Mainland Girl Urinates on Street in Hong Kong, Chinese Reactions

The following microblog posted ended at #5 of the day on leading Chinese microblog platform Sina Weibo yesterday and remains the top trending topic and #hashtag# today…

From Sina Weibo:

@凤凰视频: Child Urinates on The Street in Hong Kong, Fierce Fight Between Mainland Couple and Hong Kongers — The quarrel in the images/video is extremely chaotic, with the adults denouncing each other, and the child wailing. This mainland couple picked up their child and wanted to leave with their baby stroller but were stopped by a Hong Konger holding onto the baby stroller. The child’s mother repeatedly stresses “there’s a line for the restroom and the child had to go, so what could I do?” At the scene, there were people raising their cameras to take photos throughout. http://t.cn/8slFM9T”

The link at the end of the microblog post leads to this video on Phoenix Online:

Note: Many of the initial comments by Chinese netizens in response to the above incident as it was originally reported expressed shame and embarrassment. Then, more information came out (see below). The following represent the current “most upvoted” comments on this microblog post…

Comments from Sina Weibo:

秦_天：

Those saying how mainlanders have poor characters [are uncivilized, have poor social etiquette], take a look at how many drunk laowai urinate on the street in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong at night, then come and talk shit about our countrymen’s characters. Go on YouTube and watch the truth of the video. The child’s mom had a diaper in her hand to catch her baby’s pee. Look on Facebook and how normal Hong Kongers are criticizing those two Hong Kongers for trying to cause trouble [nitpicking].

不若不诺：

My family had a dog in the past that we gave to a relative in the city for a few years. When it was later returned to us, it felt as if this dog had become so foreign, behaving arrogantly when it sees people in the village while wagging its tail happily when seeing people in the city…

我滴脑袋捏：

Luqiu Luwei as a professional leaving out writing “the mother used a diaper to catch the pee” and leaving out “the Hong Kong youths used force against the mainland couple, not allowing them to leave” can be considered deliberate. When someone uses this kind of biased writing, being selective in reporting, and arbitrarily manipulates the facts, I wonder if there is any basic journalistic ethics left.

doEcho：

The child really couldn’t hold it in any longer, so the child’s mother used something like a diaper to catch [the pee]. There’s a group of people in Hong Kong who make it a profession to be anti-mainland, going out of their way to attack mainland tourists, and locals call them #兰花系废青#. Ordinary Hong Kongers on Facebook commenting on this incident almost universally criticize the “废青” [“Useless Youth”?]. There are also people raising examples of how laowai in the Lan Kwai Fong area often urinate on the streets after they’re drunk at night, criticizing the 废青 for not going to photograph those laowai and instead bullying mainland mothers and children.

Forest_木林森：

I just saw someone say the full video on YouTube shows the child’s parents taking out a disposable diaper to urinate into. When foreigners/Westerners in Lan Kwai Fong piss in public, we don’t see you people complaining. Do you [Hong Kongers] still think it is the era where reporting news of “mainland visitors having poor characters” means we’ll just hang out heads and admit fault? Sorry, you guys have things where you are superiority complex, but we also have our self-respect. Hehe, some people just like to be fawning dogs to Westerners, and these kind of dogs need to be put in their place by their Chinese mother.

This story was also the most commented article of the day on Chinese web portal NetEase, with over 50k comments and nearly 280k comment participants at present…

Mainland Child Photographed For Urinating on Street in Public, Fierce Clash Between Parents and Hong Kongers

China.com April 21 report — According to information from the official Weibo account of Dongguan Times, a child urinated on the street in Hong Kong, resulting in an intense clash between the mainland parents and Hong Kong locals. The scene of the clash was chaotic with adults criticizing and denouncing each other while the child loudly cried. The husband and wife picked up the child and tried to leave with their stroller but were grabbed and stopped by Hong Kongers. The child’s mother says there was a line for the restroom and the child had to go so what could she have done?

