Town disaster

镇灾 (zhèn zāi) town disaster

Cartoonist Rebel Pepper (变态辣椒) drew this in criticism of the police crackdown that followed massive flooding in Yuyao, Zhejiang in October of 2013. (Rebel Pepper)

镇灾 (zhèn zāi), meaning “town disaster,” is a play on the Mandarin word 赈灾 (zhènzāi), which means “disaster relief.” This homonym came into use amid mounting anger at the official response to historic flooding in Yuyao, Zhejiang province after Typhoon Fitow landed in southeastern China in October of 2013.