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Driver Speeds through Busy Intersection in Guangzhou

The driver, a 22-year-old man, killed 5 people and injured 13 when he drove into people who were just crossing the road in Guangzhou.

Manya Koetse

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Update: Several of the hashtags linked within this article were taken offline after the time of publication.

Five people were killed and 13 others were injured in a traffic incident involving a BMW driving into pedestrians at Tianhe Road in Guangzhou on January 11. The shocking incident went trending on Weibo, where one hashtag related to the topic received over 1.2 billion views before midnight Beijing time (#广州一宝马冲撞人群已致5死13伤#).

The incident happened around 17:25 local time on Wednesday. Videos circulating on Douyin and Weibo show how the black SUV just ploughed his car through the busy street at Tianhe Road/Tiyu East Road, where dozens of people were walking and crossing the intersection. Shortly after the incident, some people could be seen lying motionless on the road.

Another video shows how the car, apart from the intersection incident, also drove into a woman at another intersection and into a person riding on an electric scooter. Later on, the driver could be seen crashing into traffic fences, throwing money out of his car window while driving. The driver then got out of his car and started throwing money bills around. Shortly after, he was arrested.

According to Chinese media, the driver is a 22-year-old male from Jieyang in Guangdong, identified as ‘Wen X.’ The incident is still under investigation.

Just moments before the SUV drove into the people crossing the intersection.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been ashamed to say I come from Jieyang,” one commenter wrote. “I saw the videos and I’m crying, I’m so shocked,” another person wrote: “He must be severely punished.”

Other people called the culprit ‘inhumane’ and ‘devilish,’ saying he does not deserve to live.

Earlier this week, another major road incident that happened near Youlan Town in Nanchang, Jiangxi, killed 19 people and injured 21 others. The incident occurred on the very early morning (0:49) of 8 January, when a truck drove into a funeral procession.

At the time of the incident, a thick fog allegedly reduced visibility, but the incident is still under investigation. According to witnesses, it took the driver of the vehicle several hundred meters to stop after driving into the crowd. Most of the people who were killed in the incident were locals who had attended the funeral.

On Chinese social media, that topic also received a lot of attention this week. Some of the hashtags used to discuss the incident, however, were taken offline.

People wondered why a funeral procession would take place so late at night. Although some commenters suggested it could be due to local customers, others claimed it was related to the long waiting times for funerals at a time of a major Covid outbreak and related deaths.

“It’s too bitter. It’s a tragedy upon a tragedy,” one person commented.

By Manya Koetse

 

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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

“Scared to Intervene”: Local Celebrity ‘Bag-Clutching Brother’ Stabbed to Death during Square Dancing

In a shocking incident caught on camera, a well-known Songyuan resident nicknamed “Brother Clutch Bag” was tragically stabbed to death. On Weibo, people react with disbelief.

Manya Koetse

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In a stabbing incident caught on camera by bystanders, a man locally known as “Bag-Clutching Brother” (夹包哥) was killed in the city of Songyuan in China’s Jilin province on June 30.

The incident occurred around 19:00 at Bodune Square in the city’s Ningjiang District, where people often gather for square dancing.

One familiar face on the square was the 54-year-old Mr. Zhao, who became well-known locally for his eccentric square dancing while clutching a bag, earning him the nickname “Jiabaoge” (夹包哥), meaning “Bag-Clutching Brother” or “Brother Clutch Bag.” As a devoted “dancing king,” he had become somewhat of a local celebrity, and he also posted videos online of his dancing at the square.

“Brother Clutch Bag” had become somewhat of a local celebrity due to his personality, dancing style, and clutched bag.

Square dancing is common across Chinese cities. It’s when local residents, usually older and retired residents, meet at a public park or plaza in the mornings or evenings to perform synchronized dance routines together or improvise own dances while playing loud music.

On Sunday, a night of careless dancing abruptly transformed into a horrifying stabbing incident.

Footage circulating online shows Mr. Zhao dancing in the square before being approached by a man in a black t-shirt, who first bumps into him and then suddenly starts stabbing him while dozens of people stand by.

Moments later, Mr. Zhao can be seen lying on the floor in a puddle of blood while still being attacked by the man. Bystanders do not seem to have intervened at this point.

On July 2nd, the police released more information about the incident. The attacker, a 53-year-old man, has been detained. He had reportedly been drinking and did not personally know the victim, but apparently was triggered by his dancing and a moment of eye contact.

On Weibo, the topic went trending. “It’s terrifying!” one commenter wrote: “He just stabbed him like that in front of everyone, and so many people were watching.” “I’m speechless,” others said.

“Looking at the video, people just stand around without running away or saving him,” one person observed.

