Online Invite to 'Hold Down the Pig' Draws 1,000 to Chongqing Village Feast

An online post by a young woman in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has unexpectedly turned into a massive rural gathering, drawing hundreds of people and even prompting local authorities to step in and help.

As Jiupai News reported, a woman known online as "Dai Dai" posted a playful request on Douyin on January 9 asking for help "holding down the New Year pig." She said her family had raised two pigs, but her elderly parents were not strong enough to manage the slaughter, and invited netizens to help in exchange for a bowl of pork soup, a traditional rural feast.

The post soon went viral. Six online chat groups, each capped at 500 people, quickly filled up. Several thousand visitors have arrived since, with village roads packed with parked cars. Companies and online influencers even brought extra pigs to support the event, and both lunches and dinners were served as a flowing banquet in the family courtyard.

The entire process was livestreamed on Douyin, drawing tens of thousands of online viewers. Local police and government departments sent staff to maintain order, especially to manage traffic and parking. The official culture and tourism authority of Hechuan District also joined the scene, handing out free tickets to a well-known local tourist attraction.

Having pigs slaughtered on the spot is a traditional New Year custom in rural China. The custom emphasizes teamwork, fresh ingredients, and communal celebration. Before the Spring Festival, families slaughter a home-raised pig and cook fresh pork and offal to share with relatives and neighbors.

The process is physically demanding, often requiring four or five strong adults to hold down a pig weighing nearly 100 kilograms. In the Rongchang area of Chongqing, this tradition dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and has been recognized as a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage.