Chinese citizens making live videos from morning till night, even going inside people’s homes

A group of foreign nationals are seen walking around the streets, each carrying two mobile phones. One phone is being used to livestream, while something is written on the screen of the other. At first glance, one might assume they are journalists or working on Google Street View. But that is not the case. They have been livestreaming in this manner for months. Their broadcasts run from morning until night. At times, they even enter people's homes and record videos. This has left local residents confused.

Such activities by Chinese nationals can be seen in Sector 12 of Uttara and the Tekpara area of Dhaka. However, no accurate information is available on how many Chinese nationals are involved in recording these videos in the area. 

Local residents estimate that more than 150 Chinese nationals are filming in this manner in the neighbourhood's streets and alleyways. However, residents have no idea where these videos are published or what is being said in them. Not even the local police station monitors their activities. What initially sparked curiosity among residents—the practice of livestreaming from morning until night—has now become a source of growing irritation.

Akram Hossain, a resident of the Tekpara area in Uttara, told Prothom Alo: “It would be understandable if this were just a matter of a day or two. But they (the Chinese nationals) have been making these videos for months. They start filming before we even wake up. When we go to bed, we still see them filming. But we have no idea what they do with these videos.”

Where do the videos go?

The activities of Chinese nationals in Uttara have sparked curiosity among local residents. Even newcomers to the area are somewhat surprised by what they see and want to know why these people are making videos. They wonder why ordinary daily activities are being filmed in this way, even though the area has no particularly notable attractions for visitors.

Local residents say Chinese nationals livestream from various parts of Uttara, but they do so most frequently in the Tekpara area. A canal runs alongside Sector 12 of Uttara, and Tekpara is situated on its banks. Compared with other parts of Uttara, the area is less developed and predominantly inhabited by low-income people. Due to its dense population, the neighbourhood is also quite dirty. It is precisely this area that the Chinese nationals have chosen as the setting for their videos.

On October 27 and November 3, Prothom Alo visited these areas of Uttara and attempted to speak with local residents and 17 Chinese nationals. The objective was to find out where they were filming and why. However, most of the Chinese nationals were unwilling to speak. Those who showed some interest simply gave their names and nationality before leaving. Some avoided the conversation, saying they did not speak English. They also refused to communicate through Google Translate.

On the afternoon of 27 October, while attempting to speak with one of the people filming in Sector 12 of Uttara, Prothom Alo came across a Bangladeshi woman named Ritu Akhter. She said she worked as a guide for the Chinese nationals and had been working with them for several months. She added that several other Bangladeshi women also assisted the Chinese nationals in a similar capacity.

When asked where the Chinese nationals published the videos they recorded for hours on end, Ritu Akhter called over a Chinese national named Fangyou. After speaking to him in Chinese, she managed to explain that the reporter wanted to talk to him. The conversation then took place through Google Translate on Fangyou's mobile phone.

Fangyou told Prothom Alo that they livestreamed on a Chinese platform called WeChat as part of product promotion activities. However, when asked why they had chosen this particular area of Uttara and why they livestreamed continuously, he refused to answer any further questions. At one point, he sternly called Ritu over and left the scene.

Ritu Akhter told Prothom Alo that she primarily worked as a guide for the Chinese nationals, earning Tk 700 to Tk 800 a day in return. She said the Chinese nationals earned money by posting these videos on China-based platforms such as WeChat and Douyin (TikTok), as well as on various other platforms.

According to Ritu, the Chinese nationals have a particular interest in areas inhabited by low-income people in Bangladesh, which is why they chose this neighbourhood.

The Chinese nationals speak while recording their livestreams. Since they speak Chinese, local residents cannot understand what they are saying. However, it is easy to tell from watching that they are describing the subjects they are livestreaming.

Some of their commentary during livestreams was translated using Google Translate and verified by four Bangladeshis who know Chinese. An analysis of the content revealed that although the videos are being recorded in Uttara, the Chinese nationals claim during their livestreams that they are broadcasting from New Delhi, India.

Some also describe Bangladeshis as poor people living in dirty and damp conditions. Others claim that Bangladeshi men misuse money whenever they get their hands on some. Meanwhile, some Chinese women who livestream can be heard saying that they live here with their husbands and families because they got married in India.

On 1 November, a Chinese woman named Mianmian was standing beside the canal in Sector 12 of Uttara, showing viewers videos of Tekpara. She introduced herself as being from China's Sichuan province. During her livestream, she said, “This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn't even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor.”

She went on to describe how people in India use toilets.

There are tea stalls on both sides of a small bridge in Tekpara. Another Chinese national, named Wang Wei, was filming at these tea stalls. During his livestream, he could be heard saying, “Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea.”

Standing in front of another tea stall, he claimed during his livestream that the tea people were drinking was made using dirty river water. He also described their lifestyle as extremely unhygienic.

However, some of the Chinese nationals were also heard making positive comments about Bangladesh.

A Chinese national named Li Yang, while showing air conditioners installed in various buildings in Uttara, said, “Look, they use air conditioners too. Most of these air conditioners are Chinese. Everyone uses Chinese products because they think they are cheap here. Can you tell me which brand this air conditioner is? Whoever can guess correctly will receive a prize.”

Chinese nationals have been filming in almost every alley and street of Uttara for months. They sometimes record videos several times in the same area on a single day. They film not only on roads and in shops but also enter residential neighbourhoods to record videos. Local residents complain that these Chinese nationals sometimes walk into people's homes while filming.

Rozina Khatun, a local resident, told Prothom Alo, “Sometimes they enter our homes and start filming. We are not always properly dressed inside our houses. Imagine how it feels when someone suddenly walks into your home and starts recording.”

Another resident, Papia Begum, said, “Some of them even enter bathrooms while filming. Even if we say something to them, they don't understand. They just smile, say sorry and leave. This kind of nuisance continues throughout the day. Nobody takes any action either. If we confront them, they leave, but then come back again.”

Although local residents have objected to the activities of the Chinese nationals, the police do not monitor their operations. Police at the local station say they have seen Chinese nationals making such videos in various parts of Uttara but do not know why they are filming. They say that attempts to find out more have been hampered by language barriers and the Chinese nationals' apparent irritation, leading them to avoid pursuing the matter.

Mohammad Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge (OC) of Uttara West Police Station, told Prothom Alo, “I actually don't know why they make these videos. I don't know where the videos are screened either. However, I have informed senior authorities that they are making these videos. Work is underway on the matter.”