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Just before 8am on March 13, a huge explosion destroyed a four-story building in Yanjiao (燕郊 yānjiāo), a commuter town in Hebei province around 35km east of Beijing.
Known as the "sleeping city" (睡城 shuì chéng), its proximity to the capital makes Yanjiao a popular choice for hundreds of thousands of commuters who travel to Beijing every day.
This is the second time in two years a deadly explosion has hit Yanjiao. In June 2022, an explosion caused by a gas leak killed two and injured 22 in the town.
This week’s explosion tragically killed seven and injured 27, according to official statements. The cause is believed to be a gas leak, but that is still under investigation.
Reporters from state media travelled to Yanjiao from Beijing to report from the scene that morning.
Yáng Hǎilíng 杨海灵, a journalist for CCTV, the main state broadcaster which sits under the China Media Group (CMG), was broadcasting live from Yanjiao on CCTV-2 when men in police uniforms interrupted the broadcast, citing safety concerns.
Yang continued reporting live, describing what she could see at the chaotic scene. But she and her cameraman were surrounded by the men, the camera blocked, and they were forced to stop mid-broadcast as the men shouted "It's too dangerous!" (太危险了), and they were shoved away.
Cutting back to the studio, there was an awkward silence followed by an unscripted “Be safe” (注意安全 zhùyì ānquán) from the CCTV anchor.
Footage of another female reporter with a CMG logo on her jacket showed her also being forcibly removed from the scene.
That evening, the China Journalist Association published a rare statement on its Weibo account, calling for "the right to interview in a professional manner as a fundamental right for journalists" (正当采访是记者的权利 zhèngdàng cǎifǎng shì jìzhě de quánlì).
The statement uncharacteristically criticised the authorities for their heavy-handedness.
"Should journalists conduct interviews?
Yes, they should. For such a significant public safety incident, the public is eager for more information. Journalists can use their professional cameras to record the impact of the disaster and the rescue process, which will address public concern to the fullest extent and prevent the spread of rumours."
“记者应该进行采访吗？
应该。如此重大的公共安全事故，民众都在期盼了解更多信息。记者用专业的镜头记录灾情实况、救援经过，可以最大程度回应民众关切，制止谣言传播。”
The Yanjiao government soon issued an apology.
But the damage was done, as one observer noted:
They blatantly obstructed the reporting and suppressed the journalists under the watchful eyes of the public, which has sparked outrage among CCTV reporters and viewers. When faced with negative news, why do so many places react by first preventing journalists from conducting interviews? They resort to interception, surveillance, and intimidation, making it difficult for the public to know the truth and the course of events.
众目睽睽之下阻拦并压制记者报道，这引发了央视记者和观众的强烈愤慨。不知道从什么时候开始，很多地方发生负面舆情，第一反应就是防止记者采访报道，拦截、盯梢、恐吓等手段交替运用，让公众很难知道事情真相及进展细节。
Footage of the kerfuffle in Yanjiao and the Journalist Association statement circulated widely on social media.
Three themes came across in online discussions: lack of media freedom, journalism is a bad career choice, and low of trust in local government.
Lack of media freedom.
The inability of even the powerful state media to discuss sensitive issues, or cover major public safety incidents like the Yanjiao explosion, and other recent stories in China in which the mainstream media went silent, was a common thread.
"In recent years, our mainstream media outlets have lost the courage to bear the responsibility to speak up, and even lost the courage to face reality and uncover the truth. From the lawsuits against Mo Yan and the Nongfu Spring dispute, we can see that the mainstream media has collectively fallen silent."
这些年我们的主流媒体已经失去了铁肩担道义的勇气，甚至失去了直面现实、直击真相的勇气。从这次起诉莫言及农夫山泉之争来看，主流媒体集体失声。[1]
We discussed Mo Yan and the Nongfu media attacks in last week’s newsletter.
Journalism is a bad career choice.
Zhāng Xuěfēng 张雪峰, an online education influencer, in July last year caused controversy by discouraging Chinese youth from pursuing a degree in journalism as pointless (无用).
