A heated argument erupted between two mainland Chinese women and local parents on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Macao Bridge(HZMB) shuttle bus, sparked by noise from the parent’s three children.
Both parties filmed the conflict in videos, which went viral on Xiaohongshu and Facebook, depicting them openly criticizing each other.
In a roughly five-minute video filmed by the two mainland women, one can be heard shouting “This is China!” and demanded the Hong Kong couple respond in Mandarin.
As the couple ignored their request, one of the mainland women criticized the parents for failing to stop their children from making noise in Cantonese.
The father noted that their children were less than one year old, suggesting the women use the online ride-hailing services instead of long-haul shuttle buses.
The mainland women quickly accused the father of discriminating against them, referencing phrases he used, such as “Don’t speak Cantonese, speak Mandarin” and “Go back to the mainland”.
Another video filmed by the local parents showed the father challenging the women’s accusation by asking if it is not them who are the ones discriminating against their family for bringing their children on the bus.
One of the women insisted that it is the parents who are responsible for keeping their children quiet in public spaces, noting it is a basic courtesy.
The mother responded that she had been covering her children’s mouths to quieten their voices, querying how the women expected a one-year-old to quit crying.
A message, believed to have been posted online by the parents, said that the quarrel began after the women accused them of lacking basic manners and that they were uploading the footage solely because the women had put their entire family online.
The parents emphasized that their children only screamed for a few minutes and acknowledged the disruption it may have made but stressed the difficulties in lowering their volume within just a minute.
The videos sparked mixed reactions to their fight, with some supporting the mainland women, arguing that parents should not bring their children if they cannot control them and blaming the parent’s attitude for the conflict.
Conversely, some web users supported the parents, recognizing their effort to manage the situation and the difficulties of calming the children.
Meanwhile, many commenters felt the incident was trivial, suggesting both parties should let go and avoid yelling in front of the children.
