My Monday was started with a bang! Literally. Okay, not quite but it’s close.
Living for nearly seven years in Shanghai, this was the first time I witnessed attempted suicide in the city. And boy, what a commotion that this elderly man caused (see picture below) during the peak hours in one of the busiest crossing bridge in Shanghai.
As killing oneself was never my favorite topic of conversation (as appropriately so!), yet I couldn’t help but wonder what prompt this elderly gentleman to do so. I know I’d never find the answer to my questions, but I’m curious on what the statistic are in China for suicide amongst Chinese. I know China is not Japan, but words on the street have it that more and more Chinese committed suicide every year in this country. And they’re getting younger in demography!
Could this social phenomena be connected to social pressure, widening income gap between the country riches and the bottom of the pyramid or are they isolated incident(s)?