US embassy Weibo a venting ground

A social media account of the US Embassy in China has become the latest go-to place for Chinese web users to vent frustration over the economy and recent stock-market rout, as Chinese authorities clamp down on criticism.

In the comment section of the embassy's Weibo post on giraffe protection on Friday evening, around 53,000 users added remarks by Saturday evening, winning over 300,000 likes.

"If criticisms are not allowed, then praises are meaningless," reads the most liked comment. Others lamented the poor performance of China's stock market, calling it a "casino" and an "execution ground."

One user wrote: "Anger has reached an extreme level."

The seemingly irrelevant remarks for a post about how scientists are using satellite data to protect giraffes and their habitats in the US show how China's internet users often struggle to find a venue to voice grievances about the economy or government performance. Official accounts of Chinese state agencies or media usually either disable the comment function or only show selected feedback.