The sudden death of Chinese tech worker due to overwork has triggered a furore in the country, with many raising voices against the return of the toxic ‘996 culture’.

The 25-year-old reportedly died soon after he was admitted to a hospital from his home on Saturday afternoon, The Guardian reported.

The video platform Bilibili, where the man was working as a content auditor, said company representatives went to the hospital to assist and then notified his family.

The incident triggered outrage in China's social media platforms after it merged that the man, who had worked throughout a week-long public holiday, died of a brain haemorrhage.

However, the company defended itself saying that the 25-year-old, whose name is yet to be revealed, had been working from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm for the past week, with no overtime.

"The death of this excellent worker is not only an enormous loss to the company, but has also served as a wake-up call to us," Bilibili said in a statement.

“We should make active improvements in checking up on the physical health of employees to prevent similar tragedies from happening again,” it added.

On Monday, social media platform Weibo was buzzed with the hashtag "Bilibili worker” on Monday when a workplace blogger reported the man’s death, citing anonymous colleagues claiming that he was forced to work overtime, reported AFP.

The same day, a Weibo user claiming to be the man's sister wrote a long post thanking the blogger and alleging that Bilibili tried to suppress news of his death internally.

“Is it that hard to give a sincere apology? Does my brother's twenty-something-year-old life not count?” she wrote, in a post that gained over 870,000 likes.

According to Chinese law, businesses should not allow their staff to work more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, and overtime is restricted to 36 hours a month.

But several Chinese companies still operate through the ‘996’ work mode, where it is expected from the employees, especially in the tech industry, to work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week.

The expectation has in the past been promoted by high-profile figures including the Alibaba founder, Jack Ma.

(With inputs from agencies)

The sudden death of Chinese tech worker due to overwork has triggered a furore in the country, with many raising voices against the return of the toxic ‘996 culture’.

The sudden death of Chinese tech worker due to overwork has triggered a furore in the country, with many raising voices against the return of the toxic ‘996 culture’. The 25-year-old reportedly died soon after he was admitted to a hospital from his home on Saturday afternoon, The Guardian reported. The video platform Bilibili, where the man was working as a content auditor, said company representatives went to the hospital to assist and then notified his family. The incident triggered outrage in China's social media platforms after it merged that the man, who had worked throughout a week-long public holiday, died of a brain haemorrhage. However, the company defended itself saying that the 25-year-old, whose name is yet to be revealed, had been working from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm for the past week, with no overtime. "The death of this excellent worker is not only an enormous loss to the company, but has also served as a wake-up call to us," Bilibili said in a statement. “We should make active improvements in checking up on the physical health of employees to prevent similar tragedies from happening again,” it added. On Monday, social media platform Weibo was buzzed with the hashtag "Bilibili worker” on Monday when a workplace blogger reported the man’s death, citing anonymous colleagues claiming that he was forced to work overtime, reported AFP. The same day, a Weibo user claiming to be the man's sister wrote a long post thanking the blogger and alleging that Bilibili tried to suppress news of his death internally. “Is it that hard to give a sincere apology? Does my brother's twenty-something-year-old life not count?” she wrote, in a post that gained over 870,000 likes. According to Chinese law, businesses should not allow their staff to work more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, and overtime is restricted to 36 hours a month. But several Chinese companies still operate through the ‘996’ work mode, where it is expected from the employees, especially in the tech industry, to work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week. The expectation has in the past been promoted by high-profile figures including the Alibaba founder, Jack Ma. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese worker falls prey to ‘996’ work culture, reigniting overtime debate

In China, Ali Baba co-founder Jack Ma now holds a meager 4.8 percent stake in the company, compared with 6.4 percent a year before. Watch report.

Ali Baba co-founder's stake dips: Stake down to 4.8% from 6.2%

Jack Ma, the head of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and China’s best-known capitalist, is a Communist Party member, the official Party newspaper said on Monday, debunking a public assumption the billionaire was politically unattached.

The People’s Daily revealed Ma’s Party membership in a list of 100 people it said had helped drive the country “reform and opening up” process. Ma is China’s richest man with a fortune of $35.8 billion, according to Forbes.

It was unclear why the paper chose to mention Ma’s affiliation now but it comes amid a push by Beijing to bring the country’s private enterprises more in line with Party values, especially in the technology sector that has grown rapidly, driven by the successes of private firms.

