A HungryPanda delivery rider's fatal stabbing sent shock waves beyond the local community, spreading across China through social media and state media coverage.
Reports of 47-year-old Chinese national Feng Jianming's death last Friday were amplified through WeChat groups and public accounts.
Some dubbed Melbourne as "Little Gotham" — a reference to the fictional, crime-ridden city in Batman comics — while others questioned Melbourne's status as one of the world's most liveable city.
"The world's most liveable city could not protect a delivery rider," read one video post on WeChat.
State media reports have highlighted the hardships experienced by the father-of-two, working far away from home to support his family back in China, and the response from the Chinese consulate in Melbourne.
"[Consul General Fang Xinwen] asked the Premier, Victorian Government and Victoria Police to handle this case fairly in accordance with the law, severely punish the perpetrator, and earnestly safeguard the life and legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese nationals in Victoria," the report said.
This is not the first time Melbourne has been dubbed "Little Gotham" or a "crime capital". The label often resurfaces on social media after serious violent attacks.
Garrick Yang regularly travels between Shanghai and Melbourne, where he had lived for more than a decade and his parents still do.