According to one account, a bystander who also knew Mr. Zhao said he wanted to help but was scared to intervene, fearing he might be implicated if the police ruled it a “mutual fight” (互殴) instead of justified defense (正当防卫).

One Toutiao blogger responded: “I’m sorry that for us ordinary people, these terms [justified defense vs mutual fight] have clouded our ability to judge. From the initial ‘whoever hits first is responsible’ to ‘it’s ruled justifiable defense once you’re hurt,’ and now to the so-called ‘mutual fight,’ determining who is responsible is entirely up to ‘them.’ As a result, people have become numb and fearful.”

“So many people were at the scene. If just one person had gone up and kicked him, they could have stopped it. But instead, all those people just looked on helplessly and watched him get stabbed to death. My God.”

Many other commenters on Weibo made similar remarks: “All these men standing around, was there not one of them who could have stopped it?”

The problem of bystanders not intervening has been a long-discussed issue in China. Some say it is related to a cultural attitude of “mind your own business” or “shaoguanxianshi” (少管闲事), where people are accustomed to remaining uninvolved when it does not concern them.

This attitude is often more pronounced in situations involving an altercation between a man and a woman, as people may feel it is a private issue. A notable example is the 2016 incident where a woman was attacked near a Beijing hotel without anyone stepping in to help.

While there might be specific Chinese social, cultural, and legal reasons why people are scared or hesitant to step in when someone needs help, the ‘bystander effect’ is a worldwide phenomenon. This effect describes the tendency for people not to help a victim in need when (many) other people are present.

It is a social psychological matter: the more people who witness a person in peril, the less likely it is that any one of them will intervene as they feel it is not their responsibility to do so. In other words, a person is more likely to help in an emergency situation when they are alone than when there are ten people standing by.

But on Chinese social media platforms, many discussing the tragic death of “Bag-Clutching Brother” believe that people in society today are just too self-centered: “Everyone stands in silence because the person on the floor isn’t them.”

Amidst this sentiment, the Chinese woman Hu Youping (胡友平) is seen as a ‘selfless heroine.’ The school bus attendant was recently praised by Chinese authorities and state media for her bravery in protecting a Japanese mother and child during a stabbing incident at a school bus stop in Suzhou, ultimately sacrificing her own life.

Meanwhile, Mr. Zhao, his clutched bag, and eccentric moves are now gaining nationwide fame after news of his death spread online. As people are visiting his Douyin account and old videos, they wish him a peaceful journey to the afterlife. “I’m sorry I got to know you like this, rest in peace, Brother Clutch Bag.”

By Manya Koetse

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Local News

Knife-Wielding Woman Goes on Rampage at Guixi Primary School

Shortly after the incident, videos and photos began circulating on WeChat, showing young children covered in blood on the ground.

Manya Koetse

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A woman in Guixi, a county-level city in Jiangxi’s Yingtan, has been taken into custody after stabbing people at a primary school on Monday, May 20, around noon. The incident resulted in at least two fatalities and left ten others injured.

Shortly after the incident, videos and photos began circulating on WeChat, showing young children covered in blood on the ground, victims of the woman’s stabbing rampage at the Mingde Primary School in Guixi’s Wenfang.

The incident immediately attracted significant attention on Weibo, where netizens not only commented on the tragedy of innocent children being involved in such a horrific crime but also on the unusual fact that the suspect is female; as typically, perpetrators of such crimes are male.

Others also questioned why the school security guards were not present to prevent such an incident and how the woman managed to gain access to the school grounds in the first place.

The 45-year-old female suspect is a native of Guixi. It’s reported that she used a paring knife to carry out the stabbing attack on the school premises.

Shortly after the incident, local authorities called on blood donation centers in Guixi to extend their opening hours, and local residents started queuing up to donate blood to help out the victims who are still being treated for their injuries.

Another question that lingers is why the woman would commit such an atrocious crime. People suggest it is bàofù shèhuì (报复社会), a Chinese term that translates to “retaliate against society” or “taking revenge on society.”

Baofu shehui is often cited as a type of criminal motivation for knife-wielding incidents in China, particularly those occurring at schools, where individuals with personal grievances and/or mental health issues commit these extreme crimes. Such incidents have happened multiple times in the past, notably between 2010 and 2012, during a series of elementary school and kindergarten attacks.

Different from these kinds of attacks in Europe or the US, it often involves older perpetrators who are disillusioned, frustrated, and alienated from their communities amid rapidly changing social and economic conditions in China.

But for many netizens, such a possible motivation does not make sense. Some commenters wrote: “Taking revenge on society should never be done by venting one’s anger against children.”

Others wish the worst upon the perpetrator. One popular comment says, “I hope she gets the death penalty, and that the victims’ families get to execute her.”

By Manya Koetse

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