A hotel guest thought he had smelly feet but later discovered a corpse under his bed, prompting a murder investigation.
After sleeping for three hours, the man, identified in local media only as Mr Zhang, was moved to a different room because of the stench.
Mr Zhang posted a review of the Guzang Shuhua Inn online, which later went viral on social media and the hotel responded to the post, denying the incident altogether.
Mr Zhang then shared his experience on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, and included a receipt as evidence of his stay.
"I am very scared and I am still struggling to sleep," he told Shangyou News in an interview on 30 April.
Mr Zhang said he had been reluctant to publicise his experience, but was forced to because of the hotel's denial and accusations on social media that he had made up the incident.
His posts describing what happened have since sparked thousands of comments, and tens of thousands of reactions.
He thought the stench could have been caused by the bakery below, the room’s heating system or his own feet.
Later that night, staff knocked at his door asking him to come to the room he had left.
Police were present to take his DNA and conduct an interview.
Mr Zang was told not to worry as a suspect had been arrested.
The victim was identified as Wang. The suspect, Gao, was arrested on a train to Lanzhou city in a joint operation carried out by the Lanzhou police and the Xi'an police.
A report also said that Wang's ID card, mobile phone and bank cards were found on the suspect.
