CHINA TRUTH — bilingual independent investigations and historical archive

In an announcement issued in 2024, the Chengwu County government said that in 2023, pension spending for 8,778 people within the public system was close to 800 million yuan. About 13,000 retired employees received 369 million yuan, while about 120,000 recipients of urban and rural residents’ pension insurance received 251 million yuan. The figures come from the announcement and could not be independently verified.

On March 12 in Pingdingshan, Henan, a man said he wanted to enter the petitions bureau for a visit but was stopped at the gate by a director. He said he worked until late every day and also wanted to leave at 5 p.m. like the other person, asking, “Aren’t we all supposed to be equal?” According to the man, the other person replied, “Go tell your boss,” and then walked away.

The man later also alleged that the bureau called the village director to pressure him to delete the video, or police would be sent to his home. The claims could not be independently verified.

According to the material, in January 2026, Wang Jianwu, a former deputy director of the Zhenxiong County Public Security Bureau in Yunnan, publicly identified himself while reporting Li Weiguo, the current head of the county’s petition office, on a social media platform. Wang alleged that Li had sought promotion and was suspected of falsifying Party membership records, including records indicating he was under 18 when he joined the Party. The material said Wang submitted documents again to the discipline inspection and supervision authorities on Jan. 20, and that relevant departments had become involved.

On Jan. 21, Li said the allegations were untrue, adding that he was cooperating with an investigation and believed the authorities would reach a fair conclusion. He also said that a previous complaint by his workplace’s trade union seeking removal of the reporting video was a crude attempt by others to “throw dirt” at him. The two had previously been connected through a case Wang handled. Wang was previously sentenced to four years for bribery and dereliction of duty; after his release, he continued to maintain his innocence and appeal. The allegations could not be independently verified.

On May 30, owners of the Country Garden Lingyu development in Puyang, Henan, went to the sales office and the public complaints bureau over delayed handover.

On Aug. 7, lawyer Zhang Jinghui said the Qindu District People’s Court in Xianyang, Shaanxi, had issued a first-instance ruling in the case of Zhang Heng. The court found that Zhang acted in self-defence after an alleged unlawful demolition and after multiple armed people entered his home. It acquitted him and rejected the attached civil claims. The material could not be independently verified.

According to the disclosure, a demolition-related confrontation occurred in Zicun, Shaanxi’s Xixian New Area, in April 2023, and one participant in the demolition died. Zhang was subsequently charged with intentional injury and held for nearly three years.

According to the post, hundreds of homeowners at Wuhan Greenland Tianhe Haide Mansion gathered at the sales office this morning to seek redress, amid allegations that construction had stopped and the project had been left unfinished. The information could not be independently verified.

According to the post, a confrontation between rights defenders and police occurred at a Zhejiang Gold-related site on Jan. 10. Footage shows police dragging and restraining rights defenders while promotional videos played on an electronic screen. Someone at the scene was heard shouting, “Help! They’re killing people!” The material could not be independently verified.

On August 1, an online user reported that near Xiaoyu Sichuan Restaurant at Julong People’s Market in the Textile Industrial City of Aksu, Xinjiang, workers seeking unpaid wages were allegedly confronted by a construction-site employer who refused to pay them and assaulted two workers, leaving them lying on the ground. The user also alleged that the employer threatened: “If the workers cause trouble, beat them all to death.” The claims could not be independently verified.

On July 31, a parent posted that on June 25, a nurse at the Lishan campus of Anshan Central Hospital in Liaoning inserted a blood-collection needle deeply into a newborn’s heel during heel-prick sampling, then continued pressing and moving the needle, allegedly injuring the child’s foot. The post said the child cried loudly and turned purple at the time, and showed stress reactions for several days afterward. The parent also said they were unable to find a way to seek redress or file a complaint. The claims could not be independently verified.

On August 22, a post about “Chinese cabbage soaked in formaldehyde” trended on social media. The post said relevant authorities had launched an investigation.

Earlier, a food-industry user posted a video alleging that formaldehyde was used to preserve various foods and calling it an open secret in the industry. The claims could not be independently verified.

According to the post, the president announced a monthly growth allowance of 5,000 yuan for each person aged 0 to 18. The post provided no further details and could not be independently verified.

According to the material, the Qindu District People’s Court in Xianyang acquitted Zhang Heng at first instance on August 7, 2026. The ruling took effect on August 18 after prosecutors did not challenge it. The court found that Shi and others were carrying out an ongoing unlawful intrusion after using a breaker to damage the gates and doors at dawn and entering with weapons. It said Zhang Heng’s response to protect himself and his family’s personal safety and property, although it caused one death, did not clearly exceed the necessary limits and met the requirements for lawful self-defence.

The material says the case occurred on the morning of April 1, 2023, after no agreement was reached on demolition compensation. More than 10 people used a wheeled breaker to damage the gates and doors of Zhang’s home and entered with weapons, leaving Shi dead and three others injured. Zhang had previously been arrested and detained on suspicion of intentional injury before being granted bail on May 25, 2026. The material also says 10 people involved in the demolition were previously convicted of intentional property damage and received sentences ranging from suspended terms to two years in prison.