Late final month, Caixin revealed an replace on the case, prompting commentator and former investigative journalist Chu Chaoxin to put up a belated however heartfelt plea for Jing Shuren’s launch. He emphasizes that Jing was for probably the most half solely reposting others’ content material, and there’s no signal that he took fee for this. Chu writes that Jing "should not be accused of selecting quarrels and upsetting hassle simply because he might need shared some posts that weren’t fully true; nonetheless much less ought to he be sentenced for it. Even when, amongst all these rights-defense posts, he shared a couple of that weren’t totally correct, he didn’t do that intentionally." Though an earlier Caixin report on Jing’s case from April 2024 stays on-line, the more moderen article seems to be unavailable, and Chu’s personal put up has been deleted. Moreover, Jing’s lawyer has reported being obstructed by safety guards and plainclothes personnel exterior the courthouse.
Caixin Weekly experiences that Lanzhou migrant employee Jing Shuren has been detained for greater than two years now for sharing different folks’s Weibo posts about rights protection and unpaid wages. The related departments’ final cost towards him was “selecting quarrels and upsetting hassle.”
The report acknowledged that Jing, a 49-year-old with a junior highschool training, was working as a gate guard on the time of his arrest. However as a kind-hearted individual, he would often repost details about the plight and rights of deprived teams on his private Sina Weibo account. He posted little or no about his personal life.
Jing Shuren
I knew of this man. Earlier than his misfortune, he would sometimes touch upon my articles or message me on WeChat.
I’ve by no means tended to speak loads with readers. I used to be a reporter for 16 or 17 years again within the day, and was accustomed to receiving information ideas from readers. If there was something in it, I used to be blissful to answer, but when it was simply subjective views and positions, it wasn’t price a lot to me, and I’d have a tendency to not hassle. As somebody protecting information tales, I didn’t want readers’ directions on what perspective or stance to absorb my writing; I wanted information and supply materials that would stand as much as scrutiny.
So regardless of Jing Shuren’s occasional article feedback or WeChat messages, I had little or no contact with him. We weren’t in any respect shut, and I can’t actually say I knew him. Due to that, and since I didn’t know particulars of his case, I haven’t spoken out about his arrest because it occurred. Now {that a} media establishment like Caixin has reported on it, although, I do know a bit extra concerning the man, and I really feel I ought to say a couple of phrases about him.
Jing Shuren is somebody price talking up for.
Based on Caixin’s report, he shared many posts by different folks about unpaid wages or rights protection, and by no means acquired a penny in return. There’s no indication in courtroom paperwork that he acquired cash, and his title doesn’t seem within the related departments’ information of illicit funds.
In different phrases, Jing Shuren’s allegedly quarrelsome and trouble-provoking reposts have been motivated solely by the need to assist others.
The Caixin report consists of this quite transferring passage:
A buddy as soon as pleaded with him: “You’re a migrant employee making an attempt to eke out a residing on development websites, however daily you’re supervising this or criticizing that … someday they’ll put you away.” [According to the earlier blog post from the time of Jing’s arrest, sociologist Yu Jianrong reported having this conversation with Jing.]
Jing Shuren replied: “What sort of society would we’ve if nobody spoke up?”
The buddy stated: “What’s going to change into of your aged father and little youngster if one thing occurs to you?”
After an extended pause, Jing Shuren stated: "I nonetheless wish to do one thing to help rule of regulation on this nation."
Based on Zhou Xiaoyun, a lawyer who has been involved with Jing Shuren, Jing was working as a gate guard earlier than his arrest, making two to 3 thousand yuan per thirty days, however solely retaining 200 yuan for himself, and sending the remaining again to his household.
The Caixin report goes on to say that in 2018, a university scholar from Jing Shuren’s hometown was hoodwinked right into a multi-level advertising and marketing scheme in Cangzhou, Hebei. When he discovered of this, Jing rushed to Hebei at his personal expense and extricated the coed with the assistance of native police. On March 4, 2024, whereas on his method dwelling, Jing seen {that a} water pipe had burst close to Hanjiashan on provincial route 209 in Gansu’s Longxi county. He instantly referred to as the native water authority to report it, and ended up receiving a textual content message of thanks from them.
