Climbing lamp posts cross-legged challenge goes viral in China with players often needing rescue

A Chinese woman who tried to copy a recently viral lamp post climbing challenge got herself stuck and had to call the Police to rescue her.The woman, surnamed Song, from eastern China’s Jiangsu province, was out for an after-dinner walk when she decided to take on the challenge.One woman, above, found herself unable to uncross her legs wrapped around the pole and had to be rescued by an emergency crew. Photo: SinaThe self-rescue challenge requires people to cross their legs around a lamp post, remain in a sitting position then try to free themselves.As easy as this may sound, many people have been shocked to discover that they could not uncross their legs.The challenge descended into farce when people were forced to seek the help of families, passers-by, food delivery riders and the Police to extricate themselves.The man above tried to execute the cross-legged challenge on a pole in a playpark. Photo: SinaIn Song’s case, she found herself more tightly stuck to the lamp post the more she struggled to free herself.The Police soon arrived and comforted her while adjusting her position before helping her uncross her legs.Luckily, she suffered only numbness.Videos on mainland social media show some people succeeding in the challenge.Successful challengers slowly rotate their body around the lamp post, to find the right position to free one leg from the other.The woman above appears to be happy with her attempt. It is unclear if she was able to uncross her legs. Photo: SinaThe Police officer that helped rescue Song said the challenge carries hidden safety risks.Further ReadingFor example, the knee joints need to be extremely flexible and be able to bear the weight of the whole body, which can cause injuries.Also, as the blood vessels in the lower limbs are continuously compressed, causing numbness, swelling and even the death of lower limb tissues.The officer suggested people not put themselves in danger.His comment resonated with many people on social media.“Many such challenges are popular online just to grab attention. Why do people just blindly follow them?” one person said.The so-called Ice-bucket challenge, above, went global a few years ago. Photo: ShutterstockSome also felt competitive after seeing the news.One such person said she wanted to “have a try”.Another said: “The mentality that they must be better than the fools in the videos is one reason why people attempt such challenges.”Such challenges often go viral on mainland social media.Previous challenges have included tying your ankles with zip ties, squeezing into a deep bucket and wrapping yourself in several layers of winter quilts.