Chinese Hiker Wears Clothing Tag To Help Find Missing Children

A woman from northeastern China faced online criticism after wearing a clothing tag while hiking, which sparked widespread debate on social media. The woman, Deng from Jilin province, later explained that the tag contained information about a missing child, part of a charity initiative run by the clothing brand, reported South China Morning Post.

Deng recently shared a hiking video, revealing a tag on his backpack. The video quickly became the focus of criticism on Chinese social media. Many commented on his appearance, and some even criticised regional bias. Some users misunderstood the tag's purpose and linked it to the e-commerce return policy, which allows consumers in China a seven-day, unconditional return.

During China's Double 11 Shopping Festival in November, some shoppers attached large tags or combination locks to clothing zippers to prevent abuse of