Well-known reporter and TV presenter Luqiu Luwei said on her own verified Weibo account that the child urinated on the street in public, a passerby took photos, the father tried to grab his camera and memory card, and the child’s mother slapped the passerby. In the video, a youth in white would not stand idly by and called the police as well stopped the husband and wife pair from leaving, resulting in a struggle between the two sides, with the youth being hit with the baby stroller. After police arrived on the scene and investigated, the father has been unconditionally released while the mother was arrested on suspicion of assault, but is allowed to be released on bail and must report to the police department in the middle of May.

However, many netizens clarify that the mother had used a diaper to catch [the child’s urine] and had only hit the hand of the person who was grabbing her stroller.

Comments from NetEase:

网易山东省泰安市网友 ip：222.132.*.*:

I’m numb to this. Watching the video, that Hong Kong busybody was making a big deal about nothing. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone so low [annoying, nosey, disrespectful]. Fuck, I really want to give him a slap across the face. Who doesn’t have a child [know what it’s like with children]?

网易广东省广州市网友 ip：14.19.*.*:

I suggest everyone look for the complete video. The mom used a disposable diaper to catch [the pee] and [the child] didn’t pee onto the ground at all. Not being able to forgive/tolerate such a small child [doing this], the characters of some Hong Kong people really leaves much to be desired.

丹俊 [网易广西柳州市网友]：

The truth needs to be restored to this matter, but people should remain calm when it comes to this regardless of what aspect. However, if it were me, I would’ve thrown a punch long ago. After all, I have to protect/defend my family.

plally1 [网易江苏省徐州市网友]：

The child was peeing on a public street and although the mother used a disposable diaper to catch [the pee], it is still somewhat indecent/inappropriate. However, this is just a small grievance. Several people grabbing the baby stroller and struggling with the parents, scaring the child to tears like this, is this the character of what you people call civilized Hong Kong people? Both sides fighting like this and surprising no one goes forward to intervene and break them up. Are Hong Kongers all apathetic and indifferent onlookers/bystanders?

网易浙江省绍兴市网友 ip：115.237.*.*:

Hong Kongers are “sons” in the face of the British, “grandsons” in the face of the Japanese [both suggesting deference, supplication], but suddenly they become “fathers” in the face of mainlanders [suggesting a sense of arrogant self-superiority]. This is what happens when people are spoiled rotten.

The video is also currently featured on the front page of leading Chinese video sharing website Youku…

From Youku:

Child of Mainland Tourist Photographed Peeing on Street in Public Incites Fight, Child Scared to Tears

Recently, a mainland husband and wife pair took their two-year-old daughter on vacation. With their daughter urgently needed to urinate, the parents lined up for a restroom on the busy shopping street but were unsuccessful [could no longer afford to wait]. This mom therefore took out a disposable diaper and, while in public on the street, allowed her daughter to urinate into it. Although the street surface was not soiled, two or three young people still photographed the little girl, ultimately causing the parents to have a physical altercation with the young people.

It can be seen in the video around the 4 second mark that the child’s mother is holding a disposable diaper in her hand. At the 5 second mark, the ground under the child is not wet/soiled. This video is the scene of both sides arguing after the police were called, and it can be seen that the mainland parents want to leave but are stopped by the Hong Kongers grabbing the infant stroller. The child’s mother repeatedly emphasizes “there’s a line for the washroom and the child has to go, so what choice do I have?”

In the video, the several youths refuse to let go of the matter, grab at the camera memory card, and clutch the baby stroller refusing to let the family of three leave. The dad is nearly holding his daughter the entire time, asking if any of the youths have children of their own and appealing that children have to pee. The two-year-old daughter sobs but neither the several youths nor any of the surrounding bystanders looking on and taking photos are moved.

