this post was submitted on 24 May 2025
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A Chinese factory employee set fire to a textile plant in China’s southwestern Sichuan province in his frustration over unpaid wages of just 800 yuan (or US$111), according to videos posted on social media and eyewitness accounts shared with Radio Free Asia.

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[–] walktheplank@lemmy.world 138 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 55 points 1 week ago (3 children)

We (the west) often look at the chinese with some amount of arrogance about them being "peasants".
Truth is, Winnie Pooh has to take some care, because they will fuck things up if their situation gets worse instead of better.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 75 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I mean, people who think the Chinese people are just 'peasants' tend to be pretty goddamn ignorant.

Systems are difficult to oppose in every society. We're all just trying to get by.

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

ignorant is too light, I say racism, say whatever you want about china, if you see Chinese people as peasants you're a racist POS

[–] comfy@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I see plenty of typical* Americans on the streets who can barely plot their own country on a world map. At some point, it is an actual lack of information, ignorance, whether by their environment or their own disinterest, rather than some racial or nationalist prejudice. It's offensive and stupid, and shouldn't be excused, but sometimes I think it isn't even racism. Or, at least, their own racism - it's still the effect of a nationalist exceptionalist government and culture, so racism is still relevant to their ignorance regardless of what their own opinions, morals and character might be.

Now, all that said, there are millions who are just racist pieces of shit who know better. So fuck them.

* I know the country isn't homogeneous and there is no typical American, but I'm not talking about just super rural folk or the centers of cities

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

The vast majority of people saying Chinese people are 'peasants' are racist, but if someone told me that they met someone in Fuckknowswhereville, USA, who genuinely thought that mainland China was still struggling under a feudal regime, living hand-to-mouth with villages of illiterates who lacked the educational tools to organize against their overlords, and was genuinely overjoyed to hear the contrary, that the Qing Dynasty had fallen and that China entered the modern world, rather than disbelieving or dismissive... well, I've heard too many innocently stupid opinions from my fellow Americans about international issues to reject that out of hand.

Admittedly, being from Fuckknowswhereville, USA, also greatly increases the chance of them being horrifically racist pieces of shit.

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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 114 points 1 week ago (2 children)

"just 800 yuan (or US$111)"

"just"

Fuck man, I'd go ballistic over $111 of unpaid wages, and that's probably a bigger chunk of that employee's monthly wages than mine.

[–] throwawayacc0430@sh.itjust.works 34 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Most payments in China are monthy, not weekly/bi-weekly as with in the west.

You'd be mad too if you find out you're not gonna be paid for work done for the past month*.

Edit: *Or if its only partial payment

[–] Kekzkrieger@feddit.org 49 points 1 week ago

With west you mean usa? Most of Europe gets paid on a monthly basis.

[–] neons@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Most payments in China are monthy, not weekly/bi-weekly as with in the west.

Where in "the west" do you live? My paychecks (Switzerland) are definitely monthly.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I only ever heard of North Americans getting paid weekly/bi-weekly as standard.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 4 points 1 week ago

https://www.erieri.com/salary/job/factory-worker/china

The average pay for a Factory Worker is CNY 58,959 a year and CNY 28 an hour in China.

That'd be 26 hours at average factory wage, according to this site. I don't think that it's likely more than a week, if that.

[–] False@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My first reaction was "That's not very much - guess they should have paid him!"

I doubt they actually owe ¥800 in total, because they could have just pay 99 other workers ¥8 less and can still pay this person ¥792, this way, the factory owner only owes ¥8 to 100 different individuals rather than oweing ¥800 to one individual. I doubt someone is gonna do arson for ¥8 delayed payment.

So I assume they probably owe other employees as well. Just to illustrate:

If they owe ¥800 to 100 employees, each.

That's ¥80 000 Yuan/RMB ≈ $11 140 USD

A lot of debt.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 73 points 1 week ago

We should all strive to be more like this man.

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 73 points 1 week ago

Ummm, based?

[–] bappity@lemmy.world 53 points 1 week ago
[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 51 points 1 week ago (11 children)

If the CCP's all about championing the humble worker then surely they'll approve of this guy's actions, right?

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

CCP shuts down alternative unions and prevents any left wing demonstrations, it's ironic, you don't have to fall into a party line when you're not a party member yet they're being hunted down as if they just broke the rules of ~~centralised democracy~~ democratic centralism

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[–] JoeKis@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago

Proletariat Uprising

Power to the people!

To quote the CCP (which is ironic, given they are the oppressors): “革命无罪,造反有理!” (Revolution is not a Crime, Rebellion is Just!)

[–] wanderwisley@lemm.ee 41 points 1 week ago

My dear overworked and underpaid fellow Americans please take notes…

[–] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Meanwhile most Americans who are forced to work full time with no paid vacation or healthcare instead go off and say, "I don't pay attention to politics, it's depressing. I'm just gonna work on myself," as they accept never being able to afford their dream vacation, their own home, or that new truck they desperately need.

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago

800 yuan to this person could be equivalent to the entire factory for the company

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

I believe you have my stapler

[–] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago

Should have given him his $111

[–] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago
[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

Should have just given the man his stapler.

[–] literallyacat@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 week ago

What a king

[–] ianhclark510@lemmy.blahaj.zone 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A quick peek at the article doesn’t show any fatalities/injuries, so based?

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[–] DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Note that RFA is mentioned as a very bad source in other communities.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

RFA is a literal CIA propaganda outlet. Like directly created and funded by the CIA to spread anti China propaganda.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Asia_(Committee_for_a_Free_Asia)

Radio Free Asia (RFA) was a news agency operated from 1951 to 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency, through the Committee for Free Asia, to broadcast anti-Communist propaganda.

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[–] TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 20 points 1 week ago

Fight back!

[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Fuck yeah. Ask them if it was worth it now. You were going to live as a wage slave regardless.

[–] TassieTosser@aussie.zone 11 points 1 week ago

Where's his picture so we can canonized him like St Luigi.

[–] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Idk. On one hand I really appreciate the energy but on the other hand this is kind of fucked up for everyone else that works there, and I assume there were people inside when he did this. Like what are all his coworkers going to do for work now that the factory is burned down? I know that's part of why capitalism sucks but it's not like they can do anything about it as individuals.

[–] Lumiluz@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 week ago

Assumption they were getting paid considering he wasn't

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

what are all his co-workers going to do

form a union?

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[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

There's plenty of other factories that might even pay their workers.

[–] TassieTosser@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Burn down the executive's houses?

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[–] rhvg@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

They will not probably see the sun for the rest of life.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago

We've come full circle.

[–] LonstedBrowryBased@lemm.ee 5 points 1 week ago
[–] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

that's the spirit, chinese bromrade

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