On April 11th, Liu Jie, also known as “Fat Cat,” who jumped into the Yangtze River and committed suicide, suddenly became the hottest topic on Chinese social media during the May Day holiday, dominating the trending lists. Some analysts believe that the Chinese authorities utilized the “Fat Cat incident” to divert public attention after a major collapse on the Meilong Expressway in Guangdong on May 1st, which resulted in 48 deaths and 30 injuries.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, 21-year-old Liu Jie from Hunan worked as a game account boosting operator and used the nickname “Fat Cat” online. He met a 27-year-old woman named Tan from Chongqing on the internet, and they were in a relationship for over two years.
During their relationship, “Fat Cat” transferred over 510,000 yuan to Tan, while he lived in a cheap rental room and ate cheap fast food every day, spending over ten hours a day playing games for clients.
When the woman proposed a breakup, “Fat Cat” bought 760 flowers for her to commemorate their 760 days together. On April 10th, he voluntarily transferred his remaining 66,666 yuan in his Alipay account to her. Early on April 11th, “Fat Cat” jumped into the Yangtze River in Chongqing.
Starting from April 15th, “Fat Cat’s” sister, using the online handle “Can’t Sleep Coco,” gradually posted 25 pieces of information, including chat screenshots between Liu and his girlfriend, as well as transfer records. However, this did not initially gain much social attention.
During the May Day holiday, the incident suddenly surged in popularity in online searches. On May 3rd, under public pressure, Tan issued an apology.
On May 5th, Masao Yaita, the head of the Taipei bureau of Japan’s “Nihon Keizai Shimbun” (Nikkei), commented on social media, stating that among the top 100 trending topics on Chinese social media, one-third involved the “Fat Cat incident.” Seeing this news being sensationalized, Yaita found it somewhat unbelievable. Cases of deception in relationships exist worldwide, and there are many instances of victims being deceived to the point of devastation.
While such incidents deserve attention and should serve as a warning to prevent further victims, the fact that this case became the most popular topic in all of China raises suspicions of someone trying to manipulate the situation.
Yaita wrote, “The fact is, ‘Fat Cat’s’ suicide happened on April 11th, but it only became the top trending topic on Chinese social media after May began. It’s quite a coincidence that on the early morning of May 1st, a significant collapse occurred on the Meilong Expressway in Guangdong Province, resulting in 48 deaths and 30 injuries. Logically, a highway collapse is a major public safety event affecting every citizen’s life and property. If such an incident occurred in Japan, many officials would have to resign, and it might lead to the Prime Minister resigning as well.”
As widely known, the topics on Chinese social media are controlled by the government. Therefore, one cannot help but be suspicious that the “Fat Cat incident” was artificially inflated to overshadow the highway collapse.
Furthermore, circulating information indicates that on May 3rd, “Fat Cat’s” sister publicly disclosed his cremation certificate on personal social media accounts. Many netizens purchased bubble tea, burgers, and other items through delivery platforms to send to the bridge where the incident took place. Some netizens noticed that many of these orders were “empty packages.” Subsequently, several brands, including Merry Ice City, ChaBai Dao, Niu Yue Bao, and Wallace, issued apologies for the “empty package” deliveries.
Regarding this, Yaita commented that marriage fraud cases are common worldwide. However, the collective deception by so many food and beverage establishments is unlikely to happen in other countries. This also reflects the “Chinese characteristics” in certain social phenomena.