China is still recovering, trying to understand what went wrong in social values. Many shocking incidents come and go in China, as corruption, socioeconomic gaps within society and lack of infrastructure can often lead to 'interesting' events in such a huge country, but the 'little Yue Yue incident' (xiao yueyue shijian 小悦悦事件) isn't so clear-cut; it doesn't allow people just to point fingers at corrupted official or evil criminals, it leads people to introspection.

On October 13 in the city of Foshan, in the southern Guangdong province, a two years old toddler, Wang Yue (nicknamed 'Yue Yue') was hit by a vehicle. But the hit-and-run accident was only the beginning of a shocking scene, in which 18 pedestrian passengers ignored the injured child and walked away, before Chen Xiamei, a 57 years old woman, noticed the child while she was collecting trash, picked Yue Yue up and looked for her parents. Not the hit-and-run nor the lack of parent supervision (her mother was collecting laundry and had left the child by the sideway) are the main story of this event, but rather the cold indifference (冷漠 lengmo) of the passengers. The scene was video-recorded by surveillance market cameras (watch here).

What went wrong? How come nobody noticed the injured child? Is it a matter of lack of attention? Does it have to do with the Foshan culture? Are Chinese lacking minimal compassion? Does this have to do with the soul-corrupting modernity or rather the fear of authorities? Or perhaps the passengers could not know for sure that the child was indeed seriously injured?

Yue Yue remembered in Tianjin through candle lighting and 'opposing cold apathy' '冷漠绝拒'
(photos by CFP)

It seems that Western media, in some cases, is taking a ride on the guilt and shame experienced by Chinese, using it to condemn other, irrelevant, issues in Chinese society and politics. Some reporters blame the communist regime for making people so scared to take action and assist a peer in need (which is rather contradicting the fact that the same regime is often associated with repressing individualism and emphasizing collective awareness). Some reports made an even more far-fetched link between the incident and a culture that prefers boys over girls (重男轻女 zhongnan qingnu), claiming that a dying female baby isn't such a tragedy in China. 
  
Still, this incident cannot be ignored nor seem as an event isolated from Chinese society and culture. The question of morality is discussed in China continuously, and in this case it reached a culmination point. On the one hand, public debates highlight so-called cold modern values, neglecting the compassion and social awareness promoted by Chinese tradition and Confucianism, but on the other hand, the positive issues of child safety, parent care and better legislation could also be seen as symptoms of modernity and social development. Thus, this case isn't a clear battle of tradition vs. modern, but rather a result of a confused set of values and socioeconomic gaps. Citizens sometimes find themselves stuck in the middle - Lacking collective awareness while still not enjoying individual stability.

Some Chinese netizens, when discussing the incident, claimed that picking up an injured child can be scary; what if she dies? How can one be certain he/she won't be blamed for the child's death and be extorted? These thoughts of not having confidence in the system, to the extent of not allowing oneself get into a mess of helping the other (no wonder the woman who did attempt to rescue Yue Yue was a poor peasant that had 'nothing to lose'), should be rethought by officials. Suggestions for legislation of Good Samaritan Laws, which will protect aiding bystanders, have been expressed throughout China. No official moves have been taken thus far, but government officials are wondering how to reward good deeds and punish cold apathy. Meanwhile, Chen Xiamei is expected to receive a reward of 25,000 RMB.

It is worth acknowledging the willingness of the Chinese society to take the guilt and to introspect. It can be questioned if such passenger indifference could have taken place in other countries, but the emotional involvement of so many Chinese, the wide-ranging discussion throughout the media and the pondering about new legislation are also a sign of a culture that isn't simply indifferent. Citizen response shows that apathy is strongly condemned by both officials and commoners. It remains uncertain, nevertheless, how the strong sense of empathy, experienced when watching the painful Yue Yue video, could be translated into positive initiative when witnessing 'live' incidents.

小悦悦事件引社会反思 - 'Little Yue Yue' incident has led to society introspection