A propaganda campaign by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) showing people locked down in their homes with sufficient food has backfired as many complained about not having enough to eat.
A leaked official memo addressed to CCP officials in the city of Changchun in the northeastern Jilin province called for a social media campaign. Jilin was ravaged by an outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), with authorities imposing lockdowns to contain the virus in line with China's zero-COVID policy.
"The outbreak control task in our city has moved into a critical stage," it said. Prevailing negative sentiment about the lack of food in Changchun only exacerbated the problem, argued the memo.
CCP authorities in Changchun then ordered city officials to launch the social media campaign dubbed "show off your pack of vegetables." The campaign sought to promote "a positive outlook to live" and show that the "populace enjoys ample food supplies with no concerns" despite the harsh COVID-19 lockdowns. (Related: Chinese city implements harshest lockdown yet as Beijing aims for "zero-COVID.")
They instructed "all [CCP] cadres across city agencies" to post "vivid short videos and photos" of the food supplies they received on the Chinese Douyin and Kuaishou social media platforms. The cadres were also reminded that any photos posted on the two social media platforms must be authentic. "Please rally your family and friends to actively participate and make their contribution to the outbreak containment work," it urged.
Despite the officials' warning that the memo about the social media campaign should not be made public, it was eventually released sometime after Changchun announced a lockdown on its nine million residents on March 20. The memo became viral on Chinese social media as soon as it was posted online on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, with many criticizing it.
Most comments critical of the memo appear to have been removed as of March 31. State media later posted on Weibo that Changchun has held two officials responsible for causing a "negative impact."
CCP killing Chinese citizens through lockdowns
One Weibo user wrote: "The media kept saying food supplies are plentiful. We commoners demand to know: Where are these supplies?" Another user echoed his sentiments, saying: "We know they are lying. They know themselves [that] they are lying. They also know that we know they are lying … but they still [continue to do so.]"
With many Changchun residents unable to leave their homes, they have relied on grocery apps to purchase food online. But even though they can conveniently order, there is still no guarantee that the food items would make it to their doorstep.
"It's not even a matter of price. You simply can't get any, even if you fight for them. To put it bluntly, no one cares even if you starve to death," revealed a migrant worker in Changchun who helped build the city's largest makeshift hospital.
The lack of food amid COVID-19 lockdowns is not only limited to the borders of Changchun. A woman who lives in Taikang county in the central Henan province told the Epoch Times: "We lack everything, [so] we need to eat sparingly." She added that thousands of other residents were quarantined in the surrounding areas, and healthy locals confined to their homes have resorted to rationing food. The stoppage of delivery services, which meant that no supplies are being sent into Taikang, made the problem worse.
Activist Wang Wanying, who lives in Shanghai, lamented how neighborhood committee officers refused to provide her with food when her stocks ran out. They told her to order takeout after she finished the last of her vegetables at home. "I don't have money to buy those. They are basically telling me to live or perish on my own," she lamented.
One video that went viral showed an elderly Changchun resident who resorted to begging outside a supermarket, just so he could buy food. He was informed that he had to place his order through a mobile app after his provisions ran out, despite his apparent ignorance of this technology. The elderly man was forced to live by himself away from his children due to the pandemic.
Visit FoodSupply.news to read more stories like this.
Watch the viral footage of the elderly Changchun resident begging to be allowed inside a grocery to purchase food.
This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
China now facing its own food crisis… is a food collapse also coming soon to the USA?
Tonghua City residents imprisoned in their homes, low on food amid lockdown.
Forced covid lockdowns in China are starving people to death.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.