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Daidai's viral plea got over a million likes, and on the ground, it attracted thousands to her village.
A young woman turned to the Internet for help when she realised that her ageing father could not slaughter two pigs to honour the years-old Chinese New Year tradition for a traditional community feast.
A resident of the Chinese village, Qingfu, the woman wanted her father to be able to hold his head high and offer the villagers a feast, despite his limited capabilities due to his age.
Large community meals are an important part of culture in rural Sichuan and Chongqing, featuring twice-cooked pork, steamed ribs, soup and homemade liquor.
What did the viral online plea say?
In the viral online plea, Douyin user ‘Daidai’ shared an emotional plea with her followers on China's version of TikTok and said, “Can anyone help me? My father is old. I am worried that he can't handle these pigs.”
She also promised that those who came to their village to help would be treated to a pork banquet.
“I wish to (see) a row of cars parked outside my house,” she followed up. “Let me stand with my head held high in my village.”
How was the response to the online plea?
Daidai's viral plea got over a million likes, and on the ground, it attracted thousands to her village.
According to the BBC, traffic jams were reported on roads that led to rural Chongqing in south-west China. Drone images available online showed carloads of people queuing up in the hope of entering Qingfu. Several people reportedly walked in from long distances to beat traffic.
In a different post, Daidai cautioned that the drivers, especially those from the city unaccustomed to conditions in the countryside, coming into the area should be careful on the roads.
Online response for the event only grew — more than 100,000 viewers, registering 20 million likes, watched pig slaughter and subsequent mass banquet live online.
Local authorities step in
Two pigs could not feed the overwhelming crowd that had gathered in the small rural village. According to a BBC report, tourism officials stepped in to donate more pigs to meet the huge demand. Small restaurants also helped serve crowds of visitors in outdoor seating areas.
A News Asia report said that local authorities distributed gifts and free tickets to popular tourist spots. Traffic police officers were also deployed to maintain order.
A feast that lasted two days
The feast which Daidai expected would be for a dozen people, ended up being a banquet celebration that went on for two days – 1,000 diners on 11 January became 2,000 the next day.
“The turnout was so massive that Daidai's original two pigs were woefully insufficient. In total, five pigs were slaughtered to feed a rotating crowd of over 3,000 people,” the China Daily report said.
The celebration was accompanied by bonfires into the night, partying and a band playing.
Eventually, according to a BBC report, Daidai posted that her celebration was over. She urged any more visitors to enjoy the region but requested that they not visit her home because she had only slept for four hours over two days and was exhausted.
Hechuan region is likely to turn this into a regular event to tap into the enthusiasm for those looking for genuine, grass-roots interaction.
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