Wuxi Tragedy: 8 Dead and 17 Injured, Tied to Xi Jinping’s Grandiose Policies

On the evening of November 16, 2024, a random stabbing incident occurred at the Wuxi Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing, Jiangsu, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries. (Screenshot from online sources)

[People News] On the afternoon of November 16, a horrifying knife attack occurred at Jiangsu Wuxi Institute of Arts and Crafts, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries. The scene was gruesome, and as the dust settles, the truth behind the incident is gradually coming to light.

According to posts by X user “LUOXIANGZY,” the perpetrator was a student at the school. Insiders revealed that the students had long been exploited by a collaboration between the school and an intermediary agency. The school had designated a single agency for all students, which exploited them financially while the school threatened them with failing grades, preventing them from graduating successfully.

Additionally, the factories where the students were placed for internships failed to pay their promised wages on time, further exacerbating the exploitation. Faced with dual oppression from the school and the intermediary, students and their families repeatedly sought help from local authorities but to no avail.

As tensions escalated, the local government failed to address the issue effectively, leading to mounting frustration among the students. On the 16th, some of these students entered the campus armed with knives, culminating in the tragedy. Eyewitnesses reported that the assailant hid in bushes before attacking unsuspecting students. One victim was stabbed six times and died on the spot, later covered with a white sheet.

The tragedy did not end there. Reports suggest that the primary assailant had accomplices, forming a group of four individuals who fled after the incident. On November 17, another injured victim succumbed to their injuries. Surveillance footage from the assailants’ escape revealed that they had attacked again at Suzhou Vocational and Technical College, causing further casualties. There are also unverified claims that some attackers fled to Suzhou, sparking widespread fear in the area.

One of the perpetrators reportedly stated after the attack: "I hope my death can push for progress in labor laws."
"Don’t assume I’m a pushover; some debts must be settled." Students familiar with the assailant disclosed that they felt deeply wronged and were extremely dissatisfied with their inability to graduate and the issue of unpaid wages.

The school principal has since ordered the formation of an investigation team to thoroughly examine the incident. While the local government’s response has drawn significant public attention, the tragedy continues to escalate, prompting calls for broader policy reforms and stronger protection of students’ rights.

Recently, social revenge attacks have been occurring with alarming frequency. Professor Qu Weiguo, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages at Fudan University in Shanghai, highlighted a common feature of such cases: the perpetrators are typically in a disadvantaged position, feel they have been treated unfairly, and lack other channels to express their grievances. He emphasized that the most effective way to reduce these incidents is to establish open and public channels for supervising and exposing power.

Veteran journalist Akio Yaita noted that the root cause of China’s growing trend of “Zhang Xianzhong-style” societal revenge lies in several factors:

Xi Jinping’s Leadership Style: Since coming to power, Xi’s grandiose pursuit of personal glorification has exacerbated issues of non-transparency, lack of openness, and growing inequality in Chinese society. This has left citizens with no channels to voice their discontent.

Hatred Education: The CCP’s ideology glorifies self-sacrifice and mutual destruction with perceived enemies, while neglecting humanistic care and compassion.

Economic Decline and Despair: As China's economy deteriorates, increasing numbers of people feel dissatisfied and hopeless. When people are living in extreme hardship and feel that life is worse than death, harsh punishments lose their deterrent effect. As Laozi once said, “When the people no longer fear death, how can you use death to threaten them?” This creates fertile ground for frequent “Zhang Xianzhong” revenge incidents in society.