'A loving husband, sincere and honest' was how neighbours characterised Zhao Dengyong So it came as a shock when the 26-year-old was blamed for a suicide bombing last month.
Four people, including the alleged suicide bomber, were killed and 16 others injured in the attack on a county office in Qiaojia county, Yunnan province, on May 10.
Residents and internet users asked what could have driven the young man, who appeared to have no connection to the office, to leave behind his wife and son and undertake the assault.
'Zhao Dengyong was an outsider seeking odd jobs here,' said a neighbour, 65, who declined to be named. 'He had no enemies and didn't harbour any hostile feelings towards the government. He also had no land in this county. Why would he blow up [the office]?'
The local government is facing a credibility crisis, as a sceptical public question a series of conflicting official findings.
One question concerns Zhao's alleged culpability in the attack - on a community office used to process relocation agreements.
'Beijing should send forensic and criminal investigators to uncover the truth that the local government has buried,' said the elderly neighbour.