a series of incidents of people jumping off bridges in Taiyuan have shocked the society. The Chinese authorities have blocked information and allocated a huge amount of funds to establish a water patrol team. Observers and analysts from outside believe that the approach of “halting jumping” is similar to blocking interviews and does not address the root cause, with maintaining stability as the top priority.
Mr. Zhang from Taiyuan told reporters that as of the night of June 7th, he saw police and patrol vehicles on the Shengli Bridge. Earlier, vehicles, including urban management cars, were also seen patrolling on the bridges in Taiyuan. Netizens who drove by reported, “In the early morning, the Changfeng Bridge was full of police, firefighters, and medical staff on standby.”
Media reports and Taiyuan netizens revealed that over 20 people committed suicide by jumping off bridges in Taiyuan in May.
On May 30, a woman jumped into the river from the Nanneihuan Bridge in Taiyuan, and local netizens commented, “Those who jump into the river are people who have been deceived and left with no return.” “The happiest city, what a lie.” “Living is too hard this year.” “The bridge has become a bridge of helplessness.” “The pressure has made it hard to breathe.”
On the afternoon of May 29, another person jumped into the river from the Nanneihuan Bridge in Taiyuan, reportedly a student who chose to jump due to academic pressure.
On the evening of May 29, a man in Taiyuan walked on the ancient street of Zhonglou with a kitchen knife, startling passersby. The man with a knife was quickly detained by the police. A video showed the incident at the busiest location in Taiyuan, causing a commotion among the crowd, with a woman shouting, “It scared me!” Netizens commented, “Either jumping off bridges or carrying knives, what’s wrong with people now?” “What has this society turned into?”
An internet user from Shanxi stated the facts known to him as a local: 1. Uniform roadside signs; 2. The first reaction in handling any matter is to seek connections; 3. Double rest days and jobs paying over 3000 yuan require additional fees; 4. The younger generation is dwindling, with severe aging; 5. Many peers around do not marry (I was born in 1990); 6. Friends haven’t received salaries for several months; 7. Lack of understanding of new industries and unwillingness to learn; 8. Some areas ban shared electric bicycles; 9. High prices; 10. Poor business environment.
According to multiple sources, in response to the wave of bridge suicides, the authorities first recruited “bridge watchers.” In late May, the Taiyuan Public Security Bureau established a “Water Patrol Rescue Team,” selecting 130 emergency rescue personnel who can swim for a three-day training at the Menghu Jinyang Lake Training Base.
In terms of personnel benefits, each rescue worker receives a monthly salary of 4500 yuan, social insurance of 1200 yuan per month, meal subsidies of 15 yuan/day (450 yuan per month), equipment and supply fees of 200 yuan per month, totaling 6350 yuan per person per month. This means that the monthly cost for the 130 patrol personnel alone amounts to over 800,000 yuan (825,500 yuan/month), with an annual investment of nearly ten million yuan (9,906,000 yuan/year). This calculation does not include expenses for rescue boats and other high-end equipment.
The stationed locations focus on the Yifeng Bridge, Yingze Bridge, Nanneihuan Bridge, Changfeng Bridge, Nanzhonghuan Bridge, and Xiangyun Bridge, with each North and South of the bridges receiving two rescue boats, and the remaining 10 bridges each with one rescue boat, totaling 22 boats. There are 22 3.8-meter 2-stroke 18-horsepower emergency rescue boats (can carry 6-8 people).
Regarding this, netizens commented, “Finally, this position has been established.” “Cannot stop.” “Why are there so many people jumping into the river?”
The plan states that the Taiyuan patrol team is modeled after Tianjin and Qingdao practices, managed and commanded by the Taiyuan Public Security Sub-Bureau. The working mechanism involves establishing an emergency linkage mechanism with units such as the 110 Command Center. Reporters called the Taiyuan Municipal 110 to inquire about the operation of the “Taiyuan Public Security Bureau Water Patrol Rescue Team,” but the staff did not give a direct response and only mentioned, “There are patrols, there are people on duty.”
