Suicide of Fat Cat

Last updated
Fat Cat
胖猫
"Pang Mao "Liu Jie Si Wang Zheng Ming .jpg
Death certificate of "Suicide of Fat Cat" Liu Jie (scanned version)
Born
Liu Jie

(2003-05-18)18 May 2003
Linwu, Chenzhou, Hunan, China
Died11 April 2024(2024-04-11) (aged 20)
Yuzhong, Chongqing, China
Cause of death Suicide by jumping
NationalityChinese

On 11 April 2024, at 4:43 AM, [1] Liu Jie [a] , [2] a 20-year-old Chinese male gamer known as "Fat Cat" [b] took his own life by jumping from a bridge in Yuzhong, Chongqing. After his suicide, his ex-girlfriend Tan faced a relentless online backlash on Chinese social media and was accused of exploiting him financially. In May 2024, Chinese authorities revealed that Liu's sister orchestrated this smear campaign against his ex-girlfriend, sharing private information and soliciting harassment against Tan. Police investigations later revealed Liu and Tan had a genuine relationship with mutual financial exchanges, and there was no evidence of exploitation. Liu's sister eventually admitted to her actions and apologized. The incident gained widespread media attention sparking debates on cyberbullying and gender dynamics in China. [3] [4]

Contents

Background

Fat Cat was born in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, on 18 May 2003. [5] He worked as a gaming influencer for around 10 hours a day game boosting, or professionally playing video games for other people. [6] In November 2021, [5] Fat Cat met his girlfriend through the mobile game Honor of Kings . [6] He led a frugal personal life and financially supported his girlfriend. [6] Fat Cat contributed 70,000 yuan to help her open a shop. [7] In April 2024, Fat Cat traveled from Hunan to Chongqing to live with his girlfriend. She declined his offer to move in, and the relationship soon ended. [8] Fat Cat then transferred a large sum of money to her and jumped off a bridge in Chongqing. [7] His body was found 12 days later. [9] Following the incident, his former girlfriend was doxxed and harassed by many, sparking debates on marriage in China. She then returned a portion of the money to the family. [8] Fat Cat's body was cremated on 3 May 2024. [8] [10]

Aftermath

After his death, Liu Jie's ex-girlfriend Tan was subjected to intense online harassment. Initially, Tan was blamed for Liu's death and accused of being a gold digger. Her personal information was leaked online, leading to severe harassment. [11] The leaked financial records appeared to have supported this narrative, sparking widespread online hatred, particularly among Chinese men. [11] Fat Cat's sister initially threatened to press charges against his former girlfriend. [12]

In a turn of events, Chongqing police revealed on 19 May 2024 that Liu's sister was behind the smear campaign against Tan. [13] Using the account "Keke Can't Sleep", she posted videos and financial records, claiming Tan extorted money from Liu. [14] However, a police investigation later revealed that this narrative was entirely fabricated. The police found that Liu's sister had fueled the online harassment by posting private information and paying to boost her online visibility. This led to severe harassment of Tan, including death threats. The case is said to have highlighted the dangers of misinformation and the ease with which public opinion and media can be manipulated. [15]

Police investigations also showed that Liu and Tan had a legitimate relationship, with mutual financial exchanges totaling over 1.26 million yuan. After Liu's death, Tan returned significant sums of money. Liu's family and Tan reached a reconciliation. [14]

Liu's sister admitted her wrongdoing, [16] apologized, and her accounts were banned on multiple platforms. [14] Liu's sister and several influencers faced penalties for manipulating public opinion and infringing on Tan's privacy. The case has sparked renewed debate about the impact of misinformation and gender dynamics in China. [11] [16]

