Metro monster mash
Print Edition
The door monster, turtle monster, sleeping monster, ponytail monster and peeking monster — these are a few of the rude and obnoxious behaviors on subways everywhere.
A little-known Taiwan cartoonist whose online name is Qiao Ke recently created a series on his blog in which he depicts various rude Metro behaviors that he calls “Metro monsters” (ditie yao/guai 地铁妖/怪).
It’s so popular that Shanghai Metro riders and readers have weighed and contributed their own monsters that eat, fight, beg, let their children urinate, and do other offensive things.
The Metro monster phenomenon has really caught on, it’s become a mania in Shanghai’s system that carries 8 million passengers on work days along 15 lines (including the meglev train).
“It’s so vivid and typical, it’s just like the Shanghai Metro,” says Sammy Gong, a bank clerk in Pudong who takes Metro Line 2 every day.
“Who can be more miserable than me? I’ve met 9 monsters,” says Gao Yanjie, who fights crowds during rush hour.
Qiao Ke, who has not been available for comment, so far has satirized 10 rude behaviors.
The “door monster” 挡门妖) blocks the Metro doors, even when there’s room.
The “turtle monster” (龟壳妖) wears a huge backpack that is destructive and can ravage his neighbors.
The “sleeping monster” (睡妖) dozes off and takes seats reserved for the elderly and needed by pregnant women, “but he magically wakes up at his station.”
The “ponytail monster” (马尾妖) shakes her head and hair in passengers faces.
The “peeking monster” (偷看妖) is always peering at other passenger’s mobile screens.
Here are the others:
The “newspaper monster” (爽报妖) opens his newspaper on a crowded train; the “elbow monster” (肘击妖) elbows passengers and also hangs onto the rings — it’s worse if he or she has body odor; the “rugby monster” (橄榄球员妖) barges into the train and even keeps the doors open for his friends; the “stone monster” (石头妖) drags a huge, stone-like piece of baggage onto the train and blocks the aisle; and the “pole monster” (钢管妖) wraps himself around the pole so others can’t hold on.
Shanghai Metro riders have enlarged the monster gallery. They include seat-grabbers; people who eat, especially pungent food; riders who occupy benches and spread out their belongings, those who pass out flyers and flick advertisement cards.
“I even saw one mother breast-feeding her child on the Metro. It was so horrible,” says Wei Jiajia, who takes Metro Line 1 to work each day. “She seemed quite calm, but we were embarrassed.”
Begging, which is illegal on subways, is always a big headache and sometimes plainclothes police are alert.
Xujiahui Metro Police issued “Metro Begging Rankings” in 2012, listing the line’s top three beggars.
No. 1 was a severely disabled 22-year-old man who could not walk. The Liaoning Province native was caught begging 309 times. Beggars are routinely fined.
No. 2 was an 88-year-old gambling addict from Anhui Province, caught 303 times. Police said she played mahjong in the afternoon and begged at night to earn gambling money.
No. 3 was begging to fund his wife’s cancer treatment, as it was reported. He had been detained 241 times. The couple with disabilities from Gansu Province sang for a living, to music, on the Metro Line 3. They were lip-synching.
The campaign against rude Metro behavior has been going on for many years.
Last September a passenger was beaten up on the Metro Line 11 when he tried to stop a man who helped his son urinate on a train. He was beaten by the child’s parents and uncle. The passenger’s girlfriend called police and the three assailants were detained for seven days.
Last August, a young smoker on Metro Line 9 got into fights with passengers who objected. “I dare you to call the police!” the smoker shouted. The police were called and arrested him at Yishan Road Station.
“It’s a bit of an exaggeration to describe passengers as monsters, but those irritating public behaviors are indeed a common sight, not only in Shanghai but also in other big cities,” says Xu Huili, Shanghai Metro’s liaison officer.
She says that because there are few staff on trains, it’s not possible to monitor all 479 kilometers of line 24 hours a day.
“What we can do is calling for social morality among the passengers,” Xu says. “We hope they can work with us to stop rude behavior when it happens.”
Passengers can call 110 and 6437-0000 to report bad behavior and begging.
They can also post pictures on the official Weibo micro-blog (“Metro 110”) and add the train information. Photos can be sent directly to the WeChat instant messaging tool (“Metro 110”). Police are supposed to arrive in five minutes at the next station.
“We hope passengers can understand and respect each other. Each citizen has the duty to help other people, especially the city’s newcomers, to better integrate,” Xu says.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
