Pregnant, elderly, or infirm; subway riders throughout the world rely on the kindness of strangers to secure a seat on the subway. The extraordinary efforts of one Beijing woman to get a seat were discovered in embarrassing fashion recently.
Reporting in the South China Morning Post, Chris Luo describes the incident, and the woman's response, which has "angered thousands of netizens in China."
Apparently a woman surnamed Zhang bought a "fake stomach" online with the intent of pretending to be pregnant to secure a seat on the subway. "Zhang said she paid 300 yuan for the fake stomach – after some bargaining."
"But when she wore it on the train, the belt tying it to her waist came loose. The fake belly dropped to the ground. Zhang admitted she was 'found out and mocked' by other passengers.'"
Then came the most amazing turn in the story: the woman "subsequently launched a complaint [with the Liyuan Industrial and Commercial Bureau] about the product’s quality."
"China’s official newspaper Peope's [sic] Daily's website, people.com.cn, published a commentary on Wednesday, condemning Zhang’s lack of ethics. Its headline read: 'Fake pregnant woman exposed' and then asked: 'Who exactly shows the poor quality.'”
Read the full story: Woman discovered wearing false stomach on Beijing subway
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