On November 10th, a fire broke out in the female dormitory of the Changqing campus of Shandong Qilu Industrial University. During the evacuation, students were required to undergo facial recognition in order to pass through the dormitory gate. The school authorities justified this requirement by stating that it was necessary to ensure the safety of the students, sparking controversy.
In a video shared by students in the afternoon of November 10th, it was shown that the fire occurred in the female dormitory building No. 15 at the Qilu Industrial University in Changqing District of Jinan City.
The video revealed that the first floor of the dormitory building had security bars, with the fire believed to have originated in a room on the first floor, with flames mixed with black smoke escaping from the balcony windows fitted with security bars.
That evening, a student, believed to be from the school, disclosed online that the dormitory building was on fire, the escape route was blocked, and because the gate machines installed on the dormitory doors were not opened, everyone had to undergo facial recognition one by one to exit.
Some students expressed their complaints, stating: “Descending the stairs, I felt like I was going to die here, the gate machines all blocked the way.”
“Coming down from upstairs, the gates were not opened, and facial recognition was required. The smoke was heavy and dark, making it impossible for us to recognize each other as we ran downstairs. No one came to open the door, it was really frightening. Eventually, the solution provided by the leadership was to not allow the installation of curtains, only take responsibility for the burned dormitory, and ignore some people who had minor carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Another student responded, saying: “It’s true, I still have a headache now. The room is filled with smoke, and there’s no one reimbursing us for staying in a hotel.”
There was also a message from a student who appeared to have been injured, saying, “I am currently in the hospital.”
On November 11th, a reporter from the Huashang Daily contacted Shandong Qilu Industrial University, where the office staff confirmed, “There was a fire in the female dormitory building of the Changqing campus yesterday afternoon, but it was quickly extinguished.” “There were no casualties.”
Regarding the students’ complaints about facial recognition delaying the evacuation, the staff in the school’s Security Management Office and Police Station remarked, “Because there were many people evacuating, it was necessary to undergo facial recognition. Facial recognition is a safety system of our school. As there were too many people at the time, facial recognition was definitely required to ensure the students’ safety.”
The school’s response sparked criticism from netizens.
A video blogger and Weibo influencer, “Mr. Han’s Cinema,” criticized, saying, “What kind of logic is this? If there are many people evacuating, the procedures should be streamlined, and the process should be expedited. Why bother with individual facial recognition?”
Another video blogger and Weibo influencer, “iBingo,” questioned, “So what’s the plan if a fire causes a power outage and facial recognition cannot be performed? Should everyone just give up on evacuating?”
The author of a headline article and Weibo influencer, “Data Knowledge Laboratory,” remarked, “Even when the fire is spreading, they dare not break the illegal barrier to escape. This lack of independent will is worse than being a slave.”
Chen Bo, the president of the Calligraphy Society at the Cultural Service Center in Huxi Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, sarcastically commented, “First of all, one must always follow the school’s rules and regulations. Otherwise, where would the leadership stand? The school should establish regulations and prohibit malicious evacuations in the event of a fire next time.”