THE footage of 2 year-old Wang Yue, nicknamed Yueyue, being left to die sparked a global outcry about declining morals in China’s fast-changing society.

On Sina Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, the story was the No. 1 topic last week, generating more than 4.5 million posts. There was also an online “Stop Apathy” campaign.

As the moral outrage continued, a steady procession of well-wishers poured in, offering gifts, money and support to the toddler’s family.

Around the world, the question was asked how 18 people could pass a critically injured child and do nothing. Some blame it on poor regulation. Others argue it is caused by the failure of China’s education system to inculcate respect for human life and dignity.

Still others blame it on what some call a spiritual vacuum. As the country’s 1.3 billion people compete to make money and climb the economic and social ladder, many people find themselves spiritually adrift.

Xia Xueluan, a social sciences professor at Beijing University, cited an “interpersonal trust crisis.”

He explains: “This kind of crisis is highly contagious and could get worse due to lack of legislation. As one netizen put it, it is not that good people can no longer be found in our society. It is that nobody can afford to do good deeds; the risk could be too high.”

Xia said one cause is the location where the incident occurred, which has a concentration of hardware stores like the one Yueyue’s father owns.

“The owners of the hardware stores come from different parts of China and are therefore unlikely to fraternize. Together they comprise a ‘society of strangers,’ instead of a genuine community,” said Xia.

(Han Ximin)

Wang Yang’s statement

WANG YANG, secretary of Guangdong Party Committee, told a high-level provincial meeting that Wang Yue’s tragedy should be a “wake-up call” for society and that such an incident should not be allowed to occur again.

“We should reflect on the incident and take steps to raise the moral standards of society.

“Making a better society requires all of us to search our souls and ask ourselves some difficult questions,” said Wang.

(Han Ximin)

What would you have done?

Sina Weibo launched a poll last week asking netizens what they would have done if they had seen Wang Yue lying there.

Of the 16,648 people who had responded by Sunday, 13,738 respondents, or 82.5 percent of the total, said they would call 120 or 110 for help. Only 1,907, or 11.4 percent said they would pick up the child for emergency treatment. A total of 293 people, or 1.75 percent, said they would pretend they they had not seen the accident and 710 respondents, or 4.26 percent, said they did not know what they would do.

When asked who should be blamed for Yueyue's death, nearly 40 per cent said the drivers who hit and escaped from the scene should be blamed. Another 40 percent thought the deterorating morality of society should be criticized. About 10 percent of people thought the onlookers who did not even make a phone call should be blamed while another 10 percent thought the child's parents should bear the responsibility.

(Han Ximin)