By Li Muzi
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping made a pre–Chinese New Year visit to grassroots communities in what state media described as an effort to extend holiday greetings and demonstrate concern for ordinary workers.
Instead, a short segment aired by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) set off a wave of online ridicule and skepticism.
On Feb. 10, CCTV News broadcast a report titled “Xi Jinping Greets Grassroots Workers.” The footage showed Xi speaking with three individuals: a female sanitation worker, a male food delivery worker, and a male courier.
When Xi asked how long they typically worked each day, the sanitation worker replied, “From morning to night, more than 10 hours.”
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Xi responded: “Very hard work. The operation of the city cannot do without you, meeting the needs of thousands of households. Our Party committees and governments must pay attention to you. New Year greetings to you.”
Online backlash over working hours
The exchange quickly circulated on Chinese social media, where many users focused on Xi’s reaction to the mention of 10-hour workdays.
Some commenters noted that he showed no visible concern after hearing that delivery workers regularly work more than 10 hours a day.
“One has to ask which other country’s president would respond like this,” one user wrote. “The most shocking thing is that his aides treat working more than 10 hours a day as ‘positive energy,’ and Xi himself seems to see no problem.”
Another commenter questioned how viewers in Taiwan might interpret the footage.
Others openly doubted the authenticity of the encounter.
“How could this be a real courier? Everyone in China knows it’s fake. Does Xi Jinping not know it’s fake?” one user wrote.
“They are all actors, following a script,” another comment said.
Several posts pointed out that workdays exceeding 10 hours could violate China’s labor law. “Does Xi Jinping know that?” one commenter asked.
Other reactions were more pointed. “Putting on a show for the ‘chives,’” one user wrote, using slang that likens ordinary citizens to crops repeatedly harvested by those in power. “Slave owners wouldn’t care about the working hours of slaves.” “Squeezing the last drop of blood from the common people.” “This is what these communist rogue countries call ‘labor is glorious.’”
One commenter suggested that public displays of concern for delivery workers reflected anxiety about their potential as a mobile, loosely organized group. Another wrote: “Violating labor law doesn’t matter. I am the law.”
Allegations of staging
A separate video described as “Chairman Xi’s grassroots greeting” was also accused online of being staged.
On Dec. 13, Sheng Xue, global vice chair of the Federation for a Democratic China and a Chinese Canadian dissident, wrote on social media that, according to informed sources, Xi’s high-profile visits to grassroots cadres and members of the public ahead of the Spring Festival were carefully scripted performances arranged in advance. She said it was unclear whether Xi himself was aware of the alleged staging.
Commenters familiar with event planning and photography said the footage appeared highly choreographed. In the video, the crowd stands in orderly rows, with people of varying heights and body types evenly spaced. Clothing colors appear coordinated. A security corridor is visible in the center, and multiple camera angles suggest coordinated filming. Security personnel and staff are positioned prominently within the scene.
According to accounts shared online, aside from security staff, those present were not permitted to carry mobile phones. The event was described by critics as a controlled display rather than a spontaneous interaction, with some alleging that family members from military compounds were brought in to pose for staged images.
Security controls and delivery suspensions
Additional allegations concerned the security measures surrounding Xi’s inspection visits.
On Feb. 10, a Beijing-based netizen claimed that during Xi’s inspection and holiday greeting event in the capital, “all roadside vehicles were cleared out, all food delivery was stopped, and windows were sealed with strips.”
The claim prompted further discussion online.
“Ordinary people don’t even have the freedom to order food delivery just because Xi Jinping is inspecting. This is the true face of the system,” one commenter wrote.
Another said: “When His Majesty goes to inspect another province, they seal everything at least a week in advance.”
“They say every day they do not disturb the people,” another post read. “But they are so afraid of the people. Just going out, they seal off the city and block off two kilometers of streets. A disaster for the country and the people. What kind of thing is this?”
Some users said such measures were routine across the country.
“Not just Beijing. Even in our fourth- or fifth-tier small city, it’s the same,” one commenter wrote. “When provincial leaders come for inspection, roads are inevitably closed and people are forced to detour. Ordinary citizens are not allowed to approach. From top to bottom, it’s all performance-style political theater.”
Another added: “When top leaders visit, people’s lives are restricted. That is standard in an authoritarian society.”