Reactions

In May 2024, many Chongqing residents began gathering at the bridge. They placed flowers, McDonald's meals, and bubble tea at the site, inspired by Fat Cat's profile picture that read, "I don't want vegetables, I want McDonald's." [17] [18] Fat Cat's sister asked people not to have food delivered to the bridge because of growing traffic by Fat Cat's memorial. [3] People who had ordered takeout to be delivered to the memorial discovered that the packages and containers were empty or filled with water. [3] [19] Five brands involved in the incident issued apologies. They announced punitive measures against offending locations and pledged to refund the orders." [20] One brand, ChaPanda also made, a donation to the Sichuan Youth Development Foundation in Fat Cat's name. [21] McDonald's Vietnam attempted to use a slogan that referenced the suicide. Vietnamese customers called for a boycott, and McDonald's Vietnam issued an apology online. [17] [22]

Many netizens have compared the suicide of Fat Cat with that of Su Xiangmao  [ zh ]. [5]

China Women's News noted the need for rationality and legal adherence in public discourse, condemning the spread of rumors and online violence. [23] Chinese state media outlet, Chongqing Daily, opined on the saga, stating that it was an ordinary romantic relationship, manipulated by behind-the-scenes 'directors', that evolved into large-scale online bullying infringing on privacy. [24]

Notes

  1. ↑ simplified Chinese :刘杰; traditional Chinese :劉傑; pinyin :Liú Jié
  2. ↑ simplified Chinese :胖猫; traditional Chinese :胖貓; pinyin :Pàngmāo

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing</span> Municipality in southwestern China

Chongqing is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the Central People's Government, along with Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. It is the only directly administrated municipality located deep inland. The municipality covers a large geographical area roughly the size of Austria, which includes several disjunct urban areas in addition to Chongqing proper. Due to its classification, the municipality of Chongqing is the largest city proper in the world by population, though Chongqing is not the most populous urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing Rail Transit</span> Rapid transit system in Chongqing, China

The Chongqing Rail Transit is the rapid transit system in the city of Chongqing, China. In operation since 2005, it serves the transportation needs of the city's main business and entertainment downtown areas and inner suburbs. As of December 2023, CRT consisted of eleven lines, with a total track length of 523.68 km (325 mi). Lines 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 18, the Loop line and Jiangtiao line are conventional heavy-rail metro lines, while Lines 2 and 3 are high-capacity monorails. To keep up with urban growth, construction is under way on Line 18 and several other lines, in addition to extensions to Lines 5, 6 and 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport</span> Main commercial airport serving Chongqing, China

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the main international airport serving the city of Chongqing in Southwestern China. It is located in Yubei, Chongqing, about 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the Chongqing urban center.

<i>Black Cat Detective</i> 1984 Chinese TV series or program

Black Cat Detective is a Chinese animated television series based on a 1982 manhua written by Zhu Zhixiang produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is sometimes shortened as Mr. Black. The main character, Black Cat Detective. was created by Zhu Zhixiang (诸志祥).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yubei, Chongqing</span> District in Chongqing, Peoples Republic of China

Yubei District, literally meaning the north of Yu, is a district of Chongqing municipality, bordering Sichuan province to the north. Lianglu, which is a town administered by Yubei District, is where the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Express Airlines</span> Chinese airline

China Express Airlines is a regional airline with its corporate headquarters on the grounds of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing, China.

<i>Curiosity Kills the Cat</i> (film) 2006 Chinese film

Curiosity Kills the Cat is a 2006 Chinese thriller film directed by Zhang Yibai. The film is set in the director's home city of Chongqing. Produced by China Vision Group and Eagle Spirit Management, Curiosity Kills the Cat stars Hu Jun, Liao Fan, as well as veteran Hong Kong actress Carina Lau. Though primarily a mainland Chinese production, international sales was handled by Hong Kong–based Golden Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing gang trials</span> Campaign against organized crime in China

The Chongqing gang trials were a series of triad-busting trials in the city of Chongqing that began in October 2009 and concluded in 2011. Carried out under the auspices of municipal Communist Party chief Bo Xilai and police chief Wang Lijun, a total of 4,781 suspects were arrested, including 19 suspected crime bosses, hundreds of triad members, and a number of allegedly corrupt police, government and Communist party officials, including six district police chiefs and the city's former deputy police commissioner, Wen Qiang. Time described it as "China's trial of the 21st century". The crackdown is believed to be the largest of its kind in the history of the People's Republic of China. Concerns over due process surfaced following the trial, including allegations of torture, forced confessions, and intimidation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge</span> Bridge in Chongqing, China

The Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge consists of a pair of prestressed concrete box girder bridges over the Yangtze River in Chongqing, China. The bridges carries 8 lanes of traffic on Jiangnan Avenue between the Nan'an District south of the Yangtze River and the Yuzhong District to the north.

