Shanghai Daily news

Just a few months after a bus dispatcher was stabbed to death by an umbrella, the Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision has drafted a new local standard for the manufacture of umbrellas.
The bureau is now asking the public to offer opinions on the draft.
The standard states that manufacturers must make the umbrella tip at least nine millimeters in diameter and not more than 80 millimeters in length.
The standard was drafted after Chen Shuanglong was stabbed in the eye with an umbrella tip and died, the bureau said.
Chen was pierced through the eye and brain by the sharp tip during a fight with a line-jumping passenger on September 22.
He died in the hospital the next day.
The suspect has been arrested, but no trial date has been set.
Local umbrella manufacturers said it won't be difficult to meet the new standards.
Ji weihua, the owner of Shanghai Golden Umbrella Co Ltd, said the company won't require new equipment and technology. But that doesn't mean he is in favor of the new rules.
"We received many orders for long umbrellas from Europe," Ji said. "No one said such an umbrella is a hidden trouble."
Ji said many foreigners like long umbrellas very much not only for their classic style but also because they are more convenient than shorter models.
He noted that if a person wants to hurt someone, he can always find a weapon to use, so it is unfair to blame Chen's attack on the umbrella.
Not everyone agrees.
"I always feel unsafe when people open an umbrella beside me," said Jiang Yanzheng, a local office worker. "I'm afraid they will hurt me."
But many people still prefer to use long umbrellas, which some say are more convenient and stronger.
"When using a long umbrella, you don't have to worry that a strong wind will break it," said local resident Zhang Yizi.
"The daily use won't cause an injury and Chen's case was just an accident," said Zhang.