When a video emerged online in late June showing four boys in Jieyang, Guangdong province, beating three puppies with sticks before setting their mother on fire, the Chinese internet erupted in fury. The boys, all under 14, were heard laughing as the dog, named Wang Wang, burned.
Beijing's censorship machine swiftly kicked into action. Authorities urged the public not to disseminate the video, citing the need to protect the minors involved. "We urge the public not to disseminate related information, to reject cyberbullying, and to work together to create a good environment for the growth of minors," an official statement read. Social media posts were scrubbed, and the video was blocked.
“Chinese activists go global after censors fail to stop outrage over boys burning a dog alive.”
But the restrictions only intensified the outcry. Three weeks after the incident, posts about it continued to draw thousands of comments across Chinese social media — a mix of shock, anger, and demands for animal cruelty laws, which China currently lacks. The boys were not criminally charged; instead, they were sent to a "specialised school," Jieyang authorities said, without elaborating.
Frustrated by censorship at home, China's animal lovers have taken their fight offline and abroad. Billboards have appeared in New York drumming up support for legislation. Some reports suggest the boys filmed themselves and uploaded the video, but police have not commented. While censors tried to block the footage to protect the boys' identities, snippets with their faces visible continue to circulate online. Unverified posts claiming to show close-ups of the boys' faces have raised the risk of misidentifying other children.
Keywords such as "Wang Wang" and "animal protection" still trend on Chinese platforms, and many users continue to post about the case openly. The incident has exposed the limits of state control in the face of visceral public anger — and highlighted how, in a country where animal cruelty is not punishable by law, activists are now looking beyond borders to force change.