Trending in Beijing: Doggy Ice Cart and a Message from Neck Imparts

Joey Knotts, Contributing Editor | Jan 4, 2021 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 282 reads

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.

Dog slips and slides gracefully as it pulls its person

Ah, the frozen rivers of Beijing, where the joys of winter culminate and creative crafts whiz by ice fishers squatting by their holes. If you want to go ice skating, go find a rink, but if you want to strap a couple of steel blades to a bucket and push yourself along with a pair of wooden sticks with nails pointing out of them, then the river is your spot.

Such is the case every year, of course, but this winter a dog owner decided to convert a folding chair into an ice craft and see how well their canine could carry them along Chaobai River in Shunyi. The result? Well, luckily it was caught on video, so see for yourself:

Netizens, without necessarily admonishing the actions of the dog owner, acknowledged that the pup was having a tough time of it, and may have been wondering what it had done to land itself the role of horse to an ice chariot.

That’s one way to carry a sign

This week, a video circulated of a man standing in line for a COVID test. Out of the collar of his coat stood a cardboard sign, informing queuers behind him that he was holding a place for four other individuals.

Weibo account 北京人北京事儿 Beijingren Beijingshi’er shard the video, asking if netizens would approve of such behavior. Naturally, the topic proved controversial, but the top comment read, “Disregarding all else, why isn’t he wearing a mask?” A valid question indeed, considering what he was standing in line for.

China updates criminal law statutes

With the start of the New Year, China has made a number of adjustments to the country’s criminal laws. The changes include strengthening laws against gene editing, slandering heroes, and selling inferior medicines.

The new laws will also increase protections for minors from sexual assault and will allow victims to sue predators after turning 18, even if the case has surpassed the statute of limitations.

However, a post on Weibo by CCTV outlining the changes repeatedly described the law as increasing protections for “girls.” The top comment on the post demands “girls” be changed to “children,” which was met with much agreement as netizens replied with, “Yes! Boys need to be protected too.”

Images: Weibo