In the early morning of April 24, the Shifang Public Security Bureau of Deyang City, Sichuan Province issued a police report. At about 17:00 on April 22, 2023, three dead were found in a forest in Yinghua Town, Shifang City.
According to the report, on the afternoon of April 20, 2023, Xie (female, 30 years old, from Bazhong, Sichuan), Zhou (male, 26, from Quanzhou, Fujian), Liang (male, 23, from Xuchang, Henan) ) and three other people arrived from other places and committed suicide by taking poison in the depths of the forest farm. The ID card information shows that all three of them are born in the 90s.
Previously, Zhao Lanjian, a former Chinese media person, had posted information on Twitter that the police in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province had learned that more than 20 people from other provinces were world-weary due to illness and debt, and set up a WeChat group called “Life and Death Meet Group” to discuss April 20. They gathered in Xi’an every day, and planned to hold a barbecue event by the Taihu Lake in Wuxi during the 5.1 holiday, and collectively committed suicide by eating food soaked in “sodium nitrite” and other toxic substances. In addition, on April 7, four people from other provinces committed suicide by taking poison and jumping off a cliff in Tianmen Mountain, a scenic spot in Zhangjiajie, Hunan. They were from Fujian, Hebei, Henan and Sichuan. Aged between 22 and 33 years old.
Chinese-Canadian writer Sheng Xue said in an interview with Voice of Hope on April 25: China’s economic downturn is serious, and many young people cannot find jobs and have no way out, which makes them feel hopeless. Because in China there is no relief and help from all aspects of society as in Western democratic societies.
She said: “They are on the front line of China’s economic development and see the most direct truth. They will judge whether China’s economy can rebound in a short period of time? Can they get there? It all depends. It is a problem. The overall decline of Chinese society is all-round. Many young people come from poor families. It is impossible for them to be supported by their families. Many people go out to work, and many migrant workers leave their hometowns. These people have a desperate situation, and they have no place to express their desperate emotions, which pushes them one step closer to a place of despair.”
Sheng Xue further pointed out: “The last barrier is: in a free environment, most of us have beliefs, and most beliefs will give people strength and spiritual and psychological support, but in China, belief It is the most dangerous field. In fact, the system of the CCP today has completely blocked every way for people to live a good life. For young people, if the economy collapses, it will indeed feel that there is no life left. There is no hope, no way out, no meaning.”
Jonathan Liu, a professor of traditional Chinese medicine at a Canadian public college, said: People in Chinese society are very indifferent now, and the social atmosphere in western developed countries is relatively better. For example, if he has depression and wants to commit suicide, he can confide in doctors and friends, such as the United States and Canada There is a suicide prevention hotline, open 24 hours a day, and he can seek professional medical assistance in time.
He said: “This society should take action. WeChat is constantly monitored by the government. Of course, it monitors and pays attention to the so-called anti-Party speeches, but it does not pay enough attention to the safety of Chinese young people. For example, there is a group with Thoughts of suicide, or even making an appointment on a certain day, can actually be passed. For example, professional doctors intervene in this group, or intervene immediately to disband this group. Of course, before disbanding, it is best to find someone and ask them to make a medical decision. Behavior is better.”
In addition to migrant workers who choose to commit suicide, school students also commit suicide one after another. Seven students in Tianjin chose to commit suicide within 5 days from March 19 to March 23. There have been more than a dozen cases of students committing suicide since the beginning of this semester in Chengdu, which is distressing. Some netizens lamented, begging the country and the school, don’t roll up, and give the children a happy life.
