A serious fire broke out at the Sichuan Jinyu Textile Company this week. A 27-year-old employee surnamed Wen, angered by 800 yuan in unpaid wages, set the factory on fire. The fire raged for approximately 37 hours, causing significant property damage. This incident has sparked widespread discussion on labor rights, social equity, and the rule of law.
The incident occurred at noon on Tuesday, the 20th, at the Wangchang Industrial Park in Pingshan County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. According to videos uploaded to WeChat and overseas social media, as well as eyewitness accounts, Wen had engaged in a heated argument with factory management over wages before setting the fire. He declared, "It doesn't matter whether I live or die, but I want you (the factory manager) dead." Firefighters quickly responded to the scene and, after a lengthy effort, brought the blaze under control. Preliminary estimates indicate the economic losses could reach tens of millions of yuan.
Wang Shudong, a Sichuan Yibin internet user, told Radio Free Asia in an interview on Friday (23rd) that the incident sparked heated discussion online nationwide, with people reflecting on the dysfunction of the system. "When those owed wages sought legal help, the judges and labor department officials disappeared. But after Mr. Wen set the fire, the police arrived, and so did the judges. When ordinary people need to defend their rights according to the law, the law becomes a dead letter. Officials label workers' wage demands malicious, so why aren't factories' wage arrears labeled malicious? Because the law protects the interests of those in power."
Police report: The arsonist has been detained
Pingshan County police issued a "Police Report" in the early morning of May 22nd, confirming an arson case in the county. An investigation identified the suspect as a 27-year-old man surnamed Wen, who had set fire to a textile factory workshop that morning and was subsequently apprehended by on-site police. Police stated that Wen has been detained and the case is under further investigation, including his motive, the crime process, and damage assessment. However, police did not specify whether the company was specifically responsible.
Wang Shudong added that he had read in the news that the arsonist, Wen, came from a poor family with a seriously ill family member who desperately needed money: "The news I read online said his family was already struggling and his mother was ill, yet his boss withheld 800 yuan in hard-earned wages."
Our station called the Jinyu Textile Company office and the Pingshan County Government, but no one answered the phone.
Public information shows that Sichuan Jinyu Textile Company, established in 2019, was an industrial poverty alleviation project funded by Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, and was once considered a model for boosting the local economy. However, the fire not only destroyed the factory but also shattered society's confidence in labor protection.
After the incident, Wen was nicknamed "800 Brother" by netizens, and the topic quickly spread on social media. Many netizens expressed sympathy for the plight of low-income workers, believing that his actions, while extreme, were forced upon him. Others pointed out that arson is illegal and should be dealt with according to the law.
Society has shifted from "coexistence" to "brutal struggle"
Sichuan scholar Tang Gang told this station in an interview that Chinese society is heading toward an unpredictable future, with interpersonal relationships increasingly strained by the downward pressure of the economy. "We've transformed from a traditional society that could accommodate, tolerate, and coexist, into a society of completely irreconcilable, intolerant, and brutal struggle—this is the result of the social transformation of more than a decade. One person has played a significant role in this 'great transformation.'"
Mr. Xue, a Guizhou labor relations researcher, believes the Yibin textile factory fire reflects the exacerbated conflicts within current labor-capital relations. He told this station, "In recent years, a series of concerning issues have frequently emerged in the labor relations field. First, the union chairs of some companies are appointed by the boss, resulting in the unions failing to effectively represent workers' interests, making it difficult for workers to defend their rights and escalating labor-capital conflicts. Second, the highly market-oriented labor-capital employment relationship lacks fairness in the distribution of workers' income. Some factories lack transparency and impartiality in handling employee issues, exacerbating conflicts."
He also said that if companies can establish a sound wage payment mechanism to ensure employees receive their wages on time and in full, the probability of such extreme incidents can be effectively reduced. He called on government departments, businesses, and all sectors of society to work together to solve such problems and prevent the recurrence of incidents like the "800 Brother" incident.
The "800 Brother" phenomenon has become a focus of public opinion
In recent days, "800 Brother" has become a hashtag and trending search term on social media. Some hailed him as a "hero," while others criticized his actions, saying they could endanger the lives of other workers and were "not worth emulating." One netizen commented, "How helpless an ordinary person must feel burning down a factory for 800 yuan." Others warned, "From now on, the boss has gone bankrupt, and the livelihoods of hundreds of workers have been cut short." Mr. Xue lamented, "A young man who expressed his dissatisfaction in an extreme manner could face legal consequences. When anger goes unheard and rights are not protected, extreme behavior can become the worst form of 'communication.'"
Since mid-May, workers across China have been frequently protesting wage demands. On May 22, employees at Midea Xiyuejia in Shenzhen demanded their wages for nine hours, even threatening to jump off a building. Their employer still claimed they had "no money." On the same day, a township health center in Weifang, Shandong, was reportedly owed wages for six months. Employees said, "We've even had a recent pay cut. I don't feel motivated to continue." Projects run by China Construction First Engineering Bureau in Zhejiang and China Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau in Hunan have also faced wage arrears for years or even six months.
Scholars: Institutional repair is the fundamental solution
Yue Tianli, a sociologist from Lanzhou, told this station in an interview that the government should try to prevent more "800 yuan tragedies." He emphasized that in addition to legal punishment, there is an even greater need for institutional repair, increased humanistic warmth in grassroots governance, and a social mechanism that truly listens to the voices of ordinary people.
