Chinese City Pressures Civil Servants to Fill Tourism Events Amid Weak Economy

Leaked notices and insider accounts suggest officials in northeastern China mobilized government workers to boost attendance at state-backed tourism campaigns.

Residential buildings under construction at Evergrande Cultural Tourism City, a project developed by China Evergrande Group, in Suzhou's Taicang, Jiangsu Province, China, on Sept. 23, 2021. Aly Song/Reuters

As China’s local governments scramble to revive weak consumer spending and boost tourism-driven growth, officials in one northeastern city are pressuring civil servants and even outsourced workers to attend state-organized cultural and tourism events—sometimes ordering entire departments to send participants.

According to internal notices and messages obtained by The Epoch Times, government agencies in the city of Fushun, Liaoning Province, recently called on public-sector employees and their families to participate in a series of local tourism promotion events. The activities included hiking events, sightseeing campaigns, and organized attendance at sports competitions.

Some notices stated that each department was expected to send representatives, while others specified quotas such as “six to seven people.”

The campaigns appeared to extend beyond formally employed civil servants. According to the documents and local insiders, some activities also involved temporary staff and contract workers—groups that often receive lower pay and fewer protections.

Several insiders spoke to The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity or only publishing their surnames out of fear of reprisal.

‘No One Dares Refuse’

A local civil servant surnamed Sun told The Epoch Times that the greatest pressure often falls on workers outside the formal government payroll system.

“Many of them already earn very little, and now they’re also expected to participate in these activities,” Sun said. “When leaders say it’s about ‘supporting local development,’ nobody dares to refuse.”

A local business owner who operates a wedding photography studio in the city told The Epoch Times that the local authorities recently launched a series of large-scale tourism promotion campaigns and mass-participation events.

“Fushun has long promoted itself as the ‘City of Lei Feng,’” the business owner said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) iconic propaganda figure.

“Recently, state media and local outlets have been heavily promoting hiking activities and the ‘Meet in Lei Feng City’ event, where they organized tens of thousands of people for mountain walks. When ordinary people don’t participate, the government fills the numbers with civil servants. If you don’t participate, it can affect your performance bonus. Even non-permanent staff are required to go.”

The business owner also criticized the events for taking place during unusually hot weather, saying long hikes on mountain roads could expose participants to heatstroke and other health risks. She said the authorities only care about appearances and political achievements.

Liability Waivers Raise Concerns

Public concern intensified after images circulating on Chinese social media showed what appeared to be liability waiver agreements distributed to participants.

According to the documents circulating online, attendees were asked to sign statements acknowledging that organizers would not be held responsible for “accidental injuries or sudden illnesses occurring during the event.”

Hu, a laid-off employee at a local public institution, told The Epoch Times that local government agencies in China are under pressure to produce visible tourism “achievements” while simultaneously trying to avoid liability in the event of accidents.

“They’re afraid someone could suddenly die during these long hiking events,” he said. “So now they make people sign waivers before participating, shifting all responsibility onto individuals.”

Hu linked those fears to the recent death of Chinese internet personality and postgraduate exam tutor Zhang Xuefeng, who died after suffering a medical emergency following exercise.

“After that incident, they became even more worried about accidents,” Hu said. “They tell you to join the hiking event, but if something happens, you bear the consequences yourself.”

Tourism Campaigns Become Political Performance

Over the past two years, local governments across China have aggressively promoted “cultural tourism economies,” “night economies,” and holiday spending campaigns as officials search for ways to stimulate sluggish domestic consumption.

Fueled in part by viral short-video trends, many cities have competed to create “internet-famous” tourist destinations and large-scale events designed to attract online attention and demonstrate economic vitality.

A China-based scholar told The Epoch Times that many local governments rely on administrative mobilization because they lack the economic fundamentals needed to sustain genuine tourism growth.

“Many cities don’t actually have strong tourism resources or stable consumer demand,” he said. “But Beijing keeps emphasizing tourism as a driver of economic growth, so local governments feel pressured to manufacture popularity through administrative systems and online propaganda.”

He said recent business trips to major Chinese cities revealed weak consumer activity despite official claims of recovery.

“I recently traveled to Shanghai and Hangzhou, and even upscale restaurants were nearly empty,” the scholar said.

“Shopping malls in Chengdu are similar.

“Real consumer traffic comes from purchasing power, industrial foundations, and employment security. If those conditions don’t exist, administrative mobilization alone cannot increase consumption.”

Fushun authorities have not publicly responded to questions about the authenticity of the leaked notices or the scope of the mobilization campaign. Calls by The Epoch Times to local authorities in Fushun went unanswered.

Wang Fei contributed to this report.