Sudden China Collapse? One Major Disaster a Day: Mining, Fires, Explosions

On the evening of May 22nd, a major mining disaster occurred in Shanxi Province. So far, it has reportedly killed at least 90 people, shocking the top leadership in Beijing. In the early hours of May 23rd, the Qingyuan County Emergency Management Bureau in Shanxi announced that on the evening before, a gas explosion occurred at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, which is owned by Tongzhou Group in Qingyuan County. At the time, 247 workers were underground on duty. As of 6 a.m. on the 23rd, 201 workers had been brought to the surface, 8 were confirmed dead, and 38 people remained underground. The cause of the accident is under investigation. At 2 p.m. that same day, Chinese state media changed its account, saying that according to information from the scene, the accident had already caused 90 deaths. Rescue efforts are still ongoing. So far, 156 people had been rescued. 90 had died, and another 123 had been sent to hospitals. A coal transport worker told the Beijing News that the mine operates on a three-shift schedule. At the time of the explosion, it was the start of the middle shift. The area had already been sealed off with police lines, and no one could enter. Most of the miners were locals from Qingyuan and Qin counties. Another worker responsible for electrical systems said two of his friends who had worked the earlier shift narrowly escaped the disaster. Chinese netizens commented online, My god, seeing this news first thing in the morning is heartbreaking. So many people are trapped inside. Which shaft was it? I heard it was number three. If people had been trapped underground this long after a gas explosion, there's no chance of survival. The real death toll could be much higher. Some people also questioned the initial media reports. 201 workers safely brought to the surface, eight dead, and rescue efforts underway for the remaining 38 underground. How did the death toll suddenly become so high? Others wrote, Oh my god, in just a little over 10 hours, the number of deaths jumped from only a few people to 82. It's terrifying to watch. Please don't let the number rise any further. Another person said, My dad works in the mines. I just asked him what happens in a gas explosion. He said when gas explodes underground, nobody gets out alive. Running is useless. Another commenter wrote, How can there be so many workers underground in a single shift? This is basically a black market mine. The safety standards, working conditions and environment are terrible. Team leaders push workers to the limit just to improve performance. I've experienced it myself. According to reports after the accident, injured workers were sent to several hospitals in Changzhi City and Qingyuan County for treatment. Most suffered from toxic gas exposure and are currently receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The executives of the company involved have reportedly been placed under government control. Public records show that Shanxi Tongzhou Group, Liu Shenyu Coal Industry Company, is now controlled by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal and Coke Group. The mine is located in Shuanzhuang Village, Qingyuan County, and claims a designated production capacity of 1.2 million tons per year. Information from the Changzhi Energy Bureau shows that the mine is classified as a high gas mine. Analysts point out that Chinese state media operates under strict reporting rules. In the past, no matter how serious an accident was, officials would never immediately report a death toll higher than 30. That is because any incident with more than 30 deaths is classified as an extremely serious incident. Local governments often fear punishment from higher authorities, so they try hard to hide the truth and block media coverage, while state media operates in suppressing real information. But this time, major state outlets such as CCTV and China News Service immediately followed the story and openly reported death tolls of 82 and 90 people. Analysts say this kind of situation has been extremely rare in the past, and there are only two possible explanations. First, the actual number of deaths may be far higher than the officially announced 90. Second, a series of major disasters may be happening so frequently that the authorities have, to some extent, lost control over the propaganda system. Independent commentator Cai Shenkun wrote on X that such a devastating safety disaster is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Lu Dongliang, who only became Shanxi's governor last year. Just days earlier, there had been rumors that Lu might be transferred to Yunnan province to become the provincial party secretary. Now, even if those rumors are true, that possibility has most likely vanished. Cai noted that in the past, several senior officials, including Meng Xuenong and Li Xiaopeng, saw their political careers severely damaged because of major industrial accidents. Some Chinese netizens commented that there seemed to be an unusually large number of disasters this year. One person wrote, maybe the legendary Red Horse Red Sheep calamity of 2026 is really as terrifying as the astrologers say. The comment referred to another major accident that happened just one day earlier in Henan province, which involved a tanker truck and a large cargo truck. On May 21st, a reader from Sanchai County in Zhumadian, Henan told Huashan Daily that in the early hours of May 20th, around 3 or 4 a.m., two vehicles collided at a major intersection in Caigou Town and then crashed into nearby homes, causing a fire. Videos posted online showed fires burning in several locations. One nearby house was completely engulfed in flames. Next to the house was a large cargo truck pulling a massive metal cage trailer, though it was impossible to identify what cargo it had been carrying. According to the source, there were claims that the cargo truck had collided with an oil tanker before crashing into buildings at the intersection, triggering a major fire. A supermarket at the intersection was burned down to its frame, and nearby homes also caught fire. People were reportedly killed or injured in the accident. However, shortly