Trending in Beijing: Unruly Blossom Picking, Haidian Earthquake, Honoring Dead Sichuan Firefighters
The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this: a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
1) Haidian hit with magnitude 2.9 earthquake
Haidian was all shook up this Sunday when a 2.9-magnitude earthquake hit the student-laden district. Residents of the area were told not to panic and that the event was considered an “isolated incident.” Experts added that it is normal for Beijing to experience a couple of earthquakes each year on account of it being at the intersection of Shanxi, Hebei, and Yanshan seismic belts. That didn’t stop Weibo users from taking to social media on the last day of their Qingming holiday to express their surprise at the incident, though many also sent out messages that they didn’t feel anything at all. The topic is currently trending under #北京海淀2.9级地震# (Beijing Haidian 2.9-magnitude earthquake). This latest earthquake joins the list of other "pathetic" tremors we've had over the recent years, including one that shook our offices briefly last February.
2) Ladies photographed carrying branches of blossoming trees
Spring blossoms in Beijing are a huge draw every year thanks to their beauty. However, it seems that some are not content to simply admire the petals in their natural habitat and would rather snag a few to take home. Netizens were incensed after witnessing a number of unruly flower picking incidents, including one image of three women in the subway carrying branches of pink blossoms which attracted more than 1,500 (mostly angry) comments under the hashtag Beijingers don't know about Beijing (#北京人不知道北京事#).
The brazen breaking off of blooming branches has rightly sparked the ire of conscientious Beijingers, who have taken recourse by posting pictures of the branch snappers on Weibo and then trashing them in the comments section. However, some have been critical of the ineffectuality of this type of online shaming: "If you really want to help, tell the guards in the park, don't just take a picture. Everyone gets angry but after a few days we continue to see the same behavior," commented one netizen.
3) Mourning 30 victims of Sichuan's Liang Shan forest fire
Finally, netizens are mourning the loss of a team of 27 firefighters who lost their lives in a forest fire that raged in Sichuan's Liangshan region at the end of last month. Local authorities dispatched over 600 emergency service staff to the blaze, and the majority of the fire was reportedly contained by Mar 2. However, those who lost their lives were caught out when a sudden change of wind meant that they were unable to escape the blaze. Three civilians were also killed in the blaze. The names of the deceased have since been released, and the bodies of all the victims were recovered shortly after the incident.
Netizens have been mourning the victims, the youngest of which was barely 18 years old. "We don't need heroes, we just want families to remain together," wrote one Weibo user. CGTN shared a video of the funeral procession for the deceased firefighters, and netizens continue to share their condolences under the hashtag #四川凉山森林大火# (Sichuan Liangshan forest fire).
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Images: Weibo
