The good, the bad and the ugly. The weird and the wacky. As is the That’s tradition, we’ve compiled our 2019 China Year in Review series. So sit back, relax and relive the highs and lows of the last 12 months.
A video goes viral in China every 30 seconds, or so it seems. But seriously, videos with millions of views in the PRC are a dime a dozen – they’re often hilarious and, frankly, we’re always dumbfounded to see what type of shenanigans people get up to. Here’s part one in our viral video series of 2019. (Although calling these videos ‘viral’ may be a stretch for some, we can tell you they were all incredibly popular on thatsmags.com in 2019.)
1. Bizarre Drunk Driving Accident In Shanghai Goes Viral
A video went viral in January, after a white car was shown precariously perched upon a concrete barrier in the middle of an elevated highway in Shanghai. The scene was so bizarre that passing drivers couldn’t help but record the spectacle, while wondering how the car got there.
2. Chinese Workers Crawl on Street After Failing to Meet Targets
On January 14, multiple female workers from a trust company were forced to crawl on the side of a street in Shandong province after reportedly failing to meet their year-end targets. In the video, several women can be seen crawling while others walk by and take videos of their humiliated colleagues. One man is seen walking and holding a bright red flag, leading the staff on their crawl of shame. The roads on which the humiliating punishment took place appear to be quite busy, with taxis, cars and bikes driving by frequently.
3. Kid Blows Up Manhole with Sparklers in Inner Mongolia
On January 30, a kid caused a rather large explosion in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia after plunging sparklers into a manhole. The explosion caused bricks from the pavement around the manhole to fly into air, while a massive plume of smoke engulfed the area. The video has over 160 million views on Tencent.
4. 400 Chinese Students Dancing to Reggaeton Goes Viral
Daddy Yankee’s hit song ‘Dura’ sent one school in Gansu province into a dancing frenzy, quickly becoming an online sensation worldwide. Zhang Guannan, the school’s physical education teacher, corralled over 400 students to participate in the ‘Dura’ dance challenge, which is a fun dance routine that has blown up on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok (also known as Douyin in China).
5. Young Girl Falls into Giant Panda Pit in Chengdu
On February 9, a young girl got too close for comfort to some of China’s beloved giant pandas. The 8-year-old girl fell into an enclosure at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, and hundreds of park visitors watched as security personnel helped lift the frightened girl out of the panda pit.
6. Foshan Police Drop MV and It’s Hella Catchy
On February 18, the Foshan Chancheng Security Bureau released a cover of the hit song ‘Burn my Calories,’ (燃烧我的卡路里) originally performed by Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101). The law enforcement rendition is a tad different from the calorie counter version drawn up by the popular girl band. Instead, Foshan’s single is titled ‘行通济,’or xingtongji in pinyin, referring to one of Foshan’s traditional Lantern Festival events, reminding everyone to be safe during the festive evening.
7. Zhuhai Kids Choir Praises Huawei in New Song
The Guangdong-based Zhoudan Children’s Singing Classroom released the video entitled ‘Huawei Mei,’ or ‘Huawei, the Beautiful’ in English, on their official WeChat account on February 25. While ostensibly not a project commissioned by Huawei, the singing group are pretty convincing when it comes to lines like: “Teacher tells me to love my country, and to love our domestic brand Huawei! Huawei is good, Huawei is beautiful, Huawei wins glory for our country!” and “Which is the most beautiful phone in the world? Everyone says Huawei!”
8. Chinese Cop Dons Drag to Highlight Dangers of Online Dating
The social media-savvy police in the Guangdong city of Foshan educated citizens about the dangers of online dating scams. The 20-second clip was released by police in Foshan’s Shunde district and shows a male officer donning women’s clothing and makeup to change his appearance to that of a “beautiful woman,” to quote SupChina. Near the end of the video, a police officer appears to handcuff the crossdresser.
9. Depressed Elephant Destroys 9 Vehicles in Yunnan
While some folks revel in their unattached status, others find being alone a rather sad way to live. A male elephant in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan clearly falls into the latter camp, as demonstrated by his nine-vehicle-destroying rampage on the morning of March 24, a marathon of destruction allegedly triggered because he couldn’t find a mate.
10. How to Make Your American Boss Feel at Home in China
Coming to China for the first time can be intimidating for some, particularly if you’ve never left your home country previously. So, what can you do to make a colleague’s, friend’s or loved one’s first trip to China a bit easier to digest? The Mamahuhu team explored this topic in this video, and we have to admit we LOL’d on multiple occasions throughout it.
For more 2019 Year in Review coverage, click here.
[Cover image: screengrabs via QQ]
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