On Christmas Eve, four boys in a village in Qiaojia County, Yunnan Province, allegedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning as they were warming themselves by a fire in the bedroom.
On Christmas Eve, four boys in a village in Qiaojia County, Yunnan Province, allegedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning as they were warming themselves by a fire in the bedroom. The four children, the oldest 11 years old and the youngest just four years old, were brothers in a family of seven left alone by their parents who went out to visit their eldest son who had been detained for fighting. Knowing little about fire safety, the boys moved a brazier into their bedroom and closed the widows to keep the warmth in. Media reports said that there have been frequent similar accidents in rural areas since winter arrived – just two days before, another two children in the same province also died of the same cause. Netizens have appealed for the authorities to strengthen children’s safety education and warned parents not to leave minors alone at home.
Some Chinese businesses such as hotels and clubs have recently caused concern from State-owned media after they organized children – many of whom looked in photos to be under the age of 10 – to perform in a “Victoria’s Secret” lingerie show. The People’s Daily, for example, slammed the shows for catering to adults’ vulgar taste and doing harm to children’s physical and psychological health, saying that “sexy” and “seductive” should not be “labels” put on children. Although some found the accusations were “a storm in a teacup,” a majority of netizens supported the outcry. They appealed for these shows to be banned over concerns that they would lead to more pedophilia.
“Civilized tourism” has once again become a hot topic on the Chinese Internet after Chinese tour guide He Yongjie was trampled to death by an elephant in Thailand as he tried to save a tourist from under the animal. According to media reports, some witnesses said that two Chinese tourists allegedly pulled the elephant’s tail before it began to dash around madly. He then rushed to pull the tourists away from the elephant, but he was lifted by the elephant’s trunk and smashed to the ground. Other witnesses said the elephant suddenly went mad while carrying two non-Chinese tourists on its back. Thai police have detained the elephant tour operator and the mahout for further investigation.
An online service that helps users monitor their ex-partner’s WeChat information has triggered heated debate. The service is provided by Xianyu, a branch platform of Taobao, China’s biggest online shopping website, which sells secondhand products. Ads for the service said they can access the target person’s WeChat Moments – where users post status updates – and provide copies. Many netizens exclaimed that businessmen are so all-pervasive that they even sensed the hidden demands of former couples. Others asked how secure the WeChat app is and how the service providers could access strangers’ Moments.
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