Chongqing gets China's first 'cell phone users only' sidewalk

It was bound to happen sooner or later. China now has its own version of the "no cell phones" sidewalk pioneered in Washington, D.C. this July, splitting the pavement into two lanes: one especially designated for slow-moving, visually impaired mobile phone addicts and those walking at normal capacity.

Not unlike its predecessor in the American capital, however, the Chinese version, which was introduced to Chongqing last week, is ignored by pretty much everyone. This is particularly true of habitual mobile addicts (or "heads-down tribe" as they're known in these parts) who are unsurprisingly too buried in their smart phones to lift their glassy gaze to read the sign in front of them.

Instead, the only people heading the sign are those who stop to take a selfie in front of it and then proceed to ignore the lanes altogether. Welcome to the twenty-first century. You can find China's first cell phone sidewalk on Chongqing's endearingly named Foreigners' Street, a "European-style" entertainment district on the south bank of the Yangtze.

There, you'll also find the world's most indiscreet public urinal:

Middle-aged women doing anti-Japanese dance routines:

And, of course, random statues of fellatio:

... Just like back home!