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Fran Lu

Mainland social media has been shocked by the story of a fifth-floor household in China which keeps cattle on their balcony.
Video clips of seven calves enjoying meals on the balcony of a residential building in southwest China’s Sichuan province have been viewed 4 million times on Douyin, the mainland version of TikTok.
An occupant of the residential compound said the cattle were only on the premises for a day before neighbours annoyed by their mooing and foul smell alerted the authorities.
The animals were removed by urban management officials on July 14, Phoenix Weekly reported.
The community’s party secretary, Zhang Dayou, told Fengmian News that the calves weighed between 10 and 20kg each.
According to the Fengmian News, since they were removed, property management staff and guards have been locked in a battle of wills with the owner of the cows who was trying to sneak them back into the flat.

Online observers have been shocked by the bovine balcony story.
“I am sure the cattle never imagined they could live in a building one day,” said one person.
“Poor calves, being squeezed onto such a small balcony,” said another.
A third online observer added: “At least it proves that the building is of fine quality.”
The residential compound houses people resettled from nearby villagers, which might explain the situation.
In January, a resident complained that many households were raising noisy chickens in their flats, adding that chickens were one thing, but cattle were quite another.
Some social media observers showed understanding over the villagers losing their former way of life after being resettled.
“People there have spent their life living in the countryside, and were used to keeping poultry and planting vegetables in their yards,” said one person.

Similar cases have been reported in the past.
On July 15, a woman from northern China’s Heilongjiang province complained about an elderly neighbour who carried on with his farming habits downstairs from her flat.
The woman said her family were forced to move out because they were worried the smell might harm the health of her one-year-old child.


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People & Culture

Residential compound is home to resettled rural folk for whom old habits die hard
Social media shocked by story but many people express understanding over former farmer’s behaviour


A story about a mini-herd of cattle being kept on the fifth-floor balcony of a residential property in China has shocked mainland social media.


Raise cattle on a balcony: China flat owner who kept 7 cows on verandah ordered to remove animals after neighbours complain of smell and noise

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Residential compound is home to resettled rural folk for whom old habits die hard Social media shocked by story but many people express understanding over former farmer’s behaviour

Residential compound is home to resettled rural folk for whom old habits die hard

Social media shocked by story but many people express understanding over former farmer’s behaviour