70 kph

70码 (qīshí ma): 70 kph

This term originates from an incident in Hangzhou on May 7, 2009 when Hu Bin, driving a Mitsubishi sports car, ran over Tan Zhuo as he was crossing the street at a crosswalk. In the police report, officers wrote that Hu’s car was moving at “about 70 kph.” (Note: they used an informal word, “码” for kph.) This ignited controversy, as onlookers believed the car was traveling at least 100 kph. Additionally, the driver of the car was a member of the rich second generation, while the victim was a young college student from a working class family. This led netizens to suspect that the driver’s wealth influenced the police report, and prompted them to let loose their built-up resentment towards those who use their wealth and government connections for personal gain. Perhaps because of the public outcry or the circumstances of the accident (the collision caused Tan Zhuo to fly five meters high and twenty meters forward), the police department changed its estimate of Hu Bin’s speed to 100 KPH and sentenced Hu to a three year jail term.

The event is parodied in the viral video War of Internet Addiction, in which the speedometer of one character's motorcycle is designed so that high speeds never display as more than 70 kph. The character boasts that he can never go over 70.

"I was just going 70!"

Girl weeping before a memorial to Tan Zhuo located at the scene of the accident.

This picture of the vehicle is said to come from Hu Bin's QQ account which a netizen claimed to hack into.

This cartoon illustrates the two potential crimes for which Hu could be prosecuted. On the left is "traffic accident" with a maximum penalty of three years. On the right is "disturbing public safety" which can be punishable by death. Hu was prosecuted for committing a traffic accident and sentenced to three years in prison.