The Ratty Shoe Case: Friendship and Compassion

Abstract

In October 2011, a tragic event took place in a migrant community in south China and reignited the national discussion on whether there is a social morality crisis in China. In this event, a two-year-old girl named Yueyue was run over by a truck in Foshan, Guangdong province, a community of migrant small business owners. As she was lying there, a total of 18 people passed by and ignored her. A few minutes later, she was hit by another vehicle. Finally, a female street cleaner rushed to the child, carried her to the side of the road, and called for her mother. The girl died in the hospital a week later. The footage of the incident quickly spread on the Internet, and Chinese people in different walks of life engaged in discussions on why the passersby were so cold-bloodedly callous.