This time however, Shenzhen traffic police are really raising the bar. The police department is coordinating with various credit bureaus to lower the credit ratings of lawbreakers. If the law is passed, Shenzhen will be the first city in China to punish traffic violators in such a creative way.

While the penalty may sound excessive relative to the crime, Shenzhen traffic police say they are at their wits end, as the number of traffic violations in the city is off the charts. As of August 27 this year, the city has had 14,178 pedestrian infractions, and 10,944 violations by drivers.

Furthermore, a full 12 percent of all fines have yet to be paid. It are these lucky 3,052 offenders that Shenzhen is looking to be the first recipients of the new credit rating punishment. You’ve been warned!

The post Shenzhen Hitting Traffic Violators Where It Hurts: By Lowering Their Credit Score appeared first on The Nanfang.

Although the origin of the phrase remains unknown, there are a number of possible explanations. One theory suggests that the families of prostitutes were forced to wear green hats during the Yuan Dynasty. Another says that male brothel workers wore green hats during the Tang Dynasty. A third theory suggests that the Chinese word for “cuckold” sounds a lot like “wear a green hat”.

No matter the origin, the phrase stuck and the Shenzhen traffic police are using it as part of a new initiative to deter residents from jaywalking at busy intersections.

As in other Chinese cities, jaywalkers are immediately conscripted to serve as temporary traffic wardens. The Shenzhen traffic police have recently taken this a step further by forcing jaywalkers to wear a green hat as part of their “traffic warden” uniform.

Reaction to the new Shenzhen initiative has been swift, calling it “cruel and humiliating”. But, the Shenzhen police department insists that the green hats were made to match the temporary traffic warden uniform. No reason was given for why the uniform is green.

This is not the first time that the Shenzhen police department has used “innovative” punishments. Last summer, drivers were forced to stare into their own high-beam headlights for five minutes after using them improperly within city limits.

Jaywalking is a huge problem in China. In the first half of 2015, the Shenzhen traffic police issued 127,000 citations for traffic violations to city pedestrians.

The post Look: Shenzhen, Taking Jaywalking Seriously, Shames Offenders with Green Hats appeared first on The Nanfang.

Another case of lining up, Guangzhou-style: Crossing the road in a civil and orderly fashion has caught on with the public
At Tianhe Road by the intersection of Tiyu East Road and Jiaoshe Road this evening, city residents wait for a traffic light on their own accord before crossing the street during the evening rush hour. Previously, the sight of pedestrians and electric scooters crossing against red lights at every intersection along the main arteries in Guangzhou was a common occurrence, but residents have gotten in the good habit of complying with traffic regulations, and acting in a civilized and orderly manner.

While the photo used in the story certainly suggests a newfound appreciation for the rule of law, the comments section of the article tells a very different story:

深海里的蓝色海星：
Who’s willing to charge against the lights? There’s so many cars.

FCterry_cui：
Would you choose to cross a frickin’ road with this kind of traffic volume? Aren’t you just looking for trouble by doing so? By going further into the city and into its older and smaller roads you’ll find things are quite different.

olin_Law：
At this type of intersection, the road has many lanes and is wide; and the cars travel at a fast speed. Who is willing to cross against a red light and kill themselves?

为了那片不再掉的眼泪：
If this road wasn’t so wide and the cars so many, people would have long charged against a red light and crossed the road.

A_Aimee：
Of course people won’t cross this road; there are so many cars, not to mention that it’s so wide. For a real eyeopener go over to Tianhe North and have a look!!!

Commenters also provided numerous examples of where you could easily find pedestrians crossing against red lights:

LeeDane：
Please come on over to Censong public transport station at eight in the morning and have a look for yourself.

GAVIN_LEE：
pickingnose.emoji] You’re welcome to come to University City and take a look.

choheng_hsien：
Is Tianhe the only district in Guangzhou? If you’ve got any guts, come on over to Baiyun District and take a look for yourself.

Raven-K-德：
Hey author: Don’t try to fool outsiders, okay? At the place you’re talking about, the cars drive by in an unending line. Cross a few roads over, and we’ll see (if you think the same thing)…

But for others, this story says more about China’s society and culture:

谁的眼泪在飞1177：
In front of so many people, you wouldn’t dare be the first to stand out and cross the road on your own.

广州社工委：
A civil society isn’t something that happens overnight.