There were many comments online in the aftermath of the Yanjiao explosion agreeing with Zhang:
This also reminds us of Zhang Xuefeng's mocking of jounalism in China, which makes us feel extremely uneasy.
这也让我们想起张雪峰对于新闻的讽刺，想想真的如芒在背。 [1]
Low trust in local government.
The police obstruction in Yanjiao highlights the power of local governments. They have the biggest interest in controlling the messaging of how the media reports from their district.
In Yanjiao that backfired badly.
These scenes precisely prove that there are"'things that the authorities don't want the people to see", which inadvertently reveals the truth.
因为这样的“阻挠”画面，恰恰证明“有不想让人看到的东西”，而揭示真相。[3]
So that's what we're exploring this week!
Favourite Five
1. 太极 tài jí
Tai Chi, evasive
记协的质问声很大，当地的太极也很巧妙 - China's Journalist Association publicly criticised such behaviour, but the local government kept beating around the bush. [2]
Note: A common figure of speech, often used referring to the government being evasive.
Related:
避重就轻 bì zhòng jiù qīng - avoid the important issues and focus on side issues
2. 添乱 tiān luàn
add chaos, cause trouble
这不仅不是“添乱”，反而可以最大程度缓解公众焦虑、保障人民群众的知情权 - This is not "causing trouble". On the contrary, it can alleviate public concern to the greatest extent and safeguard the public's right to be informed. [1]
3. 一脸懵 yì liǎn mēng
bewildered expression; confused
就连央视记者都被大量黑衣男强行驱离，致使直播中断，央视主持人一脸懵 - Even the CCTV reporters were forcibly driven away by a group of men in black, causing the live broadcast to be interrupted. The CCTV host was completely bewildered. [2]
Note: A common internet slang term which has gone mainstream.
4. 众目睽睽 zhòng mù kuí kuí
under the watchful eyes of the public
众目睽睽之下阻拦并压制记者报道，这引发了央视记者和观众的强烈愤慨 - They blatantly obstructed the reporting and suppressed the journalists under the watchful eyes of the public, which has sparked outrage among CCTV reporters and viewers. [1]
More: We explore this phrase further in tomorrow's Sinica Phrase of the Week.
5. 一片狼藉 yí piàn láng jí
a scene of chaos and devastation
响声持续了三五秒，等他出去看到的已是一片狼藉 - The loud sound lasted for three to five seconds, and when he went out, what he saw was just rubble. [4]
Consuming the Conversations
Useful words
6. 甩锅 shuǎi guō
shift blame
甩锅给商户和用户是不可能了，甩锅给操作不当和管道泄漏也不严肃 - It's not possible to blame merchants and tenants anymore, nor is it plausible to pin the blame on the operator or pipeline leaks. [1]
7. 罹难 lí nàn
perish, die tragically
11人为此罹难，所以更应该查清真相 - 11 people died from this accident, so it's even more important to uncover the truth. [1]
Related:
遇难 yù nàn - to perish or die (less formal/literary)
8. 洗白 xǐ bái
whitewash, gloss over
当然也有立场先行的网友不顾事实强行洗白 - Of course, there are pro-government netizens who argue - conveniently ignoring the facts - that the local government is not at fault. [1]
9. 阻挠 zǔ náo
obstruct, hinder
任何组织或者个人不得干扰、阻挠新闻机构及其新闻记者合法的采访活动 - Any organization or individual shall not disrupt or hinder the lawful interviews conducted by news agencies and their journalists. [1]
10. 瞒报 mán bào
deliberately conceal information
先不说因为自己利益会不会出现瞒报可能 - Let's first not talk about the possibility of a cover-up due to one's own interests. [3]
Related:
谎报 huǎng bào - false reporting
Three-character phrases
11. 旧思维 jiù sī wéi
old mindset, outdated thinking
就连老胡也指责当地是旧思维的惯性作祟 - Even Hu Xijing criticized the local authorities for their outdated thinking. [1]
12. 图个啥 tú ge shá
For what?
