A young woman turned to the internet for help when she realized her aging father could not butcher two pigs to honor the age-old Chinese New Year tradition of a traditional community feast.
A woman from the Chinese village of Qingfu wanted her father to be able to hold his head high and offer a feast to the villagers, despite his limited abilities due to his age.
Large communal meals are an important part of the culture in rural Sichuan and Chongqing, where you’ll find twice-boiled pork, braised ribs, soup and homemade liquor.
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What did the viral online request say?
In a viral online plea, user Douyin ‘Daidai’ shared an emotional plea with her followers on the Chinese version of TikTok, saying: “Can someone help me? My father is old. I’m afraid he can’t handle these pigs.”
She also promised that a pork feast awaits those who come to their village to help.
“I wish (to see) a line of cars parked in front of my house,” she continued. “Let me stand tall in my village.
What was the response to the online application?
Daidai’s viral plea received over a million likes and drew thousands to her village on the ground.
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Traffic jams were reported on roads leading to rural Chongqing in southwest China, according to the BBC. Drone footage available online showed wagonloads of people queuing in hopes of entering Qingfu. Several people reportedly walked from a long distance to hold back the traffic.
In another post, Daidai cautioned that drivers, especially those from the city who are not used to rural conditions, coming to the area should be careful on the roads.
The online response to the event only grew — more than 100,000 viewers, who registered 20 million likes, watched the pig slaughter and subsequent mass feast live online.
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Local authorities intervene
Two pigs could not feed the huge crowd that had gathered in a small country village. According to a BBC report, tourism officials have stepped in to donate more pigs to meet the huge demand. Small restaurants also helped to serve the crowds of visitors at outdoor seating.
A News Asia report said local authorities were handing out gifts and free tickets to popular tourist spots. Traffic police were also deployed to keep order.
A celebration that lasted two days
What Daidai expected to be a feast for a dozen people ended up being a banquet celebration that spanned two days—1,000 guests on January 11 turned into 2,000 the next day.
“The turnout was so massive that the original two Daidai pigs were woefully inadequate. A total of five pigs were slaughtered to feed the rotating crowd of more than 3,000 people,” the China Daily reported.
The celebration was accompanied by bonfires, a party and a band playing into the night.
Eventually, according to a BBC report, Daidai posted that her celebration was over. She urged other visitors to enjoy the region, but asked that they not visit her home because she had only slept four hours in two days and was exhausted.
The Hechuan region will likely turn this into a regular event to capitalize on the enthusiasm for those looking for genuine grassroots interaction.