Drone spying incidents in CCP China

 Direct Translation

A woman was soaking in a private hot spring on her hotel terrace when a drone flew back and forth outside

Editor: Tang Ying / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2026/05/07/a104093853.html / Image : Hot spring illustration. Video screenshot

During the May Day holidays, at a hot spring hotel in Shaoguan, Guangdong, a woman was soaking in the private hot spring on her room's terrace when she suddenly noticed a drone flying back and forth outside. She immediately called the police.

According to reports from mainland media, Ms. Chen (pseudonym), the woman involved, shared her experience on social media. She stated that she and her family stayed at the Yinxue Hotel (High-Speed ​​Railway Station Branch) in Shaoguan, Guangdong. At 10:40 am on 3 May, she was soaking in the hot spring on her room's terrace without clothes on when she suddenly noticed a drone flying back and forth and hovering outside. Ms. Chen stated that she was soaking in the hot spring pool alone, using her phone, with her back to the outside. "I first heard some noise, initially thinking it was construction outside. Then I sensed something was wrong and saw a drone reflected in the glass door of the terrace. I immediately had my family in the room contact the hotel front desk to report the situation."

Ms. Chen explained that her private hot spring was located on the rooftop terrace of her room, surrounded by fencing. The hot spring was close to the room and normally completely private, not visible from the outside. However, the drone could see into the hot spring from above. Ms. Chen was worried about being spied on and felt very uncomfortable, so she called the police after the incident.

On 5 May 2026, the hotel manager responded that hotel security personnel immediately took measures to stop the drone. Subsequent investigation revealed that the drone was flown by a child brought by another hotel guest and was not equipped with camera or video recording functions. Local police have punished the guest involved.

Drone spying in mainland China : Drone spying incidents are not uncommon

On 6 April 2025, Ms. Song, a Shanghai resident, exposed on social media that while she and her family were bathing at the Tangliande Hot Spring Resort (Changqing Branch) in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, they discovered a drone hovering overhead for an extended period.

Ms. Song stated that many female customers in the hot spring were bathing naked, and she was concerned that her privacy and that of other guests was being violated. She immediately contacted the hot spring resort staff, but the drone remained hovering in the air for half an hour before flying away. Outraged, Ms. Song reported the incident to the police.