China TV story about man accused of murdering uncle by getting inauspicious Lunar New Year haircut sparks online superstition debate
- Nephew gets New Year trim hours before uncle killed in road accident
- Angry aunt files lawsuit claiming husband was killed as result of haircut
Fresh life has been breathed into the 22-year-old story of a man in China who was accused of indirectly causing the death of his uncle by having a haircut on a day considered to be inauspicious in the country’s culture.
The case of Liu Bing, which was resurrected on mainland television over the Lunar New Year period has sparked much discussion about traditional superstitions by people on mainland social media.
More than two decades ago, Liu had his haircut on the second day of the Lunar New Year and hours later his uncle died in a car accident.
According to Chinese custom, “cutting hair on the second day of the first lunar month brings death to the uncle”.
As a result of his untimely trim, Liu’s aunt, the wife of the dead man, accused Liu of “indirect intentional homicide” and demanded compensation of one million yuan (US$140,000).
Liu had a strained relationship with his uncle and aunt, often getting into arguments with them.