Ma, who announced in September he would step down as Alibaba chairman next year, is China’s highest-profile business leader. He has acted as an adviser to political leaders in Asia and Europe and fostered big ambitions in the United States.

He has driven Alibaba to become a $390 billion giant, which dominates China’s online retail market, stretches from logistics to social media, and has spawned a separate fintech empire around popular payment platform Alipay.

Ma’s political affiliation came as a surprise to many.

Jack Ma, the head of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and China’s best-known capitalist, is a Communist Party member, the official Party newspaper said on Monday, debunking a public assumption the billionaire was politically unattached.

Jack Ma, the head of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and China’s best-known capitalist, is a Communist Party member, the official Party newspaper said on Monday, debunking a public assumption the billionaire was politically unattached. The People’s Daily revealed Ma’s Party membership in a list of 100 people it said had helped drive the country “reform and opening up” process. Ma is China’s richest man with a fortune of $35.8 billion, according to Forbes. It was unclear why the paper chose to mention Ma’s affiliation now but it comes amid a push by Beijing to bring the country’s private enterprises more in line with Party values, especially in the technology sector that has grown rapidly, driven by the successes of private firms. Ma, who announced in September he would step down as Alibaba chairman next year, is China’s highest-profile business leader. He has acted as an adviser to political leaders in Asia and Europe and fostered big ambitions in the United States. He has driven Alibaba to become a $390 billion giant, which dominates China’s online retail market, stretches from logistics to social media, and has spawned a separate fintech empire around popular payment platform Alipay. Ma’s political affiliation came as a surprise to many.

Jack Ma, China's richest man, is Communist Party member: China state paper

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were hopes its millennium-old capital Baghdad could rise again from the ashes, but construction sites have remained idle as if time stood still.

For 15 years promises of rebuilding infrastructure in the second most populous Arab capital have fallen through and a multitude of projects have been shelved.

Baghdad's skyline is dotted with the desolate sights of rusting cranes, while roads and bridges are gutted with potholes and craters from lack of maintenance.

Even the emblematic Fardous (paradise) Square, where a giant effigy of dictator Saddam Hussein was symbolically pulled down with the help of US Marines, remains to be revamped.

Infrastructure across Baghdad, a city of 900 square kilometres (350 square miles), is in dire need of repairs.

"Industry, education, health, agriculture... everything is now worse than it was during Saddam's rule," said businessman Sadeq al-Shomari.&nbsp

In 2004 and again in 2007, international conferences were organised to rebuild Iraq and donors pledged massive funds for projects that have never materialised.

Some of the funds allocated to rebuilding Baghdad have disappeared, according to Transparency International which ranks Iraq as the 12th most corrupt country in the world.

40,000 thieves

Teacher Zuheir Ouasmi blames it on corrupt officials who he says have pilfered Iraqi coffers, comparing his country's woes to the folktale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves".

Before 2003 "the wealth of Ali Baba was in the hands of the dictator but now 40,000 thieves have take over Ali Baba's cave and the treasure", he said.

As Baghdad's infrastructure worsens, its population has swelled mainly due to an influx of people who fled conflict zones elsewhere in Iraq to settle in the capital.

In 2003, the capital was home to 4.7 million but now the population of Baghdad is 7.2 million strong.

During that same period, the number of cars in the congested city also grew from 250,000 to more than two million vehicles.

Daily power cuts plague the population who, in order to keep their refrigerators working and mobile phones charged, must rely on privately-owned generators.

The streets of the capital -- wracked by years of sectarian violence after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam and car bomb attacks -- are some of the most congested in the world.

Cement blocks have been erected to block off roads and render them more secure from 2003 onwards, and restaurants, cafes and shops have also used cement walls and sandbags as protection.

Now that the violence has decreased, hundreds of streets have been reopened but roadblocks manned by security forces are still an obstacle course for motorists and pedestrians alike.

The iconic Rashid Street, which was built during World War I and until the 1970s was Baghdad's answer to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, is now dotted with "cement walls and roadblocks and rubble", &nbspbemoaned US-Iraqi architect Raya Alanie.

"It is sad. Everything must be renovated," she said of Baghdad's heritage.

City within a city

Alanie recalled the heyday of the city, heart of the Abassid Caliphate and the centre of Arab and Muslim civilisation for five centuries.

