21-Year-Old Sacrifices Future Selling Pork to Support 6 Siblings While Parents Want More Children—Until the Truth Emerges
A viral story about a 21-year-old sacrificing his future to support six siblings while his parents sought more children turned out to be fabricated marketing content, with authorities discovering the family actually owned multiple shops and
In early April, the story of Sun Pan, a 21-year-old from Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province, China, went viral on social media. He was presented as the eldest son shouldering family responsibilities alone, supporting six younger siblings while his parents continued wanting more children.
According to social media posts, he would wake at 2 a.m. to butcher pigs with his father, return at 4 a.m. to care for a disabled sister, then rush to set up a pork stall in the city before 7 a.m. He would then livestream sales, package products, and work every single day without breaks. This lifestyle deeply moved many people, particularly the troubling fact that his parents wanted more children despite already having seven, including one disabled daughter and one son with intellectual disabilities. Many netizens praised his responsibility but heavily criticized his parents for burdening their eldest son.
However, after the story went viral, local authorities investigated and uncovered "another side of the truth." Sun Pan was not impoverished as portrayed—his family owned 2-3 shops in the city.
Furthermore, Sun Pan didn't drop out due to poverty. He failed the college entrance exam and chose not to continue studying. All the difficult circumstances shown in the videos were scripted fiction. The entire operation was marketing content that took over two months to plan, crafting an image of a "sacrificing son" that attracted nearly 200,000 followers and thousands of livestream viewers per session.
Regarding income, the team priced pork nearly double the market rate at approximately 30 yuan per kilogram (about 140 baht). Leveraging viewers' sympathy, they sold well—some days selling up to three pigs. Combined with livestream and product sales revenue, they earned continuously. Local residents confirmed the family was not poor as portrayed online.
Still, some elements were true: Sun Pan did help with household work and genuinely livestream sales. His parents' belief that "more children mean more opportunities for success" was real, and they genuinely intended to have more children despite already having seven.
Many view this as another case reflecting the problem of sympathy-baiting content in the online world, which not only erodes public trust but may also redirect help away from those truly in need.
