Beijing Watch: Outrage Over 'Wangwang' Dog Abuse Case in Jieyang, Guangdong! 241 Giant Screens Worldwide Project Protests, Exposing China's 20-Year Stagnation on Animal Protection Laws

Recently, in Pingpu Village, Xinhen Town, Jiedong District, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, a gentle stray female dog named 'Wangwang,' who had been fed by villagers for years, and her three half-month-old puppies were subjected to a horrific act of animal cruelty on the afternoon of June 28. Four underage boys, surnamed Zhong, all under the age of 14 and attending a local elementary school, tortured the puppies by dragging them with iron wire around their necks, repeatedly beating them with wooden sticks, and stomping on them. They then doused the severely injured mother dog with flammable liquid and set her on fire. The entire process lasted nearly an hour, with the perpetrators laughing and filming the acts, which were later uploaded to local groups and quickly spread across Weibo, Douyin, and overseas platforms. The footage was so brutal it horrified viewers. 'Wangwang' ran in agony, howling as she burned, while the puppies struggled helplessly under the sticks. These videos not only ignited fury among mainland netizens but rapidly spread to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and globally, becoming one of the most discussed social issues across Greater China in recent months. On July 20, Italy’s national mainstream newspaper La Stampa reported on the case of the stray dog 'Wangwang' and her three puppies being tortured and killed by four boys under 14 in Jieyang, Guangdong. However, on June 30, local authorities in Jieyang announced that the four minors involved had been sent to a specialized school for corrective education, their parents urged to fulfill guardianship responsibilities, and educational departments instructed to strengthen life education. This is the second major animal abuse case in just a few months to trigger nationwide protests in China, following a similar incident in Chongqing. Outdoor giant screen on Beijing Road Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou, where many tourists were seen filming the naked-eye 3D display / Photo by Tian Chang Mainland China Projection Movement: 241 Locations Light Up with 'Severe Punishment' Demands Authorities Fear Escalation into Political Incident After the incident went viral, mainland netizens spontaneously launched a 'Wangwang' projection campaign, using large commercial and public screens to display images and messages condemning the abuse and calling for animal protection legislation. According to updated statistics on July 21, as of July 20, the campaign had reached all 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China, with 241 independent projection sites recorded. Shijiazhuang and Baoding in Hebei Province, and Shandong Province, each with 27 locations, ranked first, followed by Sichuan with 18, Liaoning and Zhejiang with 15 each, and Guangdong itself with 11, including Shangdong Xintiandi in Jieyang. When the reporter visited Guangzhou last week, they found on Douyin that similar content had been displayed on the giant screen near Beijing Road Pedestrian Street. However, when the reporter waited on-site for the ad rotation, the content was nowhere to be seen (see on-site photos). Nearby merchants on Beijing Road Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou / Photo by Tian Chang Staff from several local bubble tea shops near Beijing Road confirmed that such projections had indeed occurred but had since been ordered to be taken down. The reporter later checked multiple malls and major scenic spots across Guangzhou but found no further similar projection content. In China, any unauthorized offline protest or sign-holding is illegal, so such solidarity actions are mostly confined to online social media. However, a leaked 'public opinion risk alert' from the Shenyang Dadong District Cyberspace Administration, circulated on overseas social media, reveals that the government internally views the global solidarity movement over the Jieyang dog abuse case—the 'Wangwang Incident'—as posing a 'political risk of malicious amplification by overseas forces' and potentially triggering offline gatherings by 'extremist animal protection groups.' The notice instructs local industry and commerce departments to inspect LED giant screens in major malls. Clearly, this incident has become a 'political event' of high concern to authorities. Public Opinion Risk Alert from Shenyang Dadong District Cyberspace Administration / Source: Overseas, provided by Tian Chang Hong Kong and Taiwan Celebrities Speak Out: The 'Severe Punishment' Demand Reflects China’s 20-Year Stagnation on Animal Protection Legislation People in Hong Kong and Taiwan have actively voiced support. Taiwanese celebrity Joanne Tseng expressed sorrow and concern, only to have her post instantly deleted on Sina Weibo, sparking a trending topic. Hong Kong netizens raised funds to run ads on billboards in Mong Kok and erected handwritten signs in Causeway Bay, urging people to 'speak for Wangwang.' In the United States, the message 'NEVER FORGET. NEVER GIVE UP.' was displayed on the giant screen in New York’s Times Square. Support messages also appeared at iconic sites like Milan Cathedral and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. International animal welfare organizations have joined petitions, with Change.org campaigns and global memorial events emerging worldwide. The reason the Jieyang dog abuse case has triggered such intense backlash goes beyond the brutality itself—it touches on a long-standing institutional issue in Chinese society: China still lacks a dedicated national law to prohibit the abuse of companion animals or comprehensively regulate animal welfare. While current Chinese laws include the Wildlife Protection Law and the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, they primarily focus on wildlife conservation, public health, livestock farming, and disease control, and do not establish a comprehensive criminal or administrative liability system for the abuse of companion animals like dogs and cats. In fact, discussions on animal welfare in China have continued for over a decade since the first expert draft of an Anti-Animal Cruelty Law was proposed in 2009. In recent years, multiple deputies to China’s National People’s Congress have persistently advocated for companion animal protection legislation. Yet, no national specialized law has been enacted. To date, neither the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress nor the State Council has included such legislation in its official agenda. Deputies like Zhao Wanping have submitted proposals annually since 2017, calling for the enactment of an Anti-Animal Cruelty Law or Animal Protection Law, criminalizing abuse or incorporating it into public security management, and improving supporting measures for companion animal management and stray animal rescue. When the Ministry of Justice solicited public input on 2026 legislative projects at the end of 2025, the online petition for an Anti-Animal Cruelty Law received over 4.1 million votes—over 96% of total support—demonstrating strong public demand. However, the 2026 legislative plan still did not include the proposal. Although the Public Security Administration Punishments Law was revised in early 2026 to include penalties for keeping dangerous dogs in violation of regulations, provisions against general acts of animal cruelty remain fragmented. The Jieyang 'Wangwang' case is not isolated. In recent years, multiple animal abuse incidents across mainland China have been difficult to prosecute effectively due to the lack of specialized laws. The lenient handling of this case involving minors, while compliant with current law, has intensified public concern that 'age has become a shield for evil.'