Photo from the Xinhua News Agency

I’ve written before about how chaotic and dangerous traffic is in China. Well, one elderly gentleman in Lanzhou has decided that enough is enough. In a hilarious display of bravado, frustration, and vigilante justice, he went on a vandalism spree on July 9, using a brick to smash 14 cars that ran red lights in a span of two hours at an intersection outside his home. The story includes a Q&A with the 74-year-old man.

A couple things about the story that struck me:

• The old man says that the police has not talked to him about his actions, and that even after one of the drivers whose car he vandalized called the police, the people on the scene, who were supporting what he did, immediately surrounded the police when they arrived — before they even had a chance to find the old man — to tell them about the situation, and the cops left without doing anything.
• In the interview, he comes off as very clear-headed and reasonable and displays strong concepts of right and wrong. He readily admits that what he did was illegal and says when some wanted to join his vandalism spree, he vehemently opposed it because it might stir up trouble, and if that happened, it would weigh on his conscience. He tells people not to follow his example. Also, he also refuses to place all the blame for unsafe traffice on the police.
• I’ve got to give the old man credit just for having the courage to step out into the intersection to smash those cars. As he said in the interview, he himself was nicked up by a bad driver while he was smashing another car.

Anyway, enjoy the story. It’s an amusing read. Here’s the link to the original story, for those who can read Chinese. The translated version actually leaves out some stuff from the original interview. If I have time, I’ll translate those parts and post them here.

UPDATE

I’ve translated the omitted sections of the Q&A. The segment below is actually the beginning of the interview.

The Beijing News: When you were smashing the cars, were you scared?
Yan Zheng-ping: No. You can say I’ve been planning this for a long time. I’ve thought of all contingencies, so I wasn’t scared.

I planned the time and place for smashing cars, which part of the car to smash. I wanted to ensure my own safety as well as the safety of the people in the car. I wasn’t going to break car windows.

The Beijing News: How long did you smash cars for?
Yan Zheng Ping: On the night of July 9, from after 7:00 to after 9:00. By my own count, I smashed 14 cars.

The first one I smashed was a taxi. The driver got out to argue with me. I asked him whether he wanted trouble or money. If he wants money, then hurry up and drive off and take this as a lesson. If he wants trouble, then I’ll call the police and have them come settle who’s right or wrong.

He listened to me, and the crowd had begun to hit his car with their fists, so he had no choice but to go on.

The Beijing News: How did the crowd at the scene react to your actions?
Yan Zheng Ping: A lot of people gathered. Every time I hit a car that ran a red light, people cheered. One car, after getting hit, drove for a little bit, then the driver pulled over and called the cops, saying someone was gathering a crowd and stirring up trouble. The police came soon. Before they found me, the crowd surrounded the cops and said, “Why are you here about the old man? This driver ran a red light. Why aren’t you doing something about that?”

Maybe the cops felt that the facts didn’t corroborate with the driver’s report, so they left.

The Beijing News: And the cops didn’t go find you later?
Yan Zheng Ping: To this day, not a single cop has made direct contact with me. The day after my vandalism, it became big news, and five policemen came to that location to maintain order.

I thought, “Now that the police are here, it won’t be right for me to keep smashing cars.” I was originally going to keep it up for a week.

The Beijing News: A lot of people supported you. Did anyone join you?
Yan Zheng Ping: Some people wanted to participate, but I was firmly against it. I take responsibility for my own actions. If other people join in, and it leads to trouble, that would be too much for me to take responsibility for, and I also won’t feel right.

There has been a great public outcry about the intersection where I was smashing cars, that’s why so many people supported me. Early last year, before the traffic light was installed, an old lady was struck and killed. Who knew that even after the traffic light was installed, it would still be just as dangerous.

THIS IS WHERE THE TRANSLATED VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW STARTS.
There is one more omitted question, which comes right before the question about whether his family supports his actions.

The Beijing News: Do you have any friends and relatives who drive? Do they yield to pedestrians?
Yan Zheng Ping: Two of my relatives have cars. Every time I ride with them, I ask them to obey traffic laws. They listen to me. I think this requires mutual caring and understanding. The drivers are also pedestrians at other times.