Boy Cuts Suspended Worker’s Safety Rope Because of Noise

The following article was the most commented article on popular Chinese web portal NetEase at the time of translation, with over 18k comments and 140k participants…

From NetEase:

Little Boy Cuts Safety Rope Because Worker Outside [suspended by the rope] Too Noisy

Yesterday afternoon, there was a scene of suspense at the Century City Longkai Community. Liu was doing his work on the outer wall of Building 18 at the 8th floor level when suddenly he discovered that his safety rope could no longer move up or down. To his disbelief and utter fright, a little child on a floor below was in the process of using a knife to cut the safety rope. Fortunately, his coworker called firefighters in time, and 119 [the emergency number for firefighters in China] rescued the frightened Liu after rushing to the scene.

Over 20 minutes later, firefighters arrived on the scene. Mr. Zhang, who had called the police, described the situation. They were sent by their company to install outdoor landscape lighting on the Century City buildings by the road, and were at the 8th floor at the time. During the installation, his coworker Young Liu suddenly shouted at him that the safety line had been cut, and that he was stuck in the midair unable to move.

After firefighters and 110 [the emergency number for police] police figured out what happened and surveyed the scene, they knocked on the door of a resident on the 11th floor, and together pulled Young Liu up to safety. It wasn’t until several minutes later that Young Liu recovered from the scare. He said he had been hanging on by himself for over 40 minutes, and there was no more strength left in his hands. There was lingering fear for him as he thought about what he had just experienced. “At the time, I was using my drill to drill holes, when suddenly I felt the rope below me swaying freely. When I looked down, I saw a little child unbelievably using a knife to cut my safety rope.”

Afterward, this reporter and the police together went to the child’s home on the 8th floor. Through questioning, the child at first denied cutting the rope, but under patient persuasion by the police, he admitted to what he had done. He said he was watching Pleasant Goat and Big Bad Wolf at the time, that the drilling was too noisy, so he used a knife to cut the rope.

This reporter learned that the child is 10 years old, is in 5th grade this year, and with his parents outside at work doing business, he was alone at home. Police then called the child’s parents home to handle this matter. The child’s father, Mr. Tang, sincerely apologized to Young Liu and his coworker, and compensated them with a new safety rope/line.

Comments from NetEase:

网易湖南省长沙市手机网友 ip：113.240.*.*

“and compensated them with a new safety rope/line.”

Mrkissmyass [网易北京市手机网友]：

Fucking retarded child!

二狗精的逆袭 [网易浙江省宁波市手机网友]：

Probably watched too much Pleasant Goat and Big Bad Wolf. [The popular Chinese cartoon has been previously criticized for gratuitous violence.]

6c6a11675369d7a2c7e8e281 [网易安徽省手机网友]：

The kid probably may not understand what he did, but his guardian must take responsibility.

琴音未了 [网易黑龙江省哈尔滨市手机网友]：

“The child’s father, Mr. Tang, sincerely apologized to Young Liu and his coworker, and compensated them with a new safety rope/line.” [Commenters are quoting this line out of disbelief.]

网易上海市手机网友 ip：180.171.*.*

The original little brat!

网易浙江省温州市手机网友 ip：183.131.*.*

Damn, child, you’re definitely going to be anti-social in the future.

起个有节操的名字 [网易广东省深圳市手机网友]：

History’s naughtiest child.

网易浙江省温州市手机网友 ip：183.131.*.*

What’s wrong with kids these days?

叶欢哥哥 [网易安徽省手机网友]：

I’m on my knees [dumbfounded by the child’s actions] orz!!!