Nanny arsonists and maggot-infested chicken — a top 10 list of society news in China, 2017

Society & Culture

Search engine giant Baidu released a report (in Chinese) on Monday, highlighting the most significant news, events, and people throughout the year in 2017. One of the lists in the report is the “Top 10 society events” of the year.

1. Beijing kindergarten scandal

A high-end kindergarten in Beijing operated by the New York Stock Exchange–listed company RYB Education, was accused of child abuse in November.

2. Kindergarten explosion

At least eight people were killed and 66 were injured in an explosion on June 15 outside a kindergarten in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.

3. Tiger attack

A man was mauled to death by a tiger when he entered into its enclosure at a zoo in Ningbo in January.

4. Zhang Yingying missing

Zhang Yingying 章莹颖, a 26-year-old Chinese citizen, went missing on June 9 near the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was a visiting scholar. A man was arrested for her abduction, and the police presume she is no longer alive, although they have not yet found her remains.

5. Man killed creditor who had harassed his mother

A court in eastern China’s Shandong Province sentenced a 22-year-old man to five years in prison for killing a debt collector who had harassed his mother. The case stirred heated debate nationwide about family honor and filial piety.

6. China’s new first-tier cities

On May 25, financial news group Yicai released its 2017 ranking of Chinese cities (in Chinese) according to their business appeal. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen stayed in their top four positions as “first-tier cities.” Following them are 15 “new first-tier cities,” listed in the following order: Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Suzhou, Xi’an, Changsha, Shenyang, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Dongguan, and Ningbo.

7. Nanny arsonist in Hangzhou

On June 22, a mother and her three children in Hangzhou were killed in a fire set by the family’s nanny in their luxury apartment. The 34-year-old woman was arrested by the police on charges of arson and theft.

8. Maggot-infested KFC chicken

In May, a woman in Zhejiang Province claimed that the chicken she bought from a KFC store was infested with maggots. She gave photos of the maggot-riddled chicken to Chinese media.

9. Pyramid scheme company

In July, two young men who were involved in a pyramid scheme on the recruitment website Boss Zhipin were found dead. The incident have sparked an uproar over pyramid scheme gangs in China, and prompted a nationwide crackdown in August.

10. School bullying

In September, 14 Chinese girls, aged 15 to 17, were sentenced to time in military-style training camps for bullying by Tongzhou District People’s Court in Beijing.


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