Free hugs flop in China (Reuters)

October 30, 2006 9:43 PM

Copyright Reuters

BEIJING, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Chinese appear not to have warmed to a
”free hugs” campaign aimed at cheering up strangers by hugging them on
the street, with some huggers even being hauled away by police for
questioning, media said on Monday.
The campaign hit the streets of Beijing, Changsha and Xian this
weekend, with participants opening their arms to embrace passers-by and
brandishing cards saying ”free hugs”, ”care from strangers”, ”refuse to
be apathetic”, the Beijing News said.
In the capital, police moved in and took away four huggers briefly for
questioning, baffled by their wacky, Western activities on a busy
city-centre shopping street.
In the ancient capital of Xian, home to the terracotta warriors, no
more than 20 people, mostly children, had volunteered for the free hugs in
two hours.
”Passers-by showed interest and curiosity, stopped and asked, but
most of them walked away after hearing the explanation,” Xinhua news
agency said, quoting a local newspaper.
”Embracing is a foreign tradition. Chinese are not accustomed to
this,” a man named Li, a Xi’an citizen, was quoted as saying.
The ancient city of Changsha, capital of Hunan province, fared better,
a local affairs Web site reported.
”Though some people refused (to be hugged), I hugged 20 people in one
minute,” one girl was quoted as saying.
The Free Hugs campaign started in Australia and gained fame with a
music video this year.
20061030 105324+0000REUTERS

Read "Free hugs flop in China"

Posted at 9:43 PM

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)