Trending in Beijing: Does Self-Medication Help Virus Treatment, Fake Entry Passes, and WeChat Dark Mode
The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this? Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
WHO responds to Q&A webpage alteration
A small change on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website dedicated to helping the public better respond to the coronavirus outbreak sparked questions in the international community last week.
The controversy began when a single line was removed from the “Your questions answered” section of the English language version of the site, where a list of actions that are not effective against the COVID-2019 was provided under the question, “Is there anything I should not do?” The list originally included “Taking self-medication such as antibiotics,” but this item was no longer present on the list as of Mar 8. In comparison, that answer never existed in the Chinese language version.
The change gave rise to speculation that the WHO might be attempting to appease proponents of traditional Chinese medicine, which often includes herbal remedies. The WHO has now responded saying that they removed the line because it was too broad and that some herbal remedies may in fact “alleviate some of the milder symptoms of COVID-19.
Satisfied with that explanation or not, you can join the conversation with the hashtag #世卫组织回应删除不应使用传统草本药物#.
Fake entry-exit passes surface
The entry-exit passes used by communities to limit passage to residents are often as simple as a piece of paper with a stamp on it. Recently, several communities in Tiantongyuan discovered that people had been using counterfeit passes to pass through their grounds.
The counterfeit passes were nearly identical to the genuine passes except that the background images were black-and-white, whereas the genuine passes have a blue tint. The stamp on the counterfeit pass was still red, however, which suggests that the counterfeiters are either color blind, lazy, or just ran out of blue ink.
In response to the low-tech security breach, some communities in Huilongguan have already begun rolling out electronic entry-exit cards.
Netizens express their anger at these foolish fakers with the hashtag #北京出现假冒小区出入证#.
Next WeChat update may include dark mode
After versions of Android and iOS both rolled out a dark mode for users who value their eyesight, WeChat has slowly stumbled through the process of adding support for the function. Since late 2019, the app has supported dark mode for some versions of Android, although early adopters complained that certain text was blacked out as a result. (That issue has since been resolved).
WeChat’s reluctance to add support for iPhone users has apparently irritated Apple, who told Tencent that if they don’t get their act together, they could be faced with removal from the App Store.
In response, Tencent says it is cooperating, and hopes add support for dark mode in its next update. Netizens using their iPhones to blast out the hashtag #微信iOS版将支持暗黑模式# as they too share their hopes of a darker screen.
Smokers reluctant to go outside
The smoking ban in Beijing is nothing new, but as people confine themselves to their apartment buildings, some have apparently needed a reminder, as authorities received more than 170 complaints about smoking in residential buildings last month.
Using the hashtag #北京居民楼道抽烟最高罚200元#, irritated users nudged their netizen neighbors to cut it out or face a fine of RMB 50 for the first offense and up to RMB 200 for repeat offenders.
READ: Meet the Man Who Helps Digests the "Voice of the People" From Chinese Into English
Images: flyingdoctorsnigeria.com, World Health Organization, China Daily, Lu Chao (via Dribbble)
