The recent wave of heightened xenophobia in China has been put into comic strip form with an illustrated handbook on “Foreign Trash Classification” going viral on WeChat over the weekend.

The comic trip combines the trash sorting regulations that some Chinese cities instituted last year with viral stories of foreigners in China breaking epidemic prevention rules that have been all over Chinese social media this past month.

It begins with a worker declaring that his prevention work is not yet done and that he will again have to classify foreign trash.

Another worker enters, dragging a foreigner to the garbage bins for sorting.

The foreigner’s alleged offense is then described: “He came to China to take refuge but he didn’t wear a mask on the street. Also, he insulted and attacked epidemic prevention workers.”

The worker declares that the foreigner has a “heart covered in pig lard” and classifies him as household food waste.

He is thrown into the corresponding bin.

“I have the right to breathe,” protests the foreigner.



“Obey the rules and wear a mask. That way everyone can breathe freely as soon as possible. If you don’t want to wear a mask, go back to where you came from!” responds the worker while spraying him down with disinfectant.

The comic follows this format eight more times with various foreigners being dragged in and accused of things like: causing trouble at a quarantine hotel while ordering takeout food at 3 am.

Breaking quarantine to go out for a jog while not even wearing a face mask.



Sneaking into China to avoid the Covid-19 pandemic elsewhere.

Trying to trick Chinese women into having sex.

Pretending to be a friend of China while writing bad things about the country online.

Breaking quarantine to pick up deliveries, not wearing a mask, and pulling down alarms.

Biting a nurse while being treated for coronavirus at the hospital.

Cutting in line at the airport for a nucleic acid test and then shouting “Chinese get out” after fellow travelers start protesting.

Each segment corresponds to a story involving foreigners in China over the past month. These stories have been some of the hottest topics on Weibo.

After domestic transmissions of the coronavirus dropped to zero in China last month, the country’s focus switched to containing infections coming in from abroad, leading to a spike in xenophobia online and all foreigners being banned from entering the country, even those with residence permits or visas.

This is all despite the fact that the vast majority of imported coronavirus cases are Chinese passport holders.