advertisement
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.
A Chinese-Australian returned to Beijing this week and was none too pleased about having to go into quarantine. Instead, she decided to go for a light jog. In an exchanged captured on video and widely shared online (watch below), the woman is advised by a community volunteer to go to her apartment and stay there for the required 14-day period. She ignores the advice, and also refuses to put on a mask, crying "Save me from this harassment!”. The woman later said that a fight with a coworker had put her in a sour mood.
For many perturbed netizens – some likely commenting from their own less-than-optimal quarantine conditions – that excuse didn't cut it. “I thought we weren’t taking trash from overseas anymore? And yet here is some!” wrote one user, while another asserted, “No matter what nationality you are, you have to obey the rules in China.”
The woman was later found out to be an employee of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, who promptly announced that they were terminating her contract. (Of course, we can't blame Bayer for trying to avoid further bad publicity after inventing heroin, selling contaminated drugs, bankrolling the Nazi Party, and allegedly helping spread the Spanish Flu for profit.)
To add insult to injury, the woman will be forced to leave the country once she has completed her quarantine (#北京警方要求澳籍跑步女限期离境# běijīng jǐngfāng yāoqiú ào jí pǎobù nǚ xiànqí lí jìng, 'Beijing police require Australian runner to leave'), and her work visa has been canceled. If you haven't figured it out yet, Beijing is taking quarantine seriously.
You can join the pile-on with the hashtag #澳籍华人女子返京拒隔离外出跑步# ào jí huárén nǚzǐ fǎn jīng jù gélí wàichū pǎobù, 'Australian Chinese woman returns to Beijing and avoids isolation by running.'
advertisement
In January, the Palace Museum was forced to apologize after staff allowed a Mercedes-Benz SUV and its two occupants to pull into the Forbidden City for a photoshoot.
The incident resulted in some light damage to the door, including one of the pins being knocked out
One user mused that the two car-related incidents were peas in the same pod, in that they demonstrate how privileged youth believe the rules don't apply to them. Another went with a more erudite comparison: "Trotskyists are guilty of being thieves. They have fallen into the psychological trap of the lucky gambler."
Dozens of firefighters were dispatched on Wednesday to Yongning in Yanqing, a mountainous district in the northwest of the city, as a forest fire broke out near the town.
Firefighters worked day and night to control the fire
Netizens used the hashtag #北京延庆森林火灾# běijīng yánqìng sēnlín huǒzāi, 'Beijing Yanqing forest fire' to commend the responders on their bravery and express hope that they make it home safely.
Jeremy Lin had a rough return to China this past week, but he seemed to take it on the chin. The basketball star posted pictures on Weibo showing himself spending the night on an airport couch while wearing a mask, and signing the protective gear of the staff.
In a series of tweets, Lin responded to Trump and others who justify the phrase "Chinese virus"
"Oh my god, what a man," wrote one user. "His response to Trump was great for all Asians. Brother Lin has set an example for us all."
Images: China News, Weibo
advertisement
Go to "Discover" > "Top Stories" > "Wow"