Liu Hu is a Chinese journalist who was listed as one of the "One Hundred News Heroes" by Reporters Without Borders in 2014.

He Ting is a former Chinese official best known for his term as police chief of the interior megacity of Chongqing. He was removed from office in June 2017 and subsequently expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for violating party rules. A lifelong public security official with a specialty in anti-terrorism operations, He served two regional tenures before being transferred to Chongqing to take over local law enforcement from disgraced police chief Wang Lijun.

The Jiaochangkou incident was a political riot that took place on 10 February 1946 in Jiaochangkou in the centre of Chongqing City, which was the wartime capital of the Republic of China and declared the second capital after the war by the Nationalist -led government. During 1945–46, KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held political negotiations over the future of China in the city. The incident marked an open rivalry between the two parties, which eventually led to a civil war that ended up with a CCP victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holger Chen</span> Taiwanese internet celebrity, entrepreneur, political activist and mixed martial artist

Holger Chen or Chen Chih-han, is a Taiwanese internet celebrity, entrepreneur, political activist and mixed martial artist. He is also known popularly as Kuan Chang in Taiwan, being the founder and CEO of G.K. Fitness Club (成吉思汗健身俱樂部), named after Genghis Khan. As an actor, Chen had his first appearance as a cameo in the 2008 film Parking. He is referred by some as the Joe Rogan of Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic F.C.</span> Chinese professional football club

Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic was a Chinese professional football club based in Chongqing.

The Chongqing Morning Post, also known as Chongqing Morning News or Chongqing Chenbao, is a Chinese-language newspaper published in Chongqing, China.

Hualong Station is a station on Loop line of Chongqing Rail Transit in Chongqing municipality, China. It is located in Jiulongpo District and opened in 2021.

The Delivery Knights Alliance is a food delivery organization and informal labor union in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangdonglai</span> Chinese retail chain

Pangdonglai is a retail corporation founded in March 1995 by Yu Donglai (于东来). It operates a chain of malls and grocery stores and is headquartered in Xuchang, Henan, China. The company is known for excellent customer service, and prioritizing work-life balance for its employees. In 2024 Pangdonglai paid out RMB¥8.8 million in compensation to customers after a supplier was found to have violated food safety procedures. Its success has spurred imitation of its business style by competitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ChaPanda</span> Chinese bubble tea brand

ChaPanda, also known as Chabaidao, in Chinese, is a tea beverage brand in the People's Republic of China. ChaPanda is China's third-largest retailer of freshly made tea drinks and has a 6.8% market share, up from 6.6% in 2022. It operates mainly through franchises and has established a network of more than 8,000 stores since opening its first one in Chengdu, Sichuan, in 2008.

The cat theory of Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of China between 1978 and 1989, is a pragmatic economic philosophy which can be summarized by "it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice (不管黑猫白猫，能捉到老鼠就是好猫)". Deng argued that, planned economy or market economy is only a tool for distributing resources and has nothing to do with political institution, in other words socialism can have market and capitalism can have planning. The cat theory became widely known within the Chinese society after Deng Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992, and was an underlying ideology guiding the reform and opening of China.

