On the evening of December 24, in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, a large Christmas tree was set up in the centre of Wuyue Plaza to celebrate Christmas. The tree was adorned with decorative boxes and plush toys to enhance the festive atmosphere.

While mall staff were distributing small Christmas gifts, a customer mistakenly thought that the decorative boxes on the Christmas tree contained gifts. The person climbed over the barriers to grab decorations from the tree, prompting others to follow suit. Soon, a chaotic scene erupted, with people scrambling to snatch the decorative boxes and plush toys from the tree.

According to video footage and eyewitness accounts, the situation became very disorderly. Some customers even climbed the Christmas tree to grab decorations hanging higher up, disregarding safety. Although staff tried to intervene and stop the looting, their efforts were unsuccessful due to the large crowd.

The staff repeatedly shouted, "Don’t touch it, there’s electricity inside," in an attempt to deter the crowd, but no one listened.

In the end, the Christmas tree was destroyed and has since been removed.

Mall staff later clarified that the decorative boxes on the tree contained nothing—they were purely ornamental. This means the customers were actually looting empty boxes.

Despite the tree being damaged, the mall’s events and gift distribution continued as planned. Mall staff also urged customers to remain rational and civil when participating in events.