China Local News

Bad Mom To Be? Pregnant Woman Intentionally Trips 4-Year-Old Boy in Baoji

Footage of a 7-month-pregnant woman in Baoji tackling a 4-year old boy has triggered waves of discussions on Weibo this weekend.

Published

7 years ago

April 22, 2018

Manya Koetse

This weekend, footage of a pregnant woman intentionally letting a little boy trip in a restaurant in the city of Baoji, Shaanxi province, has stirred controversy on Chinese social media.

The incident occurred on April 19. A surveillance camera in a local malatang (spicy hot pot) restaurant captured how a young boy runs into the establishment, carelessly pushing aside the transparent wind blockers in the door. They hit the face of the pregnant woman sitting by the door, who then spills some food on herself.

The woman, clearly agitated, waits for the boy to run out of the restaurant again. She then deliberately holds out her foot and makes the boy trip and fall.

According to various Chinese news sources, the boy is the 4-year-old son of local shopkeepers, who ran into the restaurant to grab some chopsticks for his mother. Soon after the fall, his mum rushed into the restaurant, asking the woman for an explanation. The pregnant woman then claimed she had a stomach pain and left with her husband before the police, alerted by the boy’s parents, arrived at the scene.

The boy was briefly taken to the hospital for a check-up after his fall, but suffered no serious injuries, as his mother noted on social media (image below).

One witness, who was also at the diner when this happened, told China Business News reporters that the boy’s action made the pregnant woman spill her food all over herself. According to this witness, the boy’s parents stood outside and saw what had happened, but did not apologize.

This incident and its footage have gone viral over Chinese internet since Friday, and has been widely covered by Chinese news outlets over the past 48 hours. On Weibo, the hashtag “Pregnant woman stretches foot to tackle child” (#孕妇伸腿绊倒幼童#) was viewed more than 67 million times by Sunday, attracting thousands of comments.

Although some blame the boy’s parents, most netizens agree that the woman’s reaction was completely inappropriate, and some are even worried about the woman becoming a mother herself.

“The young boy rushed inside and hit the pregnant woman with the wind curtain,” one commenter says: “The pregnant woman has the right to be angry for not getting an apology from the boy’s parents. The parents probably did not see their child hit someone, but all the other people did see it happen. (..) However, how the woman reacts is really childish and exaggerated.”

Another top commenter says: “I think this pregnant woman is overreacting. The child is still young and ignorant. You can tell him off, but you can’t tackle him. He is carrying chopsticks in his hand – what if you’d really hurt him? You’ll be a mother soon, aren’t you afraid of your own children being harmed? Your aggression is not good for you baby. You’re an adult – shame on you!”

“I hate little brats such as this one, but you can’t go further than scolding them – this is immoral.”

This case has become such a big topic this weekend because both children and pregnant women are vulnerable social groups, and mothers-to-be are especially expected to be loving and kind to little children – this behaviour is not in line with social expectations. One female Weibo netizen said: “I can understand that pregnant women can sometimes react with an irrational temperament, but this cannot be justified.” Another person wrote: “Being pregnant

Since the case has blown up on Chinese social media, the pregnant woman has become a target of the so-called ‘human flesh search engine’, with people looking to reveal her identity and personal details online. Some even say they hope something will be wrong with her baby.

The woman has since turned herself in at the police station, and has apologized for what she has done. Although the woman was initially punished with a 10-day prison sentence and a 1000 yuan fine (±$158), she was pardoned from going to prison because she is 7 months pregnant.

The 4-year-old boy’s mother has stepped forward and have asked people not to bother the pregnant woman anymore, and to leave her in peace.

“The boy’s parents are really generous,” some respond: “They return good for evil.”

Check out our latest video on this issue here:

By Manya Koetse, with contribution from Miranda Barnes
Follow @whatsonweibo

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us.

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Manya Koetse

Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

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China Local News

The Liaoyang Restaurant Fire That Killed 22 People

Published

2 months ago

April 29, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China – Week 18
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

An enormous fire that happened at a restaurant in Liaoning’s Liaoyang on the afternoon of April 29 (see video) has gone top trending on Chinese social media, mainly due to the fact that it caused so many fatalities.

By 7pm, Chinese official media reported that the fire, which happened at 12:25 in the city’s Baita district, had killed 22 people. Three people were injured.

