China deploys its dancing aunties on street corners to teach people about road safety
China has unleashed its latest weapon against jaywalking -- dancing aunties.
After testing out various methods -- including public shaming, robots and even subway gates -- to stop jaywalkers, the country now has installed groups of dancing grannies to convince people to stay safe on the roads.
The dancing grannies are being deployed at some 100 junctions in the country's capital to teach people to be patient and wait for the green man.
Beijing has even written a pop song to go along with their dance:
The catchy song implores pedestrians to "wait for the light," adding that "safety is part of being civilised," and "if you slow down, you'll enjoy life."
Beijing's municipal government is reportedly deploying more volunteers, "public civility guides" and police to educate pedestrians, according to state-run Sixth Tone.
The volunteers also include children, who dance in the midst of traffic while wearing the colors of a traffic light:
Other cities -- like Qinhuangdao, in Hebei, northern China, appear to have followed in Beijing's footsteps, and have started their own campaign on their city streets.
The song has gotten mixed reactions from Weibo users, with some users saying that the song was proof that authorities were coddling citizens:
MaoLiRen: "Self-control is proof of your intelligence. Is it that difficult to stop during a red light and go on the green light/ Do you actually need a song and dance to help you remember that? It's the epitome of a nanny state!"
ZhenYuanDaXiang: "Actually enforcing the law would be more effective."
Others just felt bored:
ReliableMrXie: "I fell asleep."
DTiaoLove2011: "Kids are really better than adults as traffic controllers!"
I am an intern with Mashable Asia, focusing on viral news, lifestyle news and feature news in the region.
