Society

Top 10 odd stories

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-31 07:05

China Daily asked its foreign readers in China and overseas to vote for their favorite stories of 2009. Peng Yining and Zhang Yuchen take a look how they answered.

Top 10 odd stories

1. Jumper gets 'helping hand'

Commuter Lai Jiansheng, 66, pushed would-be jumper Chen Fuchao off Haizhu Bridge - a popular suicide spot in Guangzhou - on May 21 after becoming frustrated while waiting in a five-hour traffic jam. Chen fell 8 m onto a partially inflated air cushion and sustained spine and elbow injuries. Lai was pictured in the media across China.

2. Bad drivers hit by bricks

Yan Zhengping, 74, decided to raise the issue of drivers running red lights in Lanzhou, Gansu province - by pelting offending vehicles with bricks. He had smashed 30 car windows on July 9 before police intervened. Local authorities later announced plans to install cameras at traffics lights.

3. Smoking out taxes

Officials in Gongan county, Hubei province, issued a notice in March stipulating how many local brand cigarettes government departments must smoke every year, along with penalties for those who failed to fill their quota. The rules were later scrapped.

4. Hair today, gone tomorrow

A high school in Foshan, Guangdong province, barred 30 female students from entering on Sept 22 because they failed to meet new rules that all girls must have bob cuts and all boys have crew cuts.

5. No kissing on campus

Nanjing Forestry University in Jiangsu province outlawed kissing and canoodling on campus in November and recruited 100 student guards to report any public displays of affection. Students inevitably complained.

6. Nudists told 'dress up'

Naturists Wang Nian and his wife in Chongqing agreed to cover up at home after neighbor Liu Hanqing complained to the local community committee they were corrupting public morality. Liu said he had once watched Wang's wife standing naked on their balcony.

7. DIY surgery is a bad idea

A man named Uncle Wu, who had a steel plate fitted in his thigh after suffering a broken leg last year, decided to save his money rather than pay doctors in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, to remove it. With a kitchen knife, screwdriver and alcohol he operated on himself. Suffice to say, he ended up in hospital.

8. A bone to pick

Photos published online of medical students laughing and playing with human bones prompted sharp criticism among netizens in December.

9. No good deed goes unpunished

Zhou Cuilan, 56, thought she was being a good Samaritan when she tracked down the owner of 1,700 yuan ($240) she found by a road in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, but the owner insisted he actually lost 8,200 yuan - and is suing Zhou for the rest.

10. 'Clean' means no porn

A billboard outside Mengcheng county public security bureau in Anhui province warned workers that its "clean and honest" policy included not viewing or distributing porn, leading to questions from locals as to what prompted the "reminder".

The "Top 10s of Everything 2009" were chosen by readers of Chinadaily.com.cn. Visit the websites for more fun.

(China Daily 12/31/2009 page6)