"Give Back the Money I Earned Through Blood and Sweat": Man in His 40s Drives Excavator, Wrecks Government Office... What Happened in China?

by Yun Seulgi

Published 10 Nov.2026 16:24(KST)

Entrance sign, glass doors, and stairs damaged... No injuries
Attack carried out over dissatisfaction with compensation for fish farm demolition

An incident occurred in China in which a man in his 40s damaged the entrance, stairs, and other parts of a government office building with an excavator. He is believed to have carried out the attack over dissatisfaction with compensation for the demolition of his fish farm.

A man in his 40s drove an excavator into a government office in China, damaging the entrance and other areas. Chinese social media...

According to local media, including China’s Jimu News, on November 10, Hu, 47, drove an excavator into an administrative service center in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, at around 11 a.m. the previous day and smashed building fixtures one after another.

A video circulating on Chinese social media shows the excavator crashing into and damaging the sign above the building entrance, glass doors, and other areas. A chant saying, “Give back the money I earned through blood and sweat,” could be heard repeatedly over a loudspeaker.

People inside the building rushed to evacuate. One witness told local media, “It was so frightening that no one dared to step forward to stop him,” adding, “The excavator stopped after smashing several places, and the driver was subdued by police.”

The incident reportedly also damaged exterior walls and auxiliary structures at the rear of the building and in the surrounding area.

Operations at the administrative service center were temporarily suspended immediately after the incident. Fortunately, no one was injured, and operations resumed that afternoon.

China’s Jizhen News, citing a local official, reported that Hu carried out the attack because he was dissatisfied with compensation related to the demolition of his fish farm.