While Guangzhou residents are arguably becoming more civil by waiting for a green light to cross at least one intersection, it would appear there’s still a long way to go before the city reaches a “new normal”.

The post Guangzhou Says Jaywalking a Thing of the Past, but Residents Unconvinced appeared first on The Nanfang.

The origin of the color red as a lucky color for Chinese people originates from a long-held Spring Festival custom.

A mythical creature called the nian used to terrorize the land before Chinese learned the nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises. This explains why Chinese celebrate Spring Festival with copious amounts of fireworks as well as making everything the color red: lucky red envelopes, lucky red banners with goodwill messages of auspiciousness and fortune, and even lucky red underwear.

So much red during Spring Festival may be considered lucky and festive, but it may also lead to confusion and danger. In Xi’an, a driver was penalized 12 points for running a red light, but he complained that he couldn’t see the traffic signals due to the vast numbers of hanging red lanterns that lined the overhead pedestrian walkway.

Since his story became public, netizens have rallied around to the man’s cause by posting multiple photographs of the intersection in question, a busy Xi’an transportation hub that doubles as a tourist destination.

See for yourself if you can find the traffic lights in Xi’an’s “red lantern district”:

These photographs were taken at street level during the day, and offer the best view of what the driver would have seen when passing through the intersection:

The post Traffic Lights Obscured by Red Lanterns Causing All Kinds of Problems in Xi’an appeared first on The Nanfang.

For the uninitiated, traffic in mainland China is not about yielding to others. Instead, the “right of way” is something given to whomever can get there first. Chinese roads are treacherous, as both aggressive driving and jaywalking are common.

That’s why this CCTV report, which was about Macau, has attracted so much attention.

Chinese people have long said that the aggressiveness on the roads is cultural, and how Chinese people get things done in time. The fact the politeness happened in Macau – a Chinese territory filled with Chinese residents – was perplexing.

Many commentators scoffed at the Macau example, saying it wouldn’t work in the mainland:

奋斗年代-甲乙丙丁：
If it was like this on the mainland… when going to work in the morning, you’d wait until it turned dark before you were able to pass the pedestrian crossing.

期盼五月天：
If it was like this on the mainland, drivers would not be able to move…

獵奇腐：
Actually, it’s like this everywhere outside of China: cars will all stop for people! They’ll willingly brake and let you (pedestrians) go first! However, the problem is that there are few foreigners (in China)!!
Have you ever considered all the cars in line that are held up when the car in front stops for a pedestrian in China? What’s more, are you able to stop for all the pedestrians here?

SunsiHao丶：
Idiot. How many people are there in Macau versus how many people in mainland China? Complying to these terms would mean heavy traffic congestion.

文玩珠宝聚臻堂：
This works as long as the population is low. To institute this on the mainland would to cause a traffic jam that would be backed up right to the base of the Great Wall of China.

牛得光宗耀祖：
It’s not that they can’t learn. With so many people in China, there’s no way to let them go (ahead).

If you read other comments, you’ll see that the problem isn’t too many people, but the pedestrians themselves:

Vay南柯：
It’s not that they won’t learn (to follow the Macau custom), it’s that mainland Chinese pedestrians don’t have the ability to see while drivers wait at intersections (for them). Don’t think about trying to trying to take the car out for a drive in the morning. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself.

圆小圆YY：
So many people… when witnessing the morning and evening rush hour… (a legion that is) simply without end. 

On the other hand, some say that it is the drivers that are causing the problem:

Luvian冰：
I have personally experienced the pedestrian crosswalks in Macau! Everyday while going to work an electric scooter or two nearly collides with me. You’re taking your life in your own hands when commuting to work or back home.

Others say the discrepancy is because Macau follows laws:

孙国庆：
According to traffic rules, Macau drivers have it very different than mainland drivers. Drivers must completely stop for pedestrians at a pedestrian crosswalk, or when pedestrians have the green light. As they must wait until pedestrians are one meter away from their cars before driving off, drivers can not transgress upon the safety of pedestrians. On the other hand, people who cross against red lights will still be dealt with under the law if they are hit.

Noah六六：
Harsh penalties will instill good habits. (Bad driving is a sign of the) unresigned determination that typifies all mainlanders located up until the Yellow River.

