Guangxi Drought Videos Deleted; Footage of Locals Praying for Rain Labeled “Fake”

Since last autumn, it hasn’t rained at all in Guangxi Province, resulting in the most severe drought in 60 years. Farmlands are cracked, and rice seedlings have withered thin leaves. Villagers say, “This year is truly unbearable.” (Screenshot from video)

[People News] Recently, several regions across China—including Guangxi, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi—have experienced historically severe droughts. Farmers have taken to their knees to pray for rain, but the official media have downplayed the situation. Enraged, many farmers have lashed out at local CCP officials, accusing them of being corrupt and engaging in deception.

In Guangxi, the worst drought in six decades continues to worsen in many areas. People have spontaneously organised to pray to Heaven for rain, but news of these prayer gatherings has been denied by the authorities. Because praying for rain signals that, in the hearts of the people, deities and divine forces come first, it shows that when facing hardship, people instinctively turn to higher powers, not the Communist Party, which claims to be "great, glorious, and correct."

According to data released by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Department of Water Resources, average precipitation across the region since November 2024 has been nearly 70% lower than in past years, marking the lowest level since 1961. As a result, many parts of Guangxi are experiencing drought, with some areas reaching "exceptional drought" levels. On April 17, the Guangxi Flood and Drought Prevention Command reported that 97.5% of the region was experiencing meteorological drought, and 68.7% was classified as "exceptional drought."

Footage shared by Chinese netizens shows that Guangxi Province has not seen rain since last autumn, marking the most severe drought there in 60 years.

In one video, rice and corn seedlings are seen growing in cracked, parched soil with shrivelled leaves. A female villager says it hasn’t rained for more than half a year and that the corn plants haven’t had a single drop of water since being planted—they’ve all withered. Another villager shows dry sugarcane fields where the soil crumbles like dry yellow dust, completely lacking moisture.

Farmers are also frustrated with the conflicting messages from authorities about the drought.

One male villager said that weather forecasts and Douyin (TikTok) reports claimed it had been raining, but in reality, it hadn’t rained there for over half a year, not a single drop since last autumn. Irrigating one acre of land costs over 250 RMB per session, which is too expensive. Many farmers on camera kept repeating, “This year is just too hard.”

In Chongzuo, Guangxi, the Zuo River has visibly receded under drought conditions. The base of the Chongzuo Bridge pillars is now exposed, and large sections of the riverbank near the tourist site “Zuo River Leaning Tower” have emerged from the water.

According to The Epoch Times, Zhao Yong (alias), a resident of Nanning in Guangxi, said he’s in his 50s and has never seen such a severe drought. “There was no rain this year, and none last year either. Without rain, trees don’t bloom, and bees have no flowers to gather from.” Small rivers in the countryside have run completely dry. “We can only depend on Heaven, and if it doesn’t rain, there’s nothing we can do.”

Zhao added that most parts of Guangxi are drought-stricken, which has greatly affected the region’s rice and sugarcane crops. “The sugarcane is all dead. Even the ones that haven’t dried out yet are almost dead. Some people plant late-season rice in July or August; others plant early rice around the Qingming Festival (early April). But without water, none of it works.”

Another Nanning resident, Sun Wen (alias), said his hometown is in Laibin, Guangxi, where his family grows a lot of sugarcane. “This year’s drought is very severe. The sugarcane is dying, and the damage is great.” Without rain, farmers have tried to pump water to irrigate their fields, but the resources are limited.

Previously, mainland Chinese media offered only sparse coverage of Guangxi’s serious drought. Reports now indicate that 11 cities and 52 counties or districts in Guangxi are affected, with estimated economic losses already reaching 210 million RMB.

A 91-year-old woman surnamed Yang from Guigang, Guangxi, said she hadn’t seen such severe drought in her entire life.

This disastrous drought has made farmers as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Numerous videos of people praying for rain began to circulate online. In response, authorities quickly moved to debunk these videos, claiming the prayer scenes were "staged," though they did acknowledge that a drought exists.

The aforementioned Nanning resident, Sun Wen, said, “I haven’t seen much drought coverage in the news, and the government hasn’t helped farmers solve the problem. I posted a drought-related video online, and it got deleted.”

News about the widespread droughts in several provinces has also drawn attention from overseas internet users, who commented: “When natural disasters strike, China is in a state of lawlessness.” “They don’t revere Heaven or Earth, yet they want Heaven’s blessings?” “The CCP has done so many evil things, it doesn’t deserve Heaven’s protection. Ordinary people should do good deeds to build virtue and earn blessings.” “Last year, Hunan had a once-in-a-century drought. Then, when the rains came, it turned into flooding. Didn’t they build a bunch of dams? What were the CCP’s claims when building the Three Gorges Dam?” “When a nation is about to fall, omens appear from Heaven. First drought, then floods, finally earthquakes.” “At the end of the Ming dynasty, natural disasters were everywhere, and peasant uprisings broke out across the country.” “It’s time to rise up.”