Jing Shuren: “Good day, sir. This flooded highway part is on the Dingxi–Longxi freeway (Provincial Freeway 209), 700 metres previous the 235km mark on the uphill stretch towards Dingxi. It’s on the backside of Hanjia Hill, Daijiamen hamlet, Shangdadao village, Yuntian township, Longxi county. Thanks, sir!”
Response: “Please ship an handle, and we’ll prepare a web site go to to deal with it. Thanks in your consideration to the general public highways!”“‘Security is the shortest route dwelling,’ I’m not simply being a busybody!”
“You’re most conscientious, brother, paying such shut consideration to the folks’s welfare. Respect! We may all be taught from you.”
“Thanks in your consideration, huge brother. Not one snowflake is harmless in an avalanche. Nothing is simply too minor in the case of security, I’m not simply being a busybody.”I dug these up in Jing Shuren’s WeChat Moments—it’s simply because the Caixin report described.
When folks on-line praised Jing’s sense of obligation, he stated: "Not one snowflake is harmless in an avalanche. Nothing is simply too minor in the case of security, I’m not simply being a busybody."
That’s the sort of civic-minded individual Jing Shuren is.
In life, lots of people develop chilly towards society and people round them due to their very own hardships, and many individuals significantly better off than Jing Shuren change into apathetic and disengaged, by no means standing up and talking out for others or lending a hand to these in hassle. Not Jing Shuren. Regardless of his personal hardships and privations, he has by no means misplaced hope or given up, and is at all times involved for societal progress and the wellbeing of others.
You may actually name him public-spirited, which may’t be stated for many individuals as of late.
Lanzhou Public Safety arrested him for serving to others by sharing their posts about unpaid wages and rights protection. Greater than two years of investigation have proven that he by no means acquired a penny in return, which reveals the reality of his phrases: that he actually did step ahead and share these posts not for his personal revenue, however just because he needed to do his bit to enhance society.
Jing brings to thoughts the widespread expression, "Honor is discovered among the many lowliest butchers [and perfidy among the loftiest scholars]."
As issues now stand, Jing Shuren neither aimed to disturb social order nor did he really achieve this; he merely needed to assist individuals who have been owed unpaid wages. He was a gate guard with solely a junior excessive school-level of training, not a professionally educated reporter, and couldn’t presumably conduct an intensive investigation of each put up. He bore no malice towards society, and solely needed to assist these much more susceptible than himself by sharing some rights protection posts. He shouldn’t be unduly criticized.
The crux of the matter is that in most of the unpaid wages instances that Jing Shuren helped to publicize, the celebration in arrears promptly paid up as soon as the matter got here to public consideration. In exceptions, when the claims have been inaccurate, the opposite celebration simply didn’t have interaction. It’s clear that most of the unpaid-wage instances he reposted have been real and never fabricated, and that Jing’s exercise didn’t result in any precise social hurt.
It’s unattainable to make out the place or to what extent Jing erred along with his rights-defense reposts.
There aren’t many individuals as public-spirited as Jing Shuren as of late. He should not be accused of selecting quarrels and upsetting hassle simply because he might need shared some posts that weren’t fully true; nonetheless much less ought to he be sentenced for it. Even when, amongst all these rights-defense posts, he shared a couple of that weren’t totally correct, he didn’t do that intentionally. The regulation can’t label somebody as public-spirited as Jing Shuren a legal.
To Gansu’s judicial departments: Please launch Jing Shuren in accordance with the regulation, and present some heat and kindness to this man who has at all times upheld the reason for justice. Somebody as public-spirited as he’s deserves to be treasured by society.
July 24, 2026
n.b. As this put up includes social justice, I’ve deactivated tipping and adverts. I hardly ever come straight out and ask readers to repost my very own content material, however that is an distinctive case, and I hope everybody will share it as broadly as doable. [Chinese]
