On October 19, in a shopping mall in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, an elderly woman was spotted attempting to reach the second floor by walking against a downward-moving escalator instead of using the proper upward one.

Because the escalator was going in the opposite direction, the woman had to keep walking continuously just to stay in place — her effort resembling someone exercising on a treadmill. Witnesses said the scene lasted for more than ten minutes.

Throughout the incident, a female supermarket employee stood at the top of the escalator, seemingly waiting for the woman to make it up on her own. Her passive response sparked heated discussion online.

In response, supermarket staff explained that intervening could have been risky — if the woman lost balance, she might have fallen or gotten caught in the escalator, so they chose to wait until she reached the top safely.