after, authorities sealed off the area, and almost no related reports appeared online. The report said several nearby shop owners confirmed that the accident had happened, but because the scene was quickly blocked off afterward, they said they didn't know about the details. Netizens also said that many videos were initially uploaded online, but were quickly deleted. On May 21, medical staff at Shaanxi County People's Hospital said two injured people had been sent there. One staff member said they didn't really have physical injuries, they were mainly just badly frightened. According to a statement from the Emergency Management Bureau, at 3.48 a.m. on May 20, a semi-trailer truck carrying stone ran a red light at the intersection of two highways and collided with an oil tanker truck. Diesel fuel leaked from the tanker and caught fire, igniting the vehicles involved, as well as nearby buildings and parked cars. The accident caused the death of one truck driver and damaged several buildings and vehicles. The tanker truck driver was unharmed. Chinese netizens commented, that fire was terrifying. I heard the truck driver who ran the red light died, but we really don't know the details. Another person wrote, the owner of the supermarket that caught fire is actually the brother of the owner of the store that got smashed into by another cargo truck last time. In the early hours of April 20, at around 3 a.m., the same intersection saw another serious accident. Two semi-trailers collided, crashing into a house at the side of the road. The truck cabs hit each other head-on and smashed into the west wall of a supermarket at the northeast corner of the intersection. One truck driver was injured. Local residents shared online, finally, this is being reported. Trucks run red lights here every day. At night, they use high beams that blind drivers. One time, a truck even hit a stone pillar. Luckily, no one was hurt. It was terrifying. Another wrote, trucks overtake, block, run red lights, cover their plates, and are overloaded. They really deserve heavy fines. Some commenters were even stricter. If you see a large truck, dump truck, or construction vehicle run a red light, the vehicle should be confiscated. The driver's license revoked permanently, and they should never be allowed to retake it. If anyone is injured or killed, mandatory compensation and prison time should follow. No bail. Analysts note that China's economy is on the brink of a major crisis, and truck drivers face extremely harsh conditions. On one hand, they deal with excessive fees and exploitation from traffic police and toll stations, which further shrink their already declining earnings. Many are forced to overload, exceed limits, or even dodge checkpoints to survive. On the other hand, these violations increase dangerous driving, leading to severe accidents. Drivers who pay enough can often escape penalties or criminal charges. At the root, it's a systemic failure of regulation and justice, causing truck accidents to spike and the transport industry to fall into a vicious cycle. In the worst cases, some drivers pushed to their breaking point have even resorted to extreme acts of revenge against society, often called Xianzhong incidents. At noon on May 21, a sudden fire broke out at a decoration center in Huangshi, Hubei. Officials said there were no casualties, but insiders claimed it was another Xianzhong incident, with explosions and fire causing injuries and deaths. Reports from Jimu News said, the fire erupted at the stores along Yingbin Avenue. Flames spread rapidly, igniting nearby buildings. The Huangshi Port Emergency Management Bureau stated that the fire started at 12.20 p.m. After emergency firefighting, by around 1.10, the fire was largely under control. By 2 p.m., all visible flames were extinguished. No casualties were reported. Videos taken by citizens showed flames shooting up from a row of street-facing stores, with thick black smoke rising. Many residents closely monitored the rescue efforts, worried that people might be trapped. Several business owners said that the flames were intense, and more than 10 fire trucks rushed to the scene. Because the market stored mostly flammable building materials, the fire quickly destroyed a dozen neighboring shops. In response, the entire Oriental Decoration City market was temporarily cut off from electricity. A reporter spoke with a shop owner whose store was badly damaged. He said his shop held nearly a million yuan worth of renovation materials and home goods. Since the shops were connected in a row, some having upper and lower warehouses floor-length, the fire spread so fast that most of its inventory was engulfed. A social media user named Luo Xiang shared insider reports, claiming that the fire at the decoration city was actually a major Xianzhong incident, triggered by an explosion. So far, at least 11 people have died and 16 were injured, although official reports falsely claimed there were no casualties. Netizens commented, Smoke and disaster are everywhere now, each day a new Xianzhong. China has been harmed by the CCP, one disaster after another. And the truth will eventually be seen. May the deceased rest in peace, and may their families get justice soon. Recently, fires have been occurring frequently across China. On May 16, Luo Xiang shared a report about a fire at a hotel in Yuecheng, Shaanxi. It was said to have been started by a petitioning resident who was under house arrest, leaving 8 dead and 23 injured. Officials immediately denied any casualties. Video showed flames on one side of the hotel, with thick black smoke rising, and the scene looking terrifying. In fact, multiple cases have occurred where residents set fires after experiencing injustice. On May 22, several videos circulated online, showing a man in black, around 30 years old, armed with a knife, fighting with police, wielding riot tridents. The footage showed at least two police officers injured. One held his head and was helped onto a citizen's electric scooter to escape. Another, a traffic officer, had a yellow reflective vest soaked in blood and appeared immobilized. He was carried onto the scooter by bystanders for medical treatment. Locals reported that the man attacked multiple people in the