1. Cars are not allowed to stop at crosswalks : Cars are not allowed to stop at a pedestrian crossing. This law is strange since it is usually known that cars need to stop at crosswalks so that pedestrians can cross the road. But this is not the case in China where cars are not allowed to stop and let the pedestrians pass. This is according to the Beijing Traffic Laws which states that power-driven vehicle is forbidden to stop at a pedestrian crossing and even face a fine. Therefore, when one is at a pedestrian crossing in China they should wait for cars to pass before they cross the road.
2. Intentionally having sex with another man’s wife is not allowed : This is one weird law where it is prohibited for one to have sex with another man’s wife intentionally. This means that when a man has sex with another person’s wife unintentionally then it is allowed. This beats the purpose of the law since one can argue that they did not know that the woman was married and thus beat the purpose of the law.
3. Dating a colleague is not allowed : Most workplaces make provisions for colleagues who are dating in the workplace. However, in Guangzhou province, an internet company has implemented some strict policies on dating where male employees who have been employed for less than a year are not allowed to date a colleague. Women in the company who have been employed in the company for three months and find a boyfriend who is not an employee of the company, the company has to vet him to determine if he is suitable. This law is strange in that a person’s partner does not concern the company since it is their private life.
4. The secrets of sericulture are not to be shared : The art of silk making is associated with China since it is notable for this activity for the past centuries. Therefore, an ancient imperial rule was enacted that banned sharing of the secrets of sericulture. This law states that anyone found guilty of the offence was to be tortured to death. The law is quite strange in that in contemporary society, it normal to exchange ideas so that one can come up with a better way of doing something and making work easier. However, this is not the case in China in that if one wants to lose their life then they just share the trade secrets of sericulture.
5. Naming children with strange names are not allowed : China prohibits naming children strange names. This law is strange as one would expect that the choice of a baby’s name depends on the parents as they are the ones who gave birth. In China, it is quite different as the government does not allow naming a child a name that sounds weird. Therefore, if a name that a parent has thought of sounds okay to them but is considered to be weird, then they are not calling the child that name. To some extent, the rule is nice as it would ensure that people do not have names that make someone wonder what inspired them to name their child that particular name. The given names should also be translatable to Mandarin.
6. Children are required to salute passing cars : In China, it is customary for children to salute passing cars by raising their hands. This law is in place in Guizhou Province where the students of Luolang Elementary School are obligated by law to stop and raise their hands on the street when they see an incoming car. This law is weird but surprisingly, it has helped in reducing cases of small children being involved in accidents in that when they raise their hands, the drivers can see them and thus avoid hitting them.
7. Russians need to be announced when they approach : This rule is among the top strange things that are practised in China in that the citizens need to announce that a Russian is approaching. This law was implemented in 1907 where if a person failed to announce that a Russian was approaching, then the offence was punishable by death. The consequences of this rule were a bit drastic as one nay has failed to announce that there was a Russian approaching because they were not paying attention to him. It is also strange that it was a requirement to announce that someone was approaching just because they were of a different nationality.
8. Storing explosives in the basement is not allowed : China restricts house owners from storing more than a tonne of explosives like fireworks. This is a strange one in that why would someone be storing that many explosives in their house. For the law to be enacted, it means that they were people who were keeping that amount of fireworks in the basement which makes it even more bizarre.
9. Adult content is forbidden : China has a strict rule on the dissemination of adult content in that the information on the internet is restricted by the government. This rule is a bit strange in that even if the content is restricted, it will not prevent a person from being dirty-minded and thus beat the whole purpose of the law.
10. The students get loans from loan sharks : In most countries, students get their loans from the government which they will use to fund their education and then pay them later when they have already gotten jobs. This is not the case in China in that student loans are gotten from loan sharks who may take advantage of the students and set high-interest rates with limited timelines.
