Mumbai, May 5: A young teacher in Wuhan, central China, died of Cardiac arrest in his office just days before his wedding, after he was overwhelmed by the pressure of dealing with 400 students and working excessive overtime. His death has sparked furious debate over the country's rigorous "996" work culture, where workers commonly work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.

The man, whose surname was Li, was in his late 20s and had worked as an online instructor for a big education company, teaching English and mathematics to millions of students for five years. On April 22, Li worked late to finish his tasks ahead of a holiday break. His fiancée was unable to contact him that evening and called the police. The following morning, a cleaner discovered him motionless — he had experienced sudden cardiac arrest, reported myNews. Chinese Woman Blocks Train Door at Shenzhen Station To Let Friends Board, Resists Officers; Detained for Disrupting Operations (Watch Video).

Li came from a poor background and a financially troubled family. His father died at an early age, his mother remarried later on, and he was the second of two children. Despite all this, he was to be wed to his fiancée on May 2. His untimely death has left his family heartbroken, who are now cooperating with authorities to verify the death as work-related. Chinese Startups are Hiring Attractive Women as 'Programmer Motivators' to Ease Stressful Coders.

Though the company claimed Li was not required to work that day due to a holiday, many netizens questioned whether the “voluntary” overtime was actually driven by performance pressure. Former staff revealed that extreme workloads, tracking of breaks, and mental burnout were common at the company. One ex-employee resigned immediately after hearing of Li’s death.

Online outrage has surged, with over 70 million views on related hashtags. Chinese law limits overtime, but enforcement remains weak. Li’s story has become a symbol of overwork in China, with one post summing up the nation’s grief: “He should’ve been celebrating love, not dying for deadlines.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2025 08:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).