Dangerous construction is everywhere in China.

Welcome to China Uncensored. I'm Chris Chappell.

This episode is sponsored by  Surfshark. You should be using  

a VPN like Surfshark to protect  yourself whenever you go online.

Nothing exemplifies the Chinese  dream like owning a home.

And nothing exemplifies the Chinese reality  like having that home collapse on you.

A week ago, a seven-story apartment building  collapsed here in China's Hunan province. 

Videos of the rubble have been circulating online.

The collapse wasn't caused by an earthquake.  It was the result of poor construction.

In China, buildings are  built fast, but not to last.

It's what's called “Tofu Dreg  Construction”—basically, when  

so many corners are cut during the construction  process that buildings are unstable and unsafe.

I talked about Tofu Dreg Construction  in an episode a few months ago  

about exploding manhole covers...

and again in a recent episode  about giant sinkholes.

I keep bringing it up because problems caused by  poor construction happen all the time in China.

And while it's funny when you see  a KFC awning fall to the ground,

the truth is, it actually puts  a lot of Chinese people at risk. 

Poor construction in China is a  byproduct of widespread corruption.

We've seen this for a long time.

In 2016, this building suddenly  fell over in Guangxi province.

But now, the Chinese Communist Party tells  people it's cracking down on corruption.  

They say Tofu Dreg Construction  is a thing of the past.  

But like many things the Communist  Party says, that's a lie.

The one that collapsed last  week was built only two  

or three years ago. There were  ten families living there.

Local Chinese news outlets seem to have quickly  deflected responsibility from authorities.  

They didn't disclose much information about the  building aside from calling it 'self-built'. 

It's like the Communist Party's motto: If you  want something done wrong, do it yourself.

I'm not actually sure what it means for a  seven-story apartment building to be “self-built.”  

But regardless, the collapse was a tragedy.  

Chinese state-run CGTN says  five people were killed...

...but with a propaganda emphasis on the  rescue: “Twelve people were trapped—seven  

of which were pulled from the rubble and  are being treated at local hospitals.”

The same week, another building  collapsed—this one in Jilin Province

One person was reported to be trapped  in the rubble of an auto repair house  

that suddenly collapsed during rainfall.

And also in the same week, another  tragedy in Fujian province.

Nine people were killed and  seven others injured at a banquet  

after a brick wall fell from the  roof of a residential building.

On June 21 in Chongqing , 5 people were injured  in an elevator explosion. Videos were shared of  

people trembling as they walked with their clothes  completely burnt and torn off of their bodies.  

Is that security officer just  gonna stand there and watch?

Problems like these are not only  caused by Tofu Dreg Construction.  

Another factor is poor maintenance.  Inspectors can be bribed to  

look the other way. A lot of Chinese citizens  don't trust official safety certifications.

In Wuhan last month, flammable  gasses underground caused this.

And not too long after that, a  natural gas pipe exploded in Wuhan.  

It injured more than 130 people,  and killed an estimated 25.

That explosion was too large of an incident  to be ignored by the Chinese Communist Party.  

So they started rolling out punishments  for anyone who could be deemed responsible.

“An initial investigation found the  company affiliated with China Gas,  

a gas operator that provides natural gas  and liquefied petroleum gas to residents  

and businesses, did not strictly perform  gas pipeline patrols and checks as required  

and there were serious flaws in the  operation of related facilities.”

And so Chinese leader Xi  Jinping got directly involved  

to stop this kind of thing from happening.

“Xi Jinping instructed all localities  to investigate potential safety hazards,  

maintain the overall stability of their society,  

and 'create a good atmosphere' for the 100-year  anniversary of the Communist Party of China.”

In other words, local officials should  focus on making things look good,  

and covering up any incidents.

The Chinese Communist Party  has been hyping themselves  

up for their big anniversary on July 1st.

As my favorite Chinese state-run media  The Global Times writes in English:  

“A wide range of works including films, television  dramas, operas, documentaries and animated works  

will be produced to celebrate mark  this important occasion time.”

You know, if they want to make their anniversary  look good, they should hire a proofreader.

But I hope everyone in China enjoys the pageantry.  

They can even watch the fireworks from  the street—because their home collapsed.

And this episode is sponsored by Surfshark.

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Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.