BEIJING: A tourist couple from South Asia left their babies with a park guard in China to enjoy themselves, and locals instantly swooped in to calm them and change a nappy.
On Dec 22, a social media user known as “No Cilantro” shared the story from Qianling Mountain Park in Guiyang, in southwestern China’s Guizhou province.
The century-old park is famous for its sweeping mountain views and abundant wildlife, especially its naughty monkeys that love to interact with people.
In her post, No Cilantro said the man was Pakistani and guessed the couple were in their late 20s or early 30s.
Their babies lay in the strollers wearing pink hats and snug little blankets, round-cheeked and adorable.
Chen Daying, the security guard, told Jimu News that the parents wanted to ride the cable car and did not want to haul the stroller, so they asked her to keep an eye on their babies.
Their Chinese was limited and after a quick chat, they walked off without leaving any contact details.
Chen said the babies, a boy and a girl, were about five months old.
Their cries soon drew a small crowd.
One woman gently rocked the stroller, another tucked in a blanket and tried to coax a smile, while Chen grabbed the bottles and fed them.
Phones came out, soft laughter followed and one onlooker noted everyone kept their voices low so the babies would not be startled.
Chen quickly figured out that the baby who kept crying was uncomfortable because she had soiled her nappy.
With her hands “icy cold”, Chen asked a nearby woman to help.
No Cilantro said she did this and the crying stopped on the spot.
“Before I left, the little one even coughed up milk on me. She is so cute,” No Cilantro added.
About an hour later, the couple returned with ice creams in hand, thanked everyone in Chinese and picked up their children.
Chen said the young tourists just wanted to explore the park on their own, so she was happy to help.
“The babies were like little dolls,” she added, saying that as both a security guard and a grandmother, her only priority was keeping them safe.
The incident struck a chord on mainland social media, with related posts racking up more than 22 million views.
One online observer said: “Thumbs up for the kind security guard and local tourists. But the couple were really a bit too carefree. I would remind them that in other places you cannot just leave your kids with strangers.”
Another said: “The foreign couple came to see the monkeys, but the locals came to see the babies.”
“This once again proves how safe and warm Chinese society is,” said a third.
However, some netizens warned foreigners to watch for “tea-tasting” and “massage” scams, in which too friendly strangers lure tourists into overpriced venues and pressure them to pay. - South China Morning Post