Before we write off the entire mainland, many pointed out that fellow tourist town Hangzhou has drivers that are similarly courteous to those in Macau:

InitialDream请叫我SISISISmile：
It’s like this in Hangzhou, too.

sunny_米：
Hangzhou is able to do this, though there are pedestrians that cross when the light is red.

巧克力小宝a：
I’ve stayed in Hangzhou for an extended time. Hangzhou drivers will stop for pedestrians at crosswalks!

And a few more:

關馬高：
The normal compliance of traffic rules has become a system of learning by example.]

1435疯小鱼：
One country, two systems…

云毅巜：
No traffic lights! Either (you’re a pedestrian) that gets run over by a car, or (a driver) that gets swindled! (implying a use of the “broken vase” trick)

抱吴亦凡大腿：
Macau is rich, but what does the mainland have? A Macau passport has all types of visa exemptions, but what (benefits) does a mainland visa have?

One more thing Macau has are traffic-awareness programs that promote safety at pedestrian crossings. If mainland China wants to follow Macau’s example, they’ll need to hire these guys, and their costumes.

Photos: aomenshizheng, macaocp, CCTV

The post Mainlanders Perplexed by Polite Traffic Etiquette in Macau appeared first on The Nanfang.

The roads of Guangdong remain a dangerous place as newly released provincial statistics show almost 5,000 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents so far this year.

As of November 25, there were 23,527 traffic accidents in Guangdong, resulting in 4,816 fatalities, 52 of which involved three or more fatalities, totalling 192 deaths.

Surprisingly, these numbers are actually an improvement over last year’s figures, representing a drop of 4.6 percent.

By way of comparison, the roads in Guangdong are safer than the roads in the United States on a per capita basis. California, a state almost as big as Guangdong but with approximately 60 million less people, had 3,081 traffic fatalities in 2009, almost twice that of Guangdong.

For National Traffic Safety Awareness Day, which takes place December 2, provincial police announced they will be focussing on speeding, overcrowding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, running red lights, occupying designated traffic lanes, and stopping inside pedestrian walkways.

The number of motorists in China continues to grow at an alarming rate, now exceeding 300 million.

Photo: wzauto

The post 5,000 People Have Died in Traffic Accidents This Year Alone in Guangdong appeared first on The Nanfang.

READ: Chinese Pedestrians Have No Problem Obeying Laowai Traffic Warden

This all started when a Weibo user took several photos on Yaojiayuan Road that show a cyclist blocking a car from using the bike lane.

We don’t know much about this guy, but we do know he’s probably frustrated at the continuing use of bike lanes by drivers in the capital.

READ: No More Free Rides: Expats “Lose Face” Trying to Sneak Bikes
onto Beijing Metro

We also don’t know who retreated first, as photos don’t show the driver or the cyclist backing down.  All we can tell from the pictures is that the driver is sheepish at having been caught driving in the bike lane, and that another cyclist, perhaps a local, was completely caught up in watching the proceedings.

Online reaction has been largely supportive, commending the man for taking a stand. But many wonder why it was left to a laowai to take matters into his own hands.

The Weibo account of a police morality squad pointedly asked: “In confronting uncivilized acts, would we (Chinese) be as brave as him?” Meanwhile, netizens had an assortment of comments, like the following:

五楼的鱼维：
(I don’t) dare to do this (myself) because I’m not a laowai. A Chinese (who did this) would surely get beaten up. [angry.emoji]

京城郎叔：
I’m guessing this laowai has been in the capital for under a year.

MM_傑：
The life of regular Chinese people is cheap. They don’t dare to start a fight with the higher-ups.

乱飞扑的Becks懒得理你什么世界：
If a Chinese national blocked the car, he would surely be badly beaten…

homer-BB：
(Is this foreigner) interfering with the internal affairs of our country?

狂人9号：
Fortunately it’s a laowai, otherwise he’d be beaten up.

菁华108：
We should learn from the good side of this foreign guy. [thumbsup.emoji]

别逗俺丶俺会打你的丶：
Good thing it’s not Li Gang’s son. (An infamous case in which a driver who had struck and killed pedestrians was adamant he was above the law by telling police officers, “My dad is Li Gang!”)

LQL奇妙之旅：
It’s all because he is a laowai.

As pointed out by China Daily, expats have previously been involved in instances of blocking cars. In June 2012, an expat in Chengdu blocked others cars at an intersection in order to allow an ambulance to get through. In April 2011, an expat in Guangzhou blocked a car that was driving the wrong way down a road.