street, including several police officers. Two people were killed, a man selling fortune-telling services and a traffic officer. And some reports suggested a third death. Other residents claimed the incident started that morning, when traffic police were checking vehicles in the town. The man riding an electric scooter was stopped, reportedly for not having a license plate. He then allegedly began stabbing the police officer with a knife. The local county public security bureau stated that at around 9.50 a.m. on the 22nd, a knife attack occurred on East Construction Road in Wushi Town. The suspect, a 30-year-old man named Wen, stabbed two civilians and five police officers were injured while trying to stop him. The statement said that the suspect was under control, the injured had been sent to a hospital and residents were urged not to believe or spread rumors. The official report did not specify the cause of the attack. Netizens pointed out that while two people had already died, the report did not mention it and the actual situation might be far worse. Some speculated that the suspect may have been randomly attacking people in the street and also injured police officers when they arrived. Others suggested that the traffic officer was the most seriously injured, possibly because stopping the scooter and issuing the fine provoked the attack. Recently, major disasters and violent incidents have surged across China. Analysts say that since Xi Jinping took power, the economy has worsened, top officials are infighting, and many wealthy individuals have left the country. People across all social levels are watching Xi's fate, waiting for his downfall. Observers say that as Xi becomes increasingly authoritarian, his regime could collapse suddenly, either from popular uprising or elite infighting, and with no warning. Since coming to power in 2012, Xi Jinping has often misjudged major domestic and foreign policy decisions, leaving citizens struggling and officials inactive. He personally directed a three-year COVID lockdown policy, which seriously damaged the economy. In the political arena, many of his loyalists in the party, government, and military have fallen from power or disappeared, leaving him increasingly isolated and vulnerable. In recent years, Xi Jinping has pushed the so-called common prosperity policy, systematically targeting private enterprises and wealthy elites, causing large-scale foreign investment to leave China, and accelerating the exodus of domestic tycoons. Last year, The Economist reported that Chinese entrepreneurs were disappearing at a startling rate, with almost one being detained every week. Independent commentator Du Zheng wrote that Xi's rule is increasingly autocratic, and while many are pessimistic about China's future, some believe the regime could soon break under pressure. Business and academic circles have recently speculated on the length of Xi's rule. Zhang Xin, the wife of famous real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi, who moved to the US, predicted back in 2013 that China could become democratic in less than 20 years. She told foreign media, China is full of corruption. Anyone with a little power is corrupt and expects you to pay them. After years of silence, Pan Shiyi also spoke out. On April 16, he published a long essay titled My Reflections. It exposed China's past real estate development as a Ponzi scheme. He criticized the high leverage, examined flaws in the presale system and land-based fiscal model, and argued that today's property crisis is not the fault of a few developers, but the result of systemic financial, local fiscal, corporate expansion, and societal expectation factors acting together. In a 2019 public lecture, Chinese economist Xiang Songzhuo said, the government relies on us out of necessity, but eliminating us is its noble ideal. Du Zheng believes this statement directly exposes the Chinese Communist Party's deceit towards private businesses and suggests that only if China undergoes a regime change, with party officials disappearing, could the private economy have a real chance to flourish. Real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, who has been heavily sentenced by the authorities, is a CCP princeling. In January 2013, he said at a forum in Beijing, all of you here, stand up and push down the wall in front of us. Build a democratic system in our society. The current system is completely rotten. Du Zheng also noted that while taking ride-hailing services recently, drivers often mention they carry many Chinese business people who have moved abroad. They shake their heads at the mention of Xi Jinping. Xi's policies have deepened fear among the Chinese people. In recent years, many Chinese have left for the US due to the political environment at home. He revealed that around 2022, some friends involved in business culture in China told him about a private, still safe circle of dissidents. Some business people, mid-level officials, and They are waiting for an opportunity, and will act if circumstances change. Du Zheng said that public opinion of Xi today is similar to how later generations view the notorious tyrant Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty. Glorious words, but terrible deeds. For Xi, preserving his regime and power comes first, no matter the ongoing struggles. Even if he survives a lucky re-election of the 21st Party Congress, he cannot complete a full term. There are three reasons. One, his health has hidden problems, mainly due to heavy drinking. Two, a forceful military unification of Taiwan could accelerate his unexpected downfall. Three, the CCP's extreme authoritarian rule is so harsh that like other historical tyrannies, it could collapse suddenly due to popular uprisings or elite infighting. Former Chinese Foreign Ministry official Han Lianchao also said that Xi has become increasingly isolated. He is trapped in a death spiral of purges and corruption. The more he purges, the more corruption. The more corruption, the more purges. The more purges, the more fear. The more fear, the more purges. Several political and business figures familiar with the CCP agree that Beijing will likely face a historical upheaval soon, and the timing could take many by surprise.