The fire started on the second floor of the restaurant Sanli Chuniang (三里厨娘/Sanli Chef’s Daughter) on Minzhu Road (民主路) and quickly spread throughout the entire two-story brick-concrete structure, which covers an area of about 260 square meters. The windy weather also played a part in how quickly the fire spread. The fire broke out around lunchtime, when there were many customers.

The restaurant before and after the fire.

Some sources on Xiaohongshu report that, according to witnesses, toxic smoke filled the entire building in less than five minutes. The thick smoke, small spaces inside the two-story building, and limited escape routes — some of which were allegedly blocked — all contributed to the high number of fatalities. Some victims were reportedly just ten meters away from the exit, yet still failed to escape.

According to Caixin, the restaurant’s second floor had several private rooms without windows.

To make matters worse, some nearby vehicles were not moved in time, hindering the rescue operations.

Sanli Chuniang was a locally popular restaurant serving various Chinese dishes, snacks, and dumplings. It was in business since 2016.

On social media, many commenters are expressing shock and sadness over the deadly fire. They also want answers into why there seemed to have been little to no fire safety precautions at the establishment.

The last time a restaurant fire with many fatalities made major headlines in China was in 2023, when a gas explosion inside a BBQ restaurant in Yinchuan resulted in 31 deaths. Nine people, including the restaurant owner, were later arrested in connection with the fire and the lack of safety precautions.

Some reports on the Liaoyang restaurant fire have now been removed, but it appears that the restaurant had been operating illegally since 2023 and that its fire safety inspections were not up to date.

Guancha reported that while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the restaurant owner has been taken into custody.

🔄 Update 1: Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued a statement regarding the devastating fire, calling on local authorities to hold those responsible accountable and to properly handle matters related to the victims and console their families.

Premier Li Qiang also emphasized that local authorities across China should screen for fire hazards and strengthen safety measures to prevent such major accidents from occurring.

🔄 Update 2: Preliminary investigations have ruled out arson or gas leakage as the cause of the fire. The specific cause of the incident is still under investigation, focusing on leftover cigarette butts that might have started the fire or possible electrical faults. The restaurant’s furniture and interior materials were highly flammable, and strong winds outside caused the fire to spread quickly and block the exits. This made it difficult for those trapped inside to escape. Most victims died from asphyxiation after inhaling large amounts of toxic smoke in a short time.

As definite results have not yet been issued at the time of writing (May 6), some netizens are wondering: “When can we expect to hear more?”

By Manya Koetse

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China Local News

Aftermath of Suzhou Marathon’s “Pissing Gate”

Published

2 months ago

April 24, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China – Week 17
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

It has already been over seven weeks since the Suzhou Marathon took place, but it was trending again today in light of a statement that has come out regarding a particular situation.

During the March 2nd Suzhou Marathon, which had over 25,000 participants, images and videos went viral showing how some runners stopped to take a toilet break and urinated against the main sign of the Jiangsu Suzhou Experimental Middle School (江苏省苏州实验中学).

At the time, the Suzhou Marathon soon released an official statement denouncing the “uncivilized” behavior of the runners.

Other images showed that there were portable toilets set up along the route, but even there, there were runners urinating in public.

Portable toilets along the route.

Runner urinating behind the portable toilets.

On April 24, the Chinese Athletics Association (中国田径协会, CAA), the national governing body for athletics in China, issued a statement saying that, according to the association’s disciplinary regulations, ten participants who urinated against the school sign have been banned from participating in any marathon affiliated with the CAA for the next three years, until March 1, 2028.

The Chinese Athletics Association further stated that they have decided to revoke Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for event certification in 2026.

Although most online commenters agree that the runners should be punished for their behavior, some also note that it seems “unfair” that Suzhou Marathon also cannot apply for organizing its 2026 marathon:

💬 “(..) because of the uncivilized behavior of just 10 people, Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for certification from the Chinese Athletics Association in 2026 was directly cancelled. Isn’t this kind of penalty a bit unfair to Suzhou? After all, just 20 meters away from where those people were peeing, there were many portable toilets set up.”

Just around the corner from where the runners urinated in public, there were plenty of portable toilets set up.

Where they peed against the wall, and the toilets nearby.

The punishment for the Suzhou Marathon seems to be a classic case of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey” (杀鸡儆猴): a drastic measure that sends a clear message to other marathons. Not only should they provide plenty of portable toilets, but they must also enforce measures or assign staff to ensure that another “pissing gate” doesn’t happen in the future.

By Manya Koetse with contributions by Miranda Barnes

(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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