In recent times, mainland China has been plagued by continuous flooding disasters, with staged scenes appearing to have become the Chinese Communist Party’s main “relief” measure.
Recently, an official media outlet under the supervision of the propaganda department of Shandong Province shot a video to showcase a rescue scene by the police in Linyi. Some netizens exposed this video as a fabricated staged scene, revealing that their vehicle was forcefully opened to serve as a “prop” for the police staging, leading to the loss of valuable items from inside the car.
On July 7, Pingyi County in Linyi City, Shandong Province, experienced heavy rainfall, with the daily precipitation exceeding the local historical record.
According to a report from the People’s Daily, supervised by the Propaganda Department of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, as of 4 p.m. on July 7, the total reservoir capacity of 38 large and medium-sized reservoirs in Linyi City exceeded the average of the same period in previous years by 63.7%. Two medium-sized reservoirs exceeded the flood limit water level, and 269 small reservoirs overflowed. The report stated that residents affected by the disaster in Linyi City were urgently evacuated to low-lying areas.
The People’s Daily released a video showing police officers assisting residents. The video depicted three men in “police” uniforms standing beside a red sedan parked in waist-deep water on a street. After opening the car door, a man emerged from the vehicle with a smile, and the police helped him out of the sedan, providing him with an umbrella for shelter from the rain.
The video was accompanied by texts such as “In the rain of Linyi, there is always a scene that warms your heart” and “They go against the current, using resilience and courage to write heroic stories.” The report stated, “Linyi traffic police are fighting on the front line of traffic to safeguard traffic safety.”
Some commented, “Is this real?” One netizen replied, “Fake, they used my car for a staged rescue.”
On July 8, personnel from the Information Office of the Pingyi County Committee admitted that “the trapped individual was not the owner of the red car.” They told Cover News that the trapped individual went out in the rain to find their family, ended up at the location of the red car, and got stuck inside, leading to them calling for help, and the police came to their rescue.
The video sparked discussion among netizens, with many commenting, “Is it scientifically plausible for a car door to be easily opened in such deep water?” and “How can someone stand in knee-deep water and still hold an umbrella?” Some criticized the scene, saying, “People in such a desperate situation would have fled long ago” and “What reason does society have to be filled with deception?”
Recently, severe flooding in southern China has caused significant damage to residents, yet Chinese state media continues to fabricate scenes to showcase official “relief achievements.”
On June 19, the rainy season began in Anhui Province, with parts of southern Jiangnan along the Yangtze River experiencing heavy and torrential rains from 8 a.m. on the 19th to 8 a.m. on the 20th, leading to floods exceeding the warning water levels in the Xin’an River, Qiupu River, and Puxi River.
On the 21st, a video circulated online showing the “vigorous flood prevention action” in Tongling City, Anhui Province, being staged right in front of the Tongling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Official personnel were seen staging a scene with high-pressure water guns spraying water into the air to simulate a “rainstorm,” while uniformed “rescue personnel” were busy stacking sandbags at the entrance to “prevent floodwaters from entering.” Many onlookers mocked the situation.
On June 20, in Zhongchi Township, Wuping County, Longyan City, Fujian Province, floodwaters receded, and local residents captured the aftermath on video. The footage showed the village covered in mud after the flood, with the streets littered with washed-away furniture, mattresses, and other debris.
A resident, filming the video, expressed dismay, saying on the fourth day after the disaster (June 20) in the morning, “We’re right under the nose of the town government… Yesterday, CCTV and journalists from all over came to take photos, and today they stopped (relief) work! No need to work anymore!”
The resident continued, “Is this what relief looks like? We are in the heart of the disaster area! This is how the government is treating us, it’s outrageous! We can’t work here. Inside, everything is… it’s not possible to work inside, it’s all stinky… What a society! What a world!”
The video made its way to overseas social platforms. On platform X, netizens commented, “Relief funds were distributed overnight, so relief operations ended,” and “This is a stark irony to ‘Serve the People’! In this country, disaster victims have become props for staging, and relief efforts have become a show.”