Trending in Beijing: Futuristic Subway Windows, Murderer Murders Again, and Anti-Microbial Masks
The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this? Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
Subway trains futurize their windows
Now that Beijingers are starting to feel safe enough to take the subway again, Line 6 has taken the opportunity to deck out its trains with the kind of teched-out windows that you might see in the first act of a sci-fi movie, declaring to the viewer: remember, this is the future.
Videos circulating on Weibo show the familiar large windows go from clear, boring glass to a screen displaying information about the city’s subway system and the upcoming stop in eye-catching graphics.
Netizens have dubbed them the subway’s “magic window system”, using the hashtag #北京地铁魔窗系统#. Most users were optimistic about the technology, with one commenter writing, "I remember I saw this in a science fiction story before, saying it would be possible to use OLED technology to create transparent cell phones. Looks like it’s coming true."
However, not everyone was so welcoming to the new windows, with at least one commenter complaining, "All I have seen on the Line 6 magic windows are advertisements."
Released murderer removes his mask and punches an elderly person to death
On Mar 14, a man surnamed Guo was lining up to enter a grocery store in Dongcheng District when he decided to remove his mask. When an elderly employee of the store asked the man to put his mask back on, the situation escalated into a tussle, with Guo eventually striking the employee with his hand before fleeing the scene.
Police caught up with Guo shortly thereafter, and when the store employee died of cranial damage on Mar 20, he was charged with murder. But social media erupted when it was revealed that this was not Guo’s first murder.
It turns out that 16 years ago, Guo killed his girlfriend by smothering her with a pillow. He then turned himself in and was sentenced to life in prison. Although he did not appeal the sentence, it was nonetheless commuted last year, and he was released from prison.
Understandably, netizens were outraged, following the scandal with the hashtag "Beijing to investigate man sentenced to death" #北京将调查打死老人刑释男子减刑情况#. But as one lawyer posted, “Article 78 of the Criminal Law stipulates the conditions and limits for a life sentence reduction. If you abide by the supervision regulations, accept education and reform, you can reduce your sentence as long as you show repentance, or if you have done good deeds. Those sentenced to life imprisonment shall not serve less than 13 years."
Zhongguancun tech company develops a graphene mask
Beijing’s technology developers have begun mass-producing a graphene face mask that wearers can use for up to 48 hours, thanks to the graphene’s anti-microbial property. Compare that with traditional masks, which should only be used for four to eight hours without sanitization.
Netizens followed the hashtag "Zhongguancun develops new graphene masks" #中关村研发出新型石墨烯口罩# to learn more about the masks. One commenter expressed skepticism, writing, “Graphene is expensive as hell... I wouldn’t expect this mask to affordable for us everyday people.”
Nonetheless, the developers have apparently managed to develop a system that will produce 200,000 of the masks per day, which should help bring down the price. Meanwhile, a company in New York has announced the completion of a similar mask that they have been developing for the past five years, ready just in time for a global pandemic. That version is designed for long-term use and uses a low-level electrical charge to dispel unwanted particles.
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Images: Weibo, CnTechPost