References

  1. ↑ 許祺安 (3 May 2024). "胖貓事件│21歲深情男2年給女友51萬 分手後跳江自殺". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Pan, Yi (7 May 2024). "胖貓為愛走上絕路!遺體12天才撈到". NOWnews (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024– via Yahoo News.
  3. 1 2 3 Ma, Diming. He, Ruiming (ed.). "祭奠"胖猫"反映世道人心, 但外卖真的可以不送了" [Memorial to 'Fat Cat' Reflects the People' Will, But Takeout Really Should be Stopped]. The Beijing News (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  4. ↑ "The famous handsome teacher on Douyin was mistaken for a Fat Cat gamer". VGT TV. 8 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "警方通报"胖猫"事件调查情况: 谭某不构成诈骗犯罪". 19 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "电竞男生去世受关注 网民: 热度盖过梅大高速塌方" [Gaming boy's death in the spotlight while netizens say the heat may overshadow the Melong Expressway collapse] (in Simplified Chinese). Deutsche Welle. 4 May 2024. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 Tang, Chenchen (4 May 2024). "21岁男生"胖猫"在重庆跳江去世, 转账给网恋女友的几十万, 家属能否追回?" [21-year-old boy 'Fat Cat' jumped into the river in Chongqing died, can the family recover the hundreds of thousands of yuan transferred to the online girlfriend?]. Chengshi News. Sina News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Xu, Qi'an (3 May 2024). "胖貓事件|21歲深情男2年給女友51萬 分手後跳江自殺" [Fat cat incident | 21 year old loving man gave his girlfriend 510,000 RMB during 2 years and jumped into the river to commit suicide after the breakup]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Part 4|在江里漂了10多天 胖猫打捞现场 曝光" [Part 4|Drifting in the river for more than 10 days, salvage scene of the fat cat revealed]. China Press (in Simplified Chinese). 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "VIDEO: Viral, Love Story Of Gamer From China Fat Cat". VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Li, Xin; Ding, Xiaoyan (20 May 2024). "Her Boyfriend Killed Himself. The Internet Blamed Her". Sixth Tone . Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  12. ↑ Wei, Aw Cheng (14 May 2024). "21-year-old's suicide highlights pressures men face in marriage market in China". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "重庆警方发布"胖猫"事件警情通报" [Chongqing Police Release Police Report on the "Fat Cat" Incident]. Economic Daily . Xinhua News Agency. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 Zhang, Long (20 May 2024). "Sister revealed as online tormentor in new twist to suicide story". Shanghai Daily . Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  15. ↑ "Her Boyfriend Killed Himself. The Internet Blamed Her". SixthTone. 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  16. 1 2 Tan, Yingzi; Deng, Rui. "Ex-girlfriend of 'Fat Cat' didn't scam him". China Daily . Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Part 7|越南麦当劳 蹭胖猫 "好想吃麦当劳"引怒火" [Part 7|Vietnamese McDonald's imitation of Fat Cat's "I want to eat McDonald's" draws ire]. China Press (in Simplified Chinese). 8 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Some young Vietnamese people "imitated" going to West Lake to drop food for Fat Cat, causing outrage". VGT TV. 7 May 2024.
  19. ↑ Zhu, Yuanxiang (4 May 2024). "祭奠"胖猫"的外卖出现空包或注水, 五家餐饮连锁品牌致歉" [Five Restaurant Chains Apologize for Empty or Watered-down Takeaways in Memory of 'Fat Cat']. The Paper (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  20. ↑ ""胖猫"事件发酵 中国舆论反思社会道德底线" [The "Fat Cat" incident ferments; Chinese public opinion reflects on the bottom line of social morality]. Radio Free Asia (in Simplified Chinese). 5 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Shi, Wei; Yu, Yan. Huang, Zuochun (ed.). "现场直击重庆长江大桥: 外卖鲜花成堆 "胖猫"姐姐呼吁别再点了" [Chongqing Yangtze River Bridge: takeaway and flowers in piles, sister of 'Fat Cat' calls not to order anymore]. Cover News (in Simplified Chinese). China Central Television. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  22. ↑ Hoang, Vu (7 May 2024). "McDonald's Vietnam apologizes for slogan mocking tragic death of Chinese man". VnExpress International . Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  23. ↑ "女报评论｜"胖猫"事件带给我们的反思". China News Service . China Women's News. 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  24. ↑ ""胖猫"事件反转 重庆警方指死者姐姐操控舆论引导网暴" ["Fat Cat" incident reversal: Chongqing police point to the deceased's sister manipulating public opinion to incite online violence.]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.