Chinese Martyr

17 Aug 2010 - I saw a TV program about martyrs the other day. Being a martyr used to be quite a heroic title, but these days it seems something for freaks and fanatics. But what does one need to do to be declared a martyr in China? Official martyrdom has been awarded to a government employee who accidentally slipped on a wet toilet floor and died last month in Jiangyang district of Chengdu. The honor has stirred heated discussion on the internet fora over whether the employee had died during working hours or not because, officially, he died during the office break (some call this napping time). People believe he was napping in the toilet and slipped when he woke up. Official martyrdom entitles the victims' families to government welfare, but people feel napping on the toilet should not be rewarded. One thing to say is that it is not very glorious to die in the office toilet ....