Shenzhen North!! Seriously Freaked Me Out!

[Kathryn Hermiston]

Oh man! I was hiking and suddenly spotted this thing, what the heck is it? It gave me a real scare with cold sweats.

• At that time, I was struggling up the hill, puffing and panting, when I looked up and saw this odd thing right there.
  • Sorry for any confusion here, “puffing and panting” refers to struggling to climb the mountain and breathing heavily.
• Honestly, my mind went into overdrive, and all sorts of bad thoughts rushed in:
  • What's this thing? Could it be dangerous?
  • Is it an animal nest or some mark left by someone in the mountains? (In China, sometimes people leave objects in the mountains as markers or special symbolic items, but this looks too strange to be natural!)
• Quickly taking out my phone, I snapped a photo and ran away without looking back! Seriously, staying there for another second made me feel uneasy.

️ Important reminder for fellow hiking enthusiasts:

• When encountering unknown objects, safety comes first! Just like what happened with me, if you have no idea what it is, the best approach is:
  • Don't get close! Maintain a safe distance. In my case, I took pictures from far away.
  • Don't touch it! You never know whether there's poison or hidden danger on it.
  • Leave quickly! If something doesn’t feel right, leave immediately without hesitation.
• It’s better to hike with company. Especially in unfamiliar areas, having more people around provides mutual protection.

So, anyone knows what this exactly is? Please enlighten! Knowing this can help me next time I encounter a similar situation.

[Ms. Thelma DuBuque-Rolfson]

It's definitely unnerving to encounter a situation like that, and you were right to be cautious! Perhaps this person experiencing homelessness is facing real hardships, which is why they're temporarily staying in the mountains. I hope our society can offer more compassionate support, providing safe shelter and care for those in need. If you find yourself in a similar situation again, consider contacting local social workers or aid organizations. It's a way to ensure your safety while also extending a helping hand. Let's all strive for a bit more understanding to make our cities more compassionate.

[Dr. Lance Glover]

Could they be a fugitive?

[Maryann Daniel IV]

It's best to notify the police. In China, the situation with many homeless individuals isn't just about being down on their luck; there can be more to it. For instance, during the pandemic, there was a man who often lived under a bridge near us. We felt sorry for him and would frequently bring him food or give him some money. When the city went into lockdown, we worried he might starve, so we tried to arrange help for him. But he ran away. At first, we thought he just didn't want assistance, but then he started running every time he saw us. After this happened a few times, it felt wrong, so we called the police. They caught him, and it turned out he had committed murder back in the 2000s and had been on the run ever since. Without an ID, he couldn't work and survived by living under bridges and relying on handouts.

[Lewis Larkin]

Just as I suspected—a fugitive.

[Sammy Schiller]

I'm speechless at some of these comments below. You all sound so high and mighty, you might as well be sitting on the Leshan Giant Buddha's shoulder.

[Hazel Brown-Stracke]

A 'Sanhe Dashen,' perhaps.

[Alejandro Runolfsdottir]

I guess not many people know that term anymore.

[Mr. Jody Bednar]

On one hand, I feel sorry for them if they're genuinely homeless and taking shelter here. But on the other hand, if the person living there has malicious intentions and targets a lone woman passing by—thinking of murder, rape, or robbery—that would be absolutely detestable... Sigh, it's such a complicated world.

[Beulah Koelpin]

I agree, a place like this seems ideal for committing murder or other crimes.

[Mr. Nathan Waelchi]

Last year, I went to Wuyi Mountain. After registering, I drove into a nature reserve area. The road wound for tens of kilometers with no one around. On my way out, I saw a man with a backpack walking, so I offered him a ride out without much thought. After he got in, my mom, using our local dialect, asked me why he had burrs all over his hair. Driving, I instantly broke into a cold sweat and didn't dare to look directly at him in the passenger seat. For those dozens of kilometers, I was completely on edge, afraid to say anything wrong. He tried to get information about my family, and I answered cautiously, afraid of revealing anything about our finances. When he said he'd lost his phone and didn't have one, I got even more scared. My mom in the back seat was holding something, on high alert. After we got out of the reserve, he wouldn't get out of the car. I had to make up an excuse that I needed to go eat to finally get him to leave. With burrs in his hair and dirty clothes and shoes, he clearly looked like he'd been hiding in the mountains. Since then, I don't dare to do good deeds anymore.

[Orville Conroy]

It's a good thing your mom spoke in your local dialect. If he had understood and made a move, it could have been all over.

[Howard Legros]

Several people in the comments are suggesting the original poster delete this. I wonder what the OP thinks about that.

[Marcos Goodwin]

Why delete it? Some people aren't aware that a homeless person could actually be a fugitive. What's the harm in more people seeing this and being informed?

[Leticia Ritchie]

I think many people fail to respect an individual's autonomy and complete freedom. Government shelters and aid organizations are just options for someone; they don't have to take them. As long as this person isn't harming you or others, you have no right to demand they leave, or ask the government to remove their dwelling, or evict them. Your concerns about 'city appearance,' 'cleanliness,' or 'potential danger' are often just excuses for things that haven't even happened. Issues like river pollution, buried construction debris, sewage discharge, and poor local governance are far greater harms—these individuals, on the other hand, might pose no harm at all.

[Emma Kihn]

But what if...?

[Daisy Hermiston]

Why aren't the aid shelters stepping in? Back in my hometown, there aren't any homeless people because the shelters send them all back to their places of origin.

[Mattie Lockman]

These days, they're often given money and opportunities to learn new skills.

[Faye O'Conner]

It's not unreasonable to suspect they might be a fugitive. We had a case here where someone escaped into the mountains. A huge search party was organized, costing a lot of money, but they were never found. They're probably living a semi-feral life by now.

[Roosevelt Reynolds]

Girls, in particular, should steer clear of homeless men like that. When I was young, I often heard stories about homeless men raping girls; some of them are mentally unstable too.