Viral Week is our weekly round-up of the weekend’s trending memes, humor, rumor, gossip, and everything else Chinese netizens are talking about.
This week, a man in Nanjing injures seven and attempts suicide in a knife attack, netizens accuse a sanitary product brand of "period shaming," an elephant gets drunk in Yunnan, and a flying squirrel glides into viral fame:
Shocking violent attack in Nanjing
A man in Nanjing went on a violent spree, driving his car over his ex-wife and stabbing six other bystanders with a knife in a downtown area of the city. The suspect then made an unsuccessful suicide attempt by cutting his own throat. Seven people are still receiving treatment at local hospitals, and four are critically injured.
Yunnan residents have been warned of a herd of 15 elephants charging north from Xishuangbanna toward Kunming, crossing highways and eating grain from people's homes and fields. One young elephant, after consuming 100 kilograms of distiller's grain used to make rice wine, passed into a drunken stupor in a field before returning to his herd. Experts say the herd may be "lost."
Online girlfriend scammer turns out to be man's aunt
After transferring 560,000 RMB to his online “girlfriend” during a seven-month "relationship," a Mr. Chen in Guangxi realized that he had been scammed and reported the case to local police. After investigation, the authorities found that the scammer was Chen’s aunt, who had originally introduced him to the online "girl."
Sanitary product brand slammed for "period shaming"
A sanitary products brand offended many viewers with an ad on Weibo that promoted an adhesive strip with which one can roll up used pads and dispose of them, and that referred to menstrual pads by the euphemism "auntie pads." Though some commenters on Weibo felt that the company was simply promoting hygiene and the backlash was unwarranted, others felt the ad contributed to "period shaming," which is a persistent problem in Chinese society.
Man catches wife marrying again via short video app
A newly married man in Bayan Nur city, Inner Mongolia, was shocked when he came across a livestream of his wife marrying another man on a short video app. The man secretly went to the location of the wedding and confirmed it was the same woman he had married. The police have since caught the woman and a group of scammers who they say have earned 2,000,000 RMB through fraudulent marriages and wedding ceremonies.
Flying squirrel evades scenic spot staff
A viral video from Wudang Mountain, Hubei province, shows a giant flying squirrel driven out from its makeshift nest—an equipment box atop a cable car pylon. Maintenance workers banged the box to remove the squirrel, which eventually climbed out, took a dive, and glided away over the mystic mountain valley.
Goat carries thank you message to police
Police officers in Aksu, Xinjiang, were baffled to find a live goat wearing a jinqi banner with a thank you message on the doorstep of their station. It turned out to be a local farmer who wanted to thank the police for helping to put out a fire in his home. The police kept the thank you banner but returned the goat.
Drunk driver's dad is also drunk
Guizhou traffic police rang the father of a suspected drink driving motorcyclist to pick up his son, only to find the father also drunk when he arrived on his own motorcycle. Both men were fined 1,000 RMB, and had their licenses confiscated for six months.
Passengers storm business section of flight to see idol
Over 20 passengers on a Hangzhou to Beijing flight left their seats while the plane was taxiing to take photos with a boy band member in business class, arguing with flight attendants who tried to stop them for safety reasons. Allegedly, the fans had bought the tickets for the flight for the sole purpose of meeting their idol, and their actions have led to public outcry over fanatical "fan culture" following earlier news of fans wasting milk in order to vote for their idols in reality show Youth With You.
Backlash over pampered celebs
While competing with other celebrities on a Tencent-produced reality show, Su Mang, former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar China, commented that the 650 RMB daily food allowance for the contestants “wasn’t enough” and that she "cannot eat with such low standards." Viewers took umbrage with Su's insensitive comment, noting that the average annual income in China is 32,000 RMB and plenty of people eat for less than 10 RMB per day. Tencent responded that Su's comments were taken out of context and she meant that 650 RMB wasn't enough for all 21 days of the show.
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