WHAT’S HOT? WHAT’S NOT?

Carpenter Transforms

A carpenter in a village of southern Fujian Province warmed hearts online after he and his partner built a 1.8-meter-tall wooden Transformer replica for his grandson. The two men spent 40 days fashioning each part of the Transformer and assembled them with joinery, which doesn’t require a single nail. Netizens expressed their admiration for the carpenters’ craftsmanship and hoped to see more of their work.

Boy Calls Cops Over Missing Cash

An 8-year-old boy in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province called police after his father hid his Lunar New Year gift money totaling 10,000 yuan (US$1,568). The boy told police that the jar holding the cash disappeared on February 20. After his parents denied taking it, the boy believed it was stolen and called police. The boy’s father admitted to police that he hid the money so that his son would not spend it frivolously. Officers told the parents to communicate openly with their children rather than deceive them.

Hairband Request Gets Hairy

An elementary school in Zhengzhou, Henan Province garnered criticism for requiring girls to wear uniform hairbands. School authorities said students, who already wear uniforms, were too distracted by their appearances and hoped the new rule would help the students focus more on their studies. Netizens criticized the school for killing the students’ individuality and argued the school should help students cultivate their own personalities rather than turn them into “robots.”

Company Fined for Regional Discrimination

China’s Supreme Court upheld a decision to fine a company for job discrimination based on where the applicant came from. The company turned down an applicant surnamed Yan because of his place of birth. A lower court ruled that the company had discriminated against Yan and ordered it to issue an apology in State media and pay Yan 9,000 yuan (US$1,411) compensation. Netizens applauded the ruling but also said it is difficult to prove regional discrimination in the job market, since most companies do not tell applicants the actual reasons they were turned down. Some asked whether preferring locals in employment ads is a kind of regional discrimination.