Mr. Zhang from Taiyuan believes that it can be said that the “Anti-Jumping Bureau” has been established, with the aim being to maintain stability. After the suicide incidents, the authorities vigorously suppressed the news, and related videos have been taken down or cannot be released through reviews. Particularly since the outbreak, including grid personnel and refined management of residential areas, are actually controlling and monitoring the residents in the community. Not fundamentally improving people’s livelihoods is a superficial fix rather than addressing the root cause.
“With foreign investment accelerating out of China, and China (the Communist Party) increasingly confrontative with the world, the Chinese people’s hostility will only grow worse, and the Chinese people’s days are speeding backwards! The Taiyuan Municipal Committee and Government of the Communist Party are dead set on saving face, claiming Taiyuan is the ‘happiest’ city in the country, but the common people are living increasingly difficult lives! It is visible to the naked eye that people have no hope for life anymore, this feeling is very clear,” he said.
Former Capital Normal University Professor Li Yuanhua analyzed for Epoch Times, saying that this is a Communist Party image project or a performance project for local officials. Its main purpose is not to save lives but to show that it cares about the people, which is not substantial and similar to blocking interviews. From a social perspective, it requires a sound system in various aspects, rather than just focusing on watching and halting jumps, as tomorrow someone may lie on the railway tracks, what will they do then? Will they guard the railway?
“They (the Communist Party) are willing to spend a lot of money to block interviews, this is also blocking – halting jumps, but they are not willing to take the initiative to ask why people do such things? Can you fundamentally solve the problems they encounter? They don’t care, they are willing to spend a lot of money to block interviews and jumps, but they don’t care if you have grievances.”
“The difference is, interviews they can’t show off, but this they can promote, making it seem like they care about the life and death of the common people. But in reality, besides personal reasons, the real reasons why these people jump off bridges are often caused by society, the system, or some corrupt officials and oppressors bullying the people, which they don’t resolve. It can only be said to be a facade project.”
Apart from Taiyuan, a wave of suicides has also occurred in various places. Netizens have counted the cities where people are jumping off bridges: Hanzhong, Ningbo, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Nanning, Chongqing, and so on.
A video shows a middle-aged balding man lurking at a bus stop, then suddenly crawling and throwing himself under a moving bus as it starts, letting the car wheels roll over his neck…
There are even uniformed personnel sitting on railings preparing to jump into the river, only to be taken down by two special police officers from behind.
A netizen from Zhejiang posted photos saying there were two people jumping from a building within 200 meters. “Who isn’t in despair, with no way out, that they would jump? This is just a microcosm of the hardship of livelihoods. In the face of increasingly bleak economic prospects and job difficulties, how many people have had the same thoughts?”
Media person Zhao Lanjian tweeted that a large number of professional personnel preventing bridge suicides patrol day and night in Chongqing. Faced with the suicide wave, under the condition where governments are cutting expenses, the Chongqing government has had to hire a large number of bridge guards, a measure necessitated by circumstances. Netizens jokingly refer to Chongqing as the “City of Suicide.”
Mr. Zhang mentioned that a friend of his lost hope for the future and expressed thoughts of suicide.
This friend used to work in the education and training industry, but due to the policy of “dual reduction” by the Communist Party, the institution closed down. He said, “I just want to sleep and never wake up, that way I’ll be relieved. Euthanasia is better than jumping off a bridge, jumping off is painful. I can’t see any hope.”
“Now many companies don’t have social insurance. Unless you’re doing sales, the salary is 3000-3500 yuan.” “Prices are soaring, wages are stagnant. People are afraid to get married and have children as they cannot afford to raise them.” “The most obvious feeling is that even with great effort, it’s only enough to survive, not as good as before.”
“Now it’s a vicious cycle. From childhood attending extracurricular classes, graduating from college and working, you’re already tired, then when you get married you’re even more tired, you need to earn money, then when you have children, you still need to earn money to support them, waiting for the child to reach 18, you are already exhausted. That’s why the marriage and birth rate is low now, because many people don’t want to go down that path again.”
“As long as you are in China, you can’t avoid it, no matter where you go, Beijing, Shanghai, or anywhere else, they all face this problem.”