【Epoch Times News on February 26, 2025】On February 24, a freight truck without cargo was forced to donate 1000 RMB while passing through a village in Nan’an City, Fujian Province. The news made it to the top searches on Baidu on February 26.
According to a post made by a netizen on a mainland Chinese social media platform on February 24, when driving a utility truck without goods through Dongling Nature Village in Renfu Village, Shuitou Town, Nan’an City, he was coerced into paying 1000 RMB by the village committee. The cash receipt he displayed showed that the receiving unit was the elderly association of Dongling Nature Village in Renfu Village, Shuitou Town, Nan’an City. The poster also claimed that even calling the police did not help.
On February 25, the netizen told Jímù News, “Just passing through their village with an empty truck, they said a big truck entering requires payment. It’s the first time I’ve heard of having to pay while passing through a village. Since there was no invoice, they issued a receipt under this association.”
The netizen lamented, “It was forced donation, so difficult!” The driver explained that he posted the video to warn other drivers: “In this day and age, money is really hard to come by. I shared it just to let more people see it, hoping that no one else will be forced to pay.”
On February 25, Huashang Daily contacted Shuitou Community in Shuitou Town, Nan’an City. A community staff member said, “You should ask in Renfu Village about this, I’m not sure.”
Regarding whether villagers can stop vehicles on the road and demand so-called “donations,” a staff member from the Shuitou Town government in Nan’an City told the media, “Regarding the official seal on the receipts, we are also not clear. We need to investigate what exactly has happened.”
Furthermore, when Cover News asked Shuitou Police Station on February 25, a staff member mentioned that this was a dispute involving a “truck entering the village.” The handling results showed that the poster’s truck was spotted by villagers after entering the village, who believed that it damaged the village road and demanded compensation, leading to a conflict. Upon police arrival, mediation was conducted, eventually resulting in villagers forcefully demanding a 1000 RMB “donation.”
In response to netizens questioning the authority of the elderly association in demanding payments, Huang Zaixing, the first secretary of Renfu Village in Shuitou Town, informed Cover News that the 1000 RMB collected from the netizen was actually a penalty stipulated within the village rules. There is a warning sign at the village entrance, stating that it’s forbidden for cargo trucks to enter the village, with a fine of “1000 RMB for violations.”
As for whether the netizen’s truck caused road damage in the village, Huang Zaixing stated that he couldn’t confirm the on-site situation. Regarding the whereabouts of the penalty collected, he mentioned that it “might be used for road repairs.”
After this incident became public, it sparked dissatisfaction among netizens.
“Xinzhiaodou B” said: “This isn’t a donation, it’s sheer ‘highway robbery’ behavior! It needs a thorough investigation!”
“Liuwuliuwuliuwu” also commented: “Similar to bandit behavior on the road, it should be severely cracked down upon.”