Zhang Yiliang and his wife, Dong Lijun, are both in their 30s, and they have documented the last two years of their lives, from the moment they bought their apartment. Their account, "Liang Liang Lijun and his wife", has gained more than 4 million followers on Douyin.
What started as a celebration ended up running into trouble, including an altercation with the property developer, who said they owed them money. In recent weeks, they have claimed to have been beaten and censored, which has earned them the sympathy of millions of users.
Their experiences as small business owners with big city dreams seem to resonate with many ordinary Chinese and reflect the challenges they face and dashed hopes in the midst of a downturn in the real estate crisis.
What you post is real life. A Douyin user wrote. "In fact, life is hard for most young people. It's not a party every night. ”
Another comment, which was liked hundreds of times, wrote: "Their stories resonate because they're just like us. ”
The Liangliang Lijun couple "paints a visible model of the Chinese dream," a former journalist said in a paragraph on his social channel. "This is to tell everyone, especially young people, that the most diligent, law-abiding and optimistic citizens do not deserve the Chinese dream. Thank you to the couple for helping us see the brutal side of Chinese reality. ”
But this paragraph was later deleted, and his Weibo account was banned from posting.
At the center of the couple's emotional rollercoaster is the apartment they purchased in 2021. In the same year, they posted their purchase information on Douyin for the first time.
Now out of all the lights, there will be one light that is only for me. The ecstatic couple wrote next to the ** shared on their account, Liang Liang and Lijun.
They constantly post information about the progress of the construction of the apartments and visit the site almost every month.
A month later, Ms. Dong came home with bad news – she was forced to accept a pay cut of 2,000 yuan (£282) a month.
In a **, she cried and conveyed the message to her husband: "Our salary is already the lowest, what should I do?".”
This passage may echo a similar story of rising unemployment across China.
I can't be the only one crying when they're **their**. ”
One comment reads:
But for the young couple, the worst is yet to come.
In 2022, developer Sunac China Holdings*** admitted to financial problems after missing the bond's interest payment deadline.
At the time, other property developers such as Evergrande were struggling to pay off debts and deliver homes. But Mr. Zhang and Ms. Dong remain optimistic. A few days after the announcement, Mr. Zhang said in an article: "We chose Sunac, so we should trust them. We trust them to act responsibly and deliver projects just like any other company. ”
But two months later, construction stopped. In the following months, they called on the company to resume construction, which happened in early 2023. During that time, they had a daughter.
Life seems to be back on track, but they say the company still owes them a 200,000 yuan tax rebate that they have been asking for months.
On November 15, the couple attended an event hosted by Sunac and live-streamed their experience of being beaten.
Shortly after Sunac was beaten, social media was flooded with posts and comments. The screenshots shared by the user also showed a series of posts where Mr. Zhang appeared to have been to a hospital.
On November 18, Ms. Dong posted another paragraph on her personal account, saying: "There are many rules in this society that we need to follow. It's not uncommon for ours to be restricted or disappear. ”
The couple said they immediately called the police at the time. The local ** told the Southern *** that they had "punished" the attackers and would follow up on the matter. Sunac China did not respond to reporters' questions. The reporter also contacted Mr. Zhang and Ms. Dong to ask them to comment.
This incident has attracted a great deal of attention online and in China**. He topped the topic list on Weibo with tens of thousands of comments and posts. While some are skeptical of their version of the incident, many are sympathetic to them.
People are beaten, they are not allowed to speak out. Are they still allowed to live?“
One of the most popular comments reads: "Can we help them, help our society?”
Another Weibo user asked.
They go to the developers again and again because they are poor and they really need the money. They recorded the beatings, they were wronged, but there was nowhere to go. ”
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, wrote on Weibo.
"It's important for us to ensure that the hard work of ordinary people is rewarded, that their passion and hope for the future lives on," he added. ”
Mr. Zhang and Ms. Dong said they had not yet received their tax refunds. Last week, when they said they were leaving Zhengzhou and returning to Mr. Zhang's hometown, they sparked a new discussion — full of anger and disappointment.
Ordinary people like them are in the majority, so the end of the matter is particularly painful for us. ”
The Weibo comment was liked thousands of times.
But the couple has since said they have not yet decided, with suspicion and sympathy coexisting, as some users wonder if Mr. Zhang and Ms. Dong are profiting from all the attention online.
Others asked if they had succumbed to local pressure, and they wanted to avoid the negative propaganda in Zhengzhou.
Under their latest **, a comment on Ms. Dong's personal TikTok account reads: "It's too hard. It's so hard to be yourself.