Photos of ‘official’ involved in parking dispute go viral on Chinese social media

Photos of an irate man involved in a car parking dispute in Beijing went viral on Chinese social media on Monday after netizens identified the man in question as a middle-level government official.

Angrily pointing his finger at the camera, the man had to be held back by security at a residential community after he became involved in a confrontation with a second man who claimed he had parked in his private parking space, according to a posting on the microblogging site Sina Weibo.

As of noon on Monday the post had solicited more than 14,000 comments and was reposted 49,000 times.

The photos were uploaded by a Sina Weibo microblogger under the handle “Dajiangzhiyuan” on Sunday morning.

“The man burst out with vulgar language and tried to assault me,” said the blogger whose on-site verified identity states he is a photographer and publisher.

He added the man claimed he was “high-up in the State Council (China’s cabinet)”.

The post quickly generated a buzz on Chinese social media, and users were quick to identify the man as Wu Tong, a deputy department chief of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.