Today’s Focus: Is the Chinese Communist Party acting unusually to protect Yang Lanlan? Alleviating unemployment anxiety through “performance”: Hangzhou’s booming “pretend-to-work company”; Turning point in Russia-Ukraine war? Trump to push for trilateral meeting.
On July 27, a serious car accident occurred in the wealthy area of Sydney, involving a wealthy and low-key woman named Yang Lanlan. With almost no records in Australia, the Australian media describes her as “non-existent.” Although there is currently no concrete evidence to prove Yang Lanlan’s identity, the bizarre behavior of the Chinese Communist Party is hinting at revealing Yang Lanlan’s identity.
On the morning of August 15, the case of Yang Lanlan’s car accident was first heard at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. Yang Lanlan did not appear in person, only attending the hearing via video link with her lawyer.
During the hearing, Yang Lanlan briefly appeared on the video screen in the courtroom without saying a word. Her lawyer stated to the registrar that they cannot make a plea or denial statement at the moment and would need six weeks to prepare the case. The registrar agreed to adjourn the case to September 26.
Yang Lanlan’s lawyer also applied for her exemption from the next court appearance and obtained the consent of the prosecution. This means that on September 26 hearing, Yang Lanlan will still not be personally present in court.
According to Australian media reports, at the time of the accident, Yang Lanlan was driving a Tiffany Blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a limited edition luxury car valued at over a million Australian dollars. Yang Lanlan was driving in the wrong direction and collided with a Mercedes, resulting in the Mercedes driver being critically injured. The driver suffered a fractured pelvis, spleen bleeding, fractured spine, and 10 broken ribs, with the entire right hip joint removed, potentially resulting in permanent disability. However, Yang Lanlan was unharmed.
After the accident, Yang Lanlan abandoned her car and fled the scene, only to return a minute later accompanied by someone. When subjected to a preliminary breath test, the result was positive. However, Yang Lanlan refused to undergo the formal breath test upon being taken to the police station and was subsequently released on bail.
At this point, it is still just an ordinary car accident. But since August 7, the news of “Yang Lanlan’s sky-high bail” suddenly spread on the internet. Reports claimed that Yang Lanlan’s bail reached an astonishing 70 million Australian dollars, with 270 billion in her account. Due to the massive amount, this news quickly garnered global attention.
On August 11, the New South Wales Courts and Tribunals stated that there were “no money conditions set for Yang Lanlan’s bail” by the local police.
Although Australian officials denied the rumor of the sky-high bail, Yang Lanlan’s true identity has already sparked global attention, intensifying public speculation about the source of her wealth and family background.
Australian netizen Jonathan revealed that Yang Lanlan’s family is involved in iron ore quota business, closely related to the circle controlling the import quotas for iron ore. This circle meets annually in Western Australia to distribute iron ore quotas and then awaits payment. These individuals do not directly engage in mineral business but pass on the iron ore quotas layer by layer. Red third-generation individuals pass on quotas to official second-generation individuals, who then find people actually doing business, such as state-owned enterprises dealing in iron ore.
However, on August 9, Jonathan deleted his post. When asked why he deleted it, Jonathan replied, “The police contacted me.” Another netizen commented: “Stop talking; you might lose your life.”
Some netizens claimed that when Jonathan mentioned “police,” he meant “Chinese police.” He said that the fact that Chinese police could manage whistleblowers across borders indicates that Yang Lanlan’s identity is not simple.
There are many versions of Yang Lanlan’s identity online. Recently, a rumor suggested by netizens is considered to be relatively credible.
This information was revealed by a netizen “Rock Critic.” He claimed that Yang Lanlan’s real name is Xi Minglan, born in Hangzhou in 2002. Her mother is an actress in the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe, and the delivering doctor was the director of the Zhejiang University Children’s Hospital, Huang Hefeng.
Public records show that Xi Jinping’s daughter is named Xi Mingze, and several members of the Xi family have settled in Australia. For instance, Xi Jinping’s second elder sister is an Australian citizen residing in Melbourne. Xi Jinping’s younger brother is a permanent resident of Australia.
It is worth noting that just before the Yang Lanlan incident unfolded, on August 5, the Chinese Communist Party lifted a 15-year ban on apple imports from Australia. As the news of Yang Lanlan’s exorbitant bail money surfaced on August 8, China provided a “142 billion RMB” (approximately 20 billion USD) loan to the Australian iron ore giant Fortescue. This unprecedented move by China has attracted widespread attention globally. Official media reports described this as Australia’s first-ever loan in Chinese yuan.
Many people question whether China’s significant concessions to Australia are related to Yang Lanlan or merely coincidental timing.
However, regardless of the reasons behind these events, it is widely believed that Yang Lanlan’s relationship with the Xi family is extraordinary.