Baghdad "was the first city to equip homes" along Abu Nawas Avenue which girds the Tigris River, "with solar energy" in the 1980s, when Saddam ruled over the country, she said.

The Tigris is the city's green lung and on the other bank, behind barbed wire and cement fortifications, a small island can be seen.

There, in what is known as Baghdad's Green Zone, the grass is green and traffic along its wide avenues is rare.

The fortified area houses the country's key institutions and it is where the US troops that invaded Baghdad in 2003 had set up their headquarters in Saddam's palace.

The Green Zone is out of bounds for most Iraqis and only a few are privileged enough to have a pass to enter the area, which is also home to the US and British embassies.

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were hopes its millennium-old capital Baghdad could rise again from the ashes, but construction sites have remained idle as if time stood still

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were hopes its millennium-old capital Baghdad could rise again from the ashes, but construction sites have remained idle as if time stood still. For 15 years promises of rebuilding infrastructure in the second most populous Arab capital have fallen through and a multitude of projects have been shelved. Baghdad's skyline is dotted with the desolate sights of rusting cranes, while roads and bridges are gutted with potholes and craters from lack of maintenance. Even the emblematic Fardous (paradise) Square, where a giant effigy of dictator Saddam Hussein was symbolically pulled down with the help of US Marines, remains to be revamped. Infrastructure across Baghdad, a city of 900 square kilometres (350 square miles), is in dire need of repairs. "Industry, education, health, agriculture... everything is now worse than it was during Saddam's rule," said businessman Sadeq al-Shomari. In 2004 and again in 2007, international conferences were organised to rebuild Iraq and donors pledged massive funds for projects that have never materialised. Some of the funds allocated to rebuilding Baghdad have disappeared, according to Transparency International which ranks Iraq as the 12th most corrupt country in the world. 40,000 thieves Teacher Zuheir Ouasmi blames it on corrupt officials who he says have pilfered Iraqi coffers, comparing his country's woes to the folktale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". Before 2003 "the wealth of Ali Baba was in the hands of the dictator but now 40,000 thieves have take over Ali Baba's cave and the treasure", he said. As Baghdad's infrastructure worsens, its population has swelled mainly due to an influx of people who fled conflict zones elsewhere in Iraq to settle in the capital. In 2003, the capital was home to 4.7 million but now the population of Baghdad is 7.2 million strong. During that same period, the number of cars in the congested city also grew from 250,000 to more than two million vehicles. Daily power cuts plague the population who, in order to keep their refrigerators working and mobile phones charged, must rely on privately-owned generators. The streets of the capital -- wracked by years of sectarian violence after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam and car bomb attacks -- are some of the most congested in the world. Cement blocks have been erected to block off roads and render them more secure from 2003 onwards, and restaurants, cafes and shops have also used cement walls and sandbags as protection. Now that the violence has decreased, hundreds of streets have been reopened but roadblocks manned by security forces are still an obstacle course for motorists and pedestrians alike. The iconic Rashid Street, which was built during World War I and until the 1970s was Baghdad's answer to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, is now dotted with "cement walls and roadblocks and rubble", &nbspbemoaned US-Iraqi architect Raya Alanie. "It is sad. Everything must be renovated," she said of Baghdad's heritage. City within a city Alanie recalled the heyday of the city, heart of the Abassid Caliphate and the centre of Arab and Muslim civilisation for five centuries. Baghdad "was the first city to equip homes" along Abu Nawas Avenue which girds the Tigris River, "with solar energy" in the 1980s, when Saddam ruled over the country, she said. The Tigris is the city's green lung and on the other bank, behind barbed wire and cement fortifications, a small island can be seen. There, in what is known as Baghdad's Green Zone, the grass is green and traffic along its wide avenues is rare. The fortified area houses the country's key institutions and it is where the US troops that invaded Baghdad in 2003 had set up their headquarters in Saddam's palace. The Green Zone is out of bounds for most Iraqis and only a few are privileged enough to have a pass to enter the area, which is also home to the US and British embassies.

Baghdad's infrastructure in ruins 15 years after Saddam fell

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Chinese worker falls prey to ‘996’ work culture, reigniting overtime debate

Ali Baba co-founder's stake dips: Stake down to 4.8% from 6.2%

Jack Ma, China's richest man, is Communist Party member: China state paper

Baghdad's infrastructure in ruins 15 years after Saddam fell