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BEIJING
‘Melon head’ on metro
A man who rode the Beijing subway with a “watermelon head mask” was taken into custody by police, Beijing Morning Post reports. The man – who had on a mask made out of watermelon rind with carved holes for the eyes and mouth – was holding bottles of alcohol and walked unsteadily, passengers said. Police took him off the train after railway authorities were notified.
Nail found in bun
A woman injured her mouth after biting into a bun that contained a nail, Beijing Evening News reports. She felt a sharp pain when she took a bite out of the bun, bought from a 7-Eleven store, and promptly spat it out. She found her mouth bleeding and a 1cm-long nail in the bun. A representative from the factory that made the bun apologised to the woman and vowed to investigate the matter.
 
CHONGQING
Traffic-stopping cat
A lost cat on a busy road in downtown Chongqing caused a half-hour traffic jam, Chongqing Shang Bao reports. Drivers had to slow down or stop completely to avoid the wandering feline, witnesses said. Police caught the cat and a volunteer cared for it before its owner arrived.
Gardeners put out blaze
Two gardeners risked their lives putting out the flames on a burning cargo truck that had caught fire, preventing an explosion in downtown Chongqing, Chongqing Evening News reports. The pair emptied their gardening truck’s water tank, spraying eight tonnes of water on the blazing vehicle that had stopped outside a school. Firefighters said an explosion could have injured pupils.
 
GUIZHOU
Illiterate smoker fined
A migrant worker was fined after he smoked in a train toilet, triggering the smoke detector and delaying the train for several minutes, Guizhou Du Shi Bao reports. The man, from a remote Guizhou village, said he did not understand the warning message broadcasted in Putonghua on the high-speed train travelling from Nanning, Guangxi province, to Guiyang. The man, who neither reads nor speaks Putonghua, was fined 500 yuan (HK$630) – half his monthly salary – but escaped jail.
Hungry dog-hunters held
Two men were arrested by police in Zunyi for killing four dogs with poisoned arrows, Guizhou Du Shi Bao reports. Police found the dead dogs, a bow and poison-coated arrows in the trunk of the pair’s car. The men said they killed the dogs, which belonged to nearby farmers, because they were hungry and craved dog meat.
 
HAINAN
Preschoolers on the rise
The number of kindergarteners in Hainan rose more than 70 per cent from 2010 to last year because more schools were available, Hainan Daily reports. From 2010 to 2014, the number of kindergartens increased from about 1,000 to more than 1,800, and the pupil population rose from 180,000 to 310,000. The provincial government said it had spent over a billion yuan building new schools across the province, especially in the rural areas, so that more children could receive early education.
Hit by runaway car
A woman in Haikou was hit and injured by a car without a driver, Hinews.cn reports. The sedan slid down a slope at high speed and hit the 50-year-old woman who was standing on a sidewalk, witnesses said. She was hospitalised and treated for bone fractures. The car owner said he had applied the handbrake before parking the car outside a supermarket. Police confirmed that the handbrake was on and are investigating the accident.
 
HEBEI
Turtle invasion
The Shijiazhuang zoo has received more than 20 invasive species of turtles from residents over the past few months, Sjzdaily.com.cn reports. The residents had given them to the zoo after realising that their pets were alligator snapping turtles that eat native fish and damage local ecology. A zoo worker said one person dropped off six turtles at a go. The turtles, which are native to the United States, grow quickly, eat a lot, and can become highly aggressive.
Coins for a new ride
A man in Shijiazhuang bought a car with 150kg worth of coins, Yanzhao Evening News reports. Workers said they spent hours counting out the money until their hands cramped up. The man, who paid almost 20,000 yuan in one-yuan and 50-cent coins, said he had more coins at home and planned on spending them slowly rather than depositing them at a bank.
 
HUBEI
Queue for a living
Three people were arrested for providing queueing services at a public hospital in Wuhan, Xinhua reports. The trio charged patients between 40 and 60 yuan to get them a queue number and stand in line for them. They made a total of 60,000 yuan from their business last year, but police said the service was illegal as it disrupted social order.
Kiss of life – not
A seven-month-old boy in Wuhan developed high fever and an infectious disease because his parents kissed him too often, Chutian Metropolis Daily reports. His parents would press their lips to his every few minutes, transmitting a virus that was harmless to adults but that affected children, his doctor said. The boy’s symptoms went away soon after his parents stopped kissing him.
 
HUNAN
Well-hung pork
A Changsha resident hung salted pork on a tree in a street because he had no space to dry the meat at home, Xiao Xiang Chen Bao reports. The man, who said he had been doing so for years, nailed more than 20kg of pork on the trunk of the tree, just within arm’s reach. Other residents said they were concerned the man’s behaviour would harm the tree as the nails he used were long and thick.
Adventurous toddler
A one-and-a-half-year-old toddler shocked Changsha residents by leaving home alone and boarding a bus, Xiao Xiang Chen Bao reports. The bus driver and passengers were surprised to see him and the driver spent a day trying to locate his parents. Police said the boy’s parents owned a grocery store near the bus station and that they had reported him missing.
 
LIAONING
Wrong measure used
A Shenyang primary-school pupil’s mother found out that his ruler had inaccurate measurements after he failed to score full marks in a maths exam, Liaoshen Evening News reports. The mother informed the child’s teacher, who then discovered that the rulers her pupils were using all gave different measurements, varying by as much as 3mm. A stationery shop owner who sold some of the rulers said no one had ever asked about the discrepancies.
Teen cuts off own hand
A teenager in Dandong chopped off his hand with a kitchen knife after arguing with his parents, Shenyang Evening News reports. The 14-year-old only child had quarrelled with his parents before running into the kitchen, grabbing a knife and cutting off his left hand. He was rushed to hospital, where his hand was reconnected after a 10-hour operation. While recovering in hospital, he ran away but was found by a taxi driver who took him to the police before he was eventually returned to his parents.
 
 


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China society

Around the nation: 'Melon head' man spotted on metro in China - and taken away by police

The Chinese man who surprised commuters by riding on the Beijing subway with a "watermelon head mask" appeared to be drunk. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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China Insider

Also, lost cat stops traffic and zoo is 'invaded' by alligator snapping turtles


.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}New | Around the nation: 'Melon head' man spotted on metro in China - and taken away by police

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Also, lost cat stops traffic and zoo is 'invaded' by alligator snapping turtles

New | Around the nation: 'Melon head' man spotted on metro in China - and taken away by police

Also, lost cat stops traffic and zoo is 'invaded' by alligator snapping turtles