User X Qiao Zhifei posted on August 15 that having one Yang Lanlan is not scary; what is truly frightening is those unseen “Lan Lans”… They are wealthy but may very well be the reason for your poverty. He mentioned that who Yang Lanlan really is doesn’t matter; she represents a segment of society far removed from the public, backed by power and money. Today it’s Yang Lanlan, tomorrow it could be Ma Lanlan or Niu Lanlan… No one knows if there are more mysterious and wealthy “Lan Lans” in China!
On August 17, the topic “People who spend 30 RMB a day to ‘pretend to work'” trended.
In specific terms, there is a company in Hangzhou named the “Pretend-to-Work Unlimited Company,” where there is office space, workstations, and even strict rules and regulations. However, it’s all fake. “Working” here costs 30 RMB per day.
According to Jiu Pai News, the “Pretend-to-Work Unlimited Company” has a 400 square meter space with dozens of workstations, a meeting room, a printer, and more. The rules posted on the wall include no tardiness, no sleeping at the workstation, no smoking, drinking, or using foul language, and no office romances.
To “work” here, applicants must fill out an application, undergo a “pretend interview,” receive an ID badge, and pay 30 RMB in rent per day.
People coming to “work” here include recent graduates, unemployed individuals, and entrepreneurs. Some come to experience the feeling of “working”; others aim to relieve unemployment anxiety, and some genuinely need an office atmosphere.
For example, 24-year-old recent graduate Bonan experienced his first “interview” here. He showcased his design work, discussed entrepreneurship dreams, and was eventually handed a sign that read “Interview Passed,” making the whole process ceremonial.
Bonan said he did this to “create a sense of urgency” to motivate himself in planning for the future.
The owner of the “Pretend-to-Work Unlimited Company,” Chen Yingjian, said that pretending signifies a sense of ambition. As long as one is willing to pretend to work hard, perhaps over time, it will develop into genuine effort. He established this company as a transition, hoping that people, after pretending for a while, will find real work.
Chen Yingjian revealed that currently, the “company” has three to four dozen people “pretending to work” here, with more in the reservation group. He emphasized that over sixty percent consider themselves “pretending to work but actually working,” having their own tasks to accomplish.
As for why people would pay to pretend to work, some analysis suggests it reflects young people’s anxiety about the current job market.
For instance, a young woman named Xiaoling, formerly employed at a large company in Shanghai with a high salary, chose to resign and work full-time in new media. She didn’t want her parents to know, so the “Pretend-to-Work Company” was a good option. After arriving, she recorded a video for her mother, claiming she had “found a job.” Seeing the office desks, meeting room, reception area, and security downstairs, her mother believed she had found a good job.
Reports state that “pretending to work” mirrors the common anxiety among young people today, such as how to balance work and life, finding self-consistency in a performance-oriented society, and whether they can find a new rhythm outside the highly institutionalized “social clock.”
Some argue that with the economic downturn on the mainland, the growing number of unemployed people leads to the popularity of “pretend-to-work companies” in China. While it may seem absurd, it is a subtle response of contemporary young people to society, using “pretend work” to mask their economic distress.
According to CNN, US President Trump informed European leaders that he will meet with Zelensky at the White House on Monday, August 18, and plans to arrange a trilateral summit before August 22, inviting Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to attend.
Trump has already invited some European leaders to join the meeting on Monday, but the specifics of the participants are currently unknown.
Last Friday, on August 15, Trump held a bilateral meeting with Putin in Alaska. European officials revealed that during the meeting, Putin demanded that Ukraine abandon the eastern Donbas region. As a trade-off, Russia would freeze the existing front lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and promise not to attack Ukraine or other European countries. Additionally, Putin requested Ukraine to reduce its military forces and refrain from joining NATO, becoming a neutral country.
European officials stated that if Putin’s conditions are met, Trump believed an agreement could be swiftly reached. Trump will discuss this matter with Zelensky during their meeting. At the same time, Trump has shown an open attitude towards providing American security guarantees to Ukraine after the war.
However, Zelensky has set clear bottom lines for ending the war. He stated that peace cannot be just a temporary ceasefire and must be “true and lasting peace,” including the immediate cessation of all artillery fire, the release of all prisoners of war and civilians, and the return of abducted children.
Nevertheless, US media points out that in terms of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, Trump’s position this time seems closer to Putin’s and at odds with the opinions of European allies.
Camille Grand, a former NATO senior official and current researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, expressed that the outcomes of the Alaska summit have clearly raised concerns in Europe because Trump seems to largely accept Putin’s claims.
European leaders are concerned that if Ukraine is forced to make concessions, it may only give Russia more breathing space. To demonstrate support for Ukraine, leaders from the EU, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Finland, and NATO will accompany Zelensky to meet Trump at the White House.
At such a sensitive moment, it is worth noting that the Russia-Ukraine war continues.
Ukrainian authorities claim that on August 17, Russia launched 60 drones and a missile, attacking multiple areas in Ukraine, resulting in 5 deaths.
Russia, on the other hand, alleges that Ukraine launched 46 drones into Russian territory, with some even flying east of Moscow, resulting in 1 death and 1 injury.
The Epoch Focus Production Team