The reason these parents had initially grabbed the photographer’s camera’s memory card was because the memory card had images of their two-year-old daughter urinating. Any responsible parent would not tolerate others keeping this kind of image, especially when it may be uploaded onto the internet and publicly disseminated, use as as a perfect example of “not having character [mainlanders not being civilized]”.

In a civilized city, regardless of whether it is an adult or a child, using the street as a toilet to relieve oneself is not sanitary and should be stopped. However, if it is an emergency situation, and especialyl when it involves weaker members of society such as the elderly, children, or the pregnant, then the matter should be judged on its own [exceptions should be tolerated].

Comments from Youku:

灰灰菜89180629

What’s wrong with a child peeing in the street? Is it against the law? Is it immoral? A child can’t control their pee [referring to very small children] and what more, the mother even used a diaper to catch [the pee]. Even if she didn’t use a diaper to catch [the pee], it would still be expected [that its okay for small children to pee in public if they have to]. Don’t think stopping a child from peeing on the side of the street makes you very civilized and noble [well-mannered]. To be frank, it’s just being a pretentious cunt. Being civilized and well-mannered is more about about exhibiting tolerance and humanity. Frankly, no matter how civilized and well-mannered you are [or think you are], you are still human. It’s not like you’ll suddenly change into something else. PS. Talk about not being firm when you should be firm and not being flexible when you should be flexible. What’s wrong with mainlanders anyway? If it were me, you three wretches can try to stop me from leaving and see what happens. If you piss me off, I’ll leave even if I have to step on your bodies.

搞笑阿刘27471864

I feel what these types of incidents reflect are not problems of character but problems of mentality. If the Hong Konger has prejudice against mainlanders, then as long as there is the slightest bit of a problem they’ll limitlessly magnify/exaggerate it, without the least bit of tolerance and understanding to be speak of. A girl says at the end of the video “isn’t there a restroom nearby?” What I want to say is, they [the mainlanders] are tourists, not locals. When the child isn’t able to continue holding her pee, parents get flustered too. They’ve already gone as far as catching the pee [with the diaper, to avoid soiling the ground], what more do you want? Is there only prejudice in your eyes? Where is the tolerance/forgiveness, understanding, and ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes that comes with your so-called good/high character?

物是人非事事休70856012

Don’t tell me this is the so-called character of Hong Kong people? Public defecation and urination is definitely bad, but this is a two-year-old little child. It’s something that can’t be helped. Moreover, she didn’t soil the street surface. These few young people being so serious, photographing the entire thing, is only for one purpose, to upload it online and say mainlanders have low/poor character! Actually, I think this young couple can be considered to have good tempers. If it really were me and I see how my child is crying like that, I wouldn’t be able to control myself and would’ve slammed a brick [attack, beat up] the person grabbing the stroller! Lousy bastard… I feel like yelling at [those] people!!

echo931125

The Hong Konger used a camera and photographed the child’s private parts. Any normal parent would not tolerate allowing him to keep this kind of photo. What more, it’s not like these parents let the child relieve herself wherever she pleased. They clearly used a diaper to catch [the pee], and what more, they didn’t just dispose of it where they pleased [throw it on the ground, litter]. For what reason aren’t they able to forgive this?

jjyyolol

1. The several young people were being too severe [unwilling to forgive/overlook/spare], acting as if they were defending Hong Kong’s social environment but actually had less noble intentions. Them intentionally angering Chinese tourists is simply with the goal of creating and exacerbating a situation. It’s best to respond to these kind of incidents by calling the police and before the police come, not fight/argue with anyone. I trust the police would know right from wrong [be reasonable] when it comes to the issue of a two-year-old child holding in her pee. 2. Don’t think everything in Hong Kong is good, you only need to watch TV to know this. However, Hong Kong too has some people who ulterior motives, instigating antagonism between [locals and mainlanders]. On this point, tourists going to Hong Kong should be clear and aware.

UPDATE: Hong Kong police have clarified that the child is a “boy”, not a girl, and that the mother did not “slap” anyone.

UPDATE: More video and photographs.