Cement Shop Owner Detained in China After Disabled Worker Allegedly Went Unpaid for 20 Years

Police in north China's Hebei Province have detained the operator of a cement shop after online videos alleged that a disabled elderly man had been made to carry cement there for about 20 years without pay, local authorities said on Wednesday.

A joint investigation team in Qingyuan District, Baoding, said the man, identified as Ding, 66, is from another city and came to Liuzhuang Village in Zangcun Township about two decades ago. He later lived with the cement shop operator, surnamed An, 57, and worked for him, according to a district statement.

The district said Ding received a full medical checkup on the afternoon of June 7, with no abnormalities found, and had been properly resettled. Police also carried out DNA comparison work and found Ding's relatives on June 9.

An has been placed under criminal detention, and the case is still under investigation, the statement said. The district said it would conduct broader checks and improve work mechanisms to protect citizens' lawful rights and interests.

The case drew wide public attention after several videos circulated online showing an elderly man unloading cement at a shop in Liuzhuang Village. The footage showed him working without a mask or other dust protection, according to China Newsweek.

The videos alleged that the man got up about 5am each day, moved more than 20 tons of cement a day, had not received wages and had no labor protection. In the footage, the shop owner was quoted as saying the man had no identity documents, had been 'given' to him by a friend and had been there for more than 20 years. Asked what would happen if the man died, the owner was quoted as saying he would be buried.

The man was also shown saying he was tired and wanted to go home. Officials from Zangcun Township told China Newsweek earlier that the man had been temporarily placed at the Baoding rescue management station and that the district government would release a formal update.