Related:

• American With Good Intentions Ridiculed For Helping Victim In China
• Foreigner Gets Whipped With A Leather Belt In Beijing Traffic Altercation
• Expat A Bit Too Tense, Tackles Chinese Woman Over Innocuous Comment
• Foreigner In Chengdu Grabs Steering Wheel of Moving Bus, Assaults Driver

Photos: Southern Daily

The post Expat Cyclist Becomes Hero for Blocking Chinese Driver from Beijing Bike Lane appeared first on The Nanfang.

But that’s for complicated rules, though. And sometimes, there’s no getting through the cracks. Just ask drivers and cyclists in Fuzhou, Fujian Province.

When they used to run red lights, a police officer would remind them to obey the rules. When they didn’t, the community took the next step, one common throughout Chinese history: erect a wall. That’s right, a collapsible metal one meter high fence blocks traffic when the light turns red, reports Caijing. The collapsible gate is used during rush hour and is controlled by a traffic warden.

If this doesn’t work to prevent red light runners, we’d imagine stronger measures will have to take place, like doing away with the road entirely.

Photos: Caijing

The post A Surefire Way To Stop Red Light Runners? Roll Out a Temporary Wall appeared first on The Nanfang.

A 21 year-old expat from the UK named Leah has become Henan’s newest pedestrian traffic warden responsible for herding pedestrians in the city of Zhuzhou and ensuring traffic laws are maintained, reports Yangtse.

Like many cities, Zhuzhou has a problem with pedestrians that don’t follow signals at intersections and end up congesting traffic — and it may have found its solution in Leah.

Though Leah has only a limited grasp of the Chinese language, her “foreignness” compels city residents to follow her command where they would normally ignore their fellow countryman.

Leah and her friend Ewan recently graduated from university and had been in Zhuzhou looking for work as English teachers for a month. After being hired as a warden, Leah immediately went to task memorizing the important phrases of her job. So far, she can only say things like:

• “Hello, please be aware and abide by traffic regulations.”
• “Please be aware and comply with civilized etiquette.”
• “I love Zhuzhou, and I hope we can both make this city into a beautiful place.”

At first blush, perhaps it would seem unlikely for a Chinese person to follow the commands of a foreigner that can’t converse in Chinese nor is intimately familiar with its local customs. However, an unnamed resident sums up why they listen to her:

As there are international friends present, how can we (residents) illegally cross the road without feeling any shame?

The societal construct the Zhuzhou chengguan is employing is “face”, the need to maintain respect from others. If a Zhuzhou pedestrian were to illegally run a red light in the presence of “normal” Chinese chengguan, they wouldn’t risk losing face as much because they wouldn’t care about the reaction.

However, if this was done in the presence of Leah, a foreigner, the Chinese would risk losing face to the entire outside world she represents. Furthermore, the face lost wouldn’t just be his or her own, but the entire country, which the offender represents.

I mean, just what would Leah think? Of China, no less.

Photo: Yangtse

The post Chinese Pedestrians Have No Problem Obeying Laowai Traffic Warden appeared first on The Nanfang.

Weibo is a place where people like to have fun. The Shenzhen Traffic Police are just like you and me: they share their love of GIFs while trying to admonish the dangerous activities they depict, and reply to funny questions with funny answers.

Weibo user MrCharlesChen is a also a guy who likes fun. And that’s what he was having when he posted a picture to Weibo at midnight on May 25 of himself driving with a beer can in his hand. He asked:

MrCharlesChen
Is drinking and driving at the same time against the law? @Shenzhen Traffic Police Have you caught any “tigers” tonight? [coylaughing.emo]

Yes. The account he was asking was the Shenzhen Traffic Police.

And while the Shenzhen Traffic Police has a history of joking around, they didn’t do so this time. Instead, they sent a short, terse message:

Shenzhen Traffic Police:
Put the beer down, and drive safely!

Such a reply didn’t deter MrCharlesChen, who posted the reply:

MrCharlesChen:
I’m going to open another one [elatedopenmouth.emo]

Netizens got in on the fun at this point. They combed through MrCharlesChen’s Weibo account, and found the following gem in his photo album from March 19, 2013:

MrCharlesChen:
These past few days, I ran through about twenty red lights before I was finally caught @粤B374CC How’s this license for you? The next time you see this license plate, you’ll know it’s me [openmouthlaughing.emo]

Another photo found in MrCharlesChen’s album showed he was unrepentant towards his lawnessness by posting a screenshot of the driving violations he had incurred:

CharlesChen:
That’s fine, I still have six points (left on my license)

Sensing a change of merriment, MrCharlesChen changed his username to the very apt “no zuo no die (classic)“, and deleted all the content in his Weibo account. Unperturbed, the Shenzhen traffic police said that they were going to find him all the same:

搞怪GIF图：
This guy changed his (username)

深圳交警:
(Despite) changing a username, we still have to investigate.

MrCharlesChen finally signaled that he had enough fun:

MrCharlesChen:
I was wrong. [tearspouringdown.emo] I am a stupid cunt. [tearspouringdown.emo]

However, the fun continued for netizens and police as they collaborated to find more information on MrCharlesChen:

Mr Chen-Jun:
Going to help out this so-called fellow classmate of Shenzhen University to remain at the back of the class…

Shenzhen Traffic Police (reply):
Thank you very much (for your contributions), we have already made screenshots.

The Shenzhen Traffic Police found that long list of traffic violations MrCharlesChen had boasted about:

Shenzhen police put a stop to all the fun on May 26 by issuing a demand to MrCharlesChen to surrender himself at a traffic police station. And they did it by sending him a Weibo post:

(Car with license plate 粤B374CC has made 16 driving violations) Through an investigation, it has been determined that Weibo user @MrCharlesChen (who has changed his username many times, and deleted his entire account) is a suspect wanted in connection with driving violations related to a BMW X1 vehicle with the license plate 粤B374CC that was first registered on March 5, 2013. To date, this vehicle has accrued a total of 16 violations, ten of which occurred in Shenzhen (nine counts of illegal stopping, one time for speeding) and six other violations occurring out of province. At present, ten points have been deducted from your license, leaving only six points left. According to traffic regulations, please hand over your car for confiscation and inspection.

But netizens would do one better and perform a human flesh search that turned up MrCharlesChen’s real name, work unit, picture, and residential address.

Shenzhen Traffic police were very amenable with their ultimatum by issuing helpful reminders:

Shenzhen Traffic Police:
If you do not arrive by 2pm, we will come to your residence. If there is a need, we will ask for the help of the “Uncles” in CID (Criminal Investigation Department).

And with the clock ticking:

Shenzhen Traffic Police:
One hour left.

MrCharlesChen finally did turn himself in. And, the police celebrated it with everyone online by posting his arrest on Weibo:

And then they posted all of his personal credentials online:

Of course, they censored anything personal about him but that was irrelevant, as his identity was already made public by the human flesh search.

Later that day, MrCharlesChen was very ponderous with his first post to Weibo ever since deleting his entire Weibo account:

MrCharlesChen:
Cherish life, don’t drink and drive. Living is not easy, cherish what you have when you’ve got it.

Yes, it would be much more poetic if he didn’t plagarize most of it. Outside in the parking lot, Shehzhen Traffic Police finally saw the car that they’d only seen online:

But upon opening the trunk of the car, they found yet another familiar sight:

That’s right, MrCharlesChen had driven to the police station to surrender himself and his car with two cases of beer in the back. He does like that Harbin beer, we see.

The moral would be very clear at this part of the story, except that it isn’t over.

With all of this having happened back in the distant past, meaning Monday of this week, some netizens still had lingering doubts. So one user recently posted this question to Shenzhen Traffic Police:

chenruihang:
“Uncle” traffic police, I want to know if drinking (soda pop) in the passenger seat is against the law

Shenzhen Traffic Police:
That’s fine, enjoy your drink. (Just remember,) too much will adversely impact your health! Just remember to do better than that brother from tomorrow.

Uh, “tomorrow”? They mean “yesterday”, don’t they?

Shenzhen Traffic Police:
Sorry, we meant ‘yesterday’

So while this may have been a very simple moral of “stupid is as stupid does”, the true moral of this fable is Weibo itself: no one ever forgets anything online. Not your hideous shame, your regretful mistakes, and not any one of your speiling mistakes.

Photo: Guangzhou PSB via Weibo (2, 3, 4, 5), Shenzhen Evening Report via Weibo

The post Shenzhen Driver Taunts Police Online, Police Post His Arrest Online appeared first on The Nanfang.