 "Is social unrest brewing in China amid slowdown? Internet filled with angry posts toward elites")
In recent weeks, China’s internet has become a battleground of simmering social discontent, with angry posts and heated debates targeting the country’s elites. This comes against a continued economic slowdown in China, which has been accentuated by the tariff-trade war with the Donald Trump administration of the United States.
From a Chinese Harvard graduate to a young actress and a trainee doctor, multiple scandals have become the focal points of angry exchanges across Chinese social media platforms, multiple reports from the country say. This exposes deep-seated resentments about privilege, fairness, and social mobility. These incidents are not isolated controversies but rather seen as symptoms of a broader socio-economic malaise gripping China as its once-booming economy slows and opportunities for upward advancement appear to be shrinking.
Online outrage: The new face of social unrest
Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo have been flooded with accusations against individuals perceived to have gained success through unfair advantages rather than merit, a New York Times report said. The hashtag discussions surrounding these figures have attracted hundreds of millions of views, reflecting the intensity of public frustration.
One of the most prominent cases involves Jiang Yurong, a Chinese woman who recently delivered a commencement speech at Harvard University — reportedly the first Chinese woman to do so. While some celebrated her achievement, many questioned how she gained admission to such an elite institution, with sceptics suggesting her family’s wealth and connections played a part.
Jiang, who attended high school in Britain on a scholarship and earned her undergraduate degree at Duke University, defended herself against claims of undue privilege, emphasising her hard work and savings to fund her education. Yet, the backlash highlighted a pervasive public suspicion that meritocracy is increasingly irrelevant in China’s fiercely competitive society.
Similarly, the scandal involving a trainee doctor at Beijing’s China-Japan Friendship Hospital revealed serious breaches of trust. The doctor, identified as Dong Xiying, was accused of falsifying admissions documents and plagiarising her doctoral thesis, reports say.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsInvestigations found that her parents held influential positions — her father an executive at a state-owned enterprise, her mother a university official — fueling speculation that her career advancement was secured through connections rather than competence. The scandal intensified public anger over perceived elite privilege and corruption within state institutions.
Adding fuel to the fire was the case of Huang Yangtiantian, an 18-year-old actress whose ostentatious display of expensive emerald earrings sparked widespread online scrutiny. Social media users traced the jewellery to a luxury brand and questioned how a relatively minor celebrity could afford such extravagance. She has recently attracted a lot of attention on social media, all for the wrong reasons.
Further investigation revealed that her father, a former local official turned businessman, was being probed by Chinese authorities under suspicion for illegal business activities. Though he denied wrongdoing and claimed the earrings were replicas, the incident strengthened the common people’s beliefs about nepotism and illicit enrichment among China’s privileged classes.
Economic slowdown: The roots of growing anger
These scandals have erupted against the backdrop of China’s slowing economy , which has seen growth rates dip below government targets. The post-pandemic recovery has been uneven, with domestic consumption sluggish and export demand weakening amid global uncertainties.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other analysts forecast China’s GDP growth to hover around 4 per cent in 2025, significantly lower than the double-digit rates of previous decades. This comes against the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s multiple stimulus packages, which have failed to yield expected results since mid-late 2024.
This economic deceleration has profound social implications. For many Chinese citizens, the dream of upward mobility — long a cornerstone of the country’s social contract — feels increasingly out of reach. Job competition is fierce, wages have stagnated in many sectors, and the cost of education and housing continues to soar. Against this backdrop, the perception that elites enjoy unfair advantages exacerbates feelings of injustice and fuels public anger.
Cited in multiple reports, Yan Zhihua, a researcher at Nanjing University, captured this sentiment in a recent commentary, noting that the Chinese public is “psychologically unprepared” for the slowdown after years of rapid growth and promises of “common prosperity”. The collective mood has shifted from optimism to disillusionment, with citizens demanding accountability and fairness.
Does merit mean anything in China? A crisis of confidence
The core of the unrest lies in doubts about the integrity of China’s meritocratic ideals. Historically, the Chinese Communist Party has legitimised its rule by promising equal opportunity and rewarding talent and hard work. However, the recent scandals suggest that connections, wealth, and family background increasingly determine success, undermining public trust.
The New York Times report cited above commented that “merit may be irrelevant” in China’s fiercely competitive society. This fear is not merely about individual cases but reflects a systemic problem where social mobility is perceived as blocked by entrenched privilege and corruption.
The government too is aware of the rising angst among commoners. President Xi has acknowledged this by emphasising the goal of “common prosperity” and vowed to crack down on corruption and excessive wealth accumulation in his speeches. Some of the recent policy measures have promised to focus on tighter regulation of private enterprises, increased scrutiny of officials, and social welfare initiatives aimed at reducing inequality. Yet, the persistence of social media outrage indicates that many Chinese remain sceptical about the effectiveness of these efforts.
Government’s balancing act: Caught between stability and reform
China’s leadership faces a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, it must maintain social stability to prevent unrest that could threaten its legitimacy. On the other hand, it needs to implement meaningful reforms to address structural inequalities and revive economic growth.
The government has ramped up propaganda efforts to promote unity and discourage “irrational” online criticism, but censorship alone cannot quell the underlying grievances. Economic stimulus packages and calls for “common prosperity” are steps in the right direction, but experts warn that without fundamental reforms to the education system, labour market, and anti-corruption mechanisms, public dissatisfaction will persist.
Moreover, the rise of internet activism and the sheer scale of online discussions reveal a new dimension of social mobilisation that the authorities must contend with. The digital sphere has become a powerful outlet for expressing frustrations that might otherwise remain suppressed.
Still brewing, but social unrest puts China at crossroads
China stands at a critical juncture as expressing public anger is not common in the country. The Chinese Communist Party has a reputation of crushing any dissent with brutal force. But the recent wave of social media scandals targeting elites is more than a series of isolated incidents.
It is, however, a mirror reflecting deep socio-economic tensions and anxieties about the future. The economic slowdown has exposed vulnerabilities in China’s social contract, challenging the notion that merit and hard work alone determine success. How the Xi regime responds to this brewing unrest is likely to shape not only China’s economic progress but also its social cohesion and possibly its political stability in years to come.
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