For many expats, even long-term ones, the peril of crossing the street in China remains a daily source of fear. But for Mario Hakulinen (Chinese name Ma Ruinan), a Finnish man who has made his home in the southern city of Fuzhou for over a decade, the reckless impatience of Chinese drivers is a public danger he felt compelled to take into this own hands. “Drivers have a big problem, I want to make them think about it, to consider safety,” Ma, or “foreign uncle” as netizens have fondly dubbed him, explained in Chinese. Widely circulated videos of Ma in action show the pony-tailed traffic crusader patrolling a zebra crossing. When pedestrians attempt to cross the street, Ma strolls boldly in front of on-coming traffic and raises his hands to signal the drivers to a halt. Knees bent, palms pushing forward, and a look of utter serenity on his face, Ma’s pedestrian-protecting gestures are apparently inspired by Tai Chi. “Tai Chi is so graceful and deliberate. But why are Chinese drivers always in a hurry? Isn’t it common sense for cars to stop for pedestrians?” It seems officials in Shenzhen agree. New rules there give pedestrians the right-of-way in crosswalks, and motorists who fail to yield to them face an RMB 500 fine.
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