Holy crap. Did you know that around 10,000 people flood into the Shanghai Zoo every morning to do calisthenics? They are all holders of the zoo's "excercise card" which grants free admission to the park for seniors over 70. But the repercussions of these mature morning masses are somewhat more serious than zoo officials anticipated. From Shanghai Daily, here's something you just don't read every day: more ›

This Tuesday, the Ministry of Health issued a document entitled "Technical Guidelines on Intervention When An Old Person Has Fallen Down". The set of guidelines carries no legal weight, but as its name suggests, is a list of pointers that the general public should be aware of when they encounter an elderly stranger on the ground who appears to be in need of help. The guidelines, while ostensibly meant to be an encouragement to please help people in need, was seen to have the opposite effect because of the following tip: "Do not rush to help, but manage according to the situation¹." This guideline elicited gasps of disbelief around China, because while people may hate to admit it out loud, there is the unspoken agreement that over-eagerness to assist has never really been a Chinese trait. more ›

According to Xinmin, the Waibaidu bridge opened up to the public earlier this morning. Though the official opening time was 8am, people weren't let on the bridge until an hour later due to the huge lines that formed. more ›

About 2,000 inmates who are too old or sick to care for themselves will be released from Sichuan prisons during next year. According to Shanghai Daily this is due to humanitarian reasons, as well as to reduce expenses. Prisoners whose families are unable to care for them will be sent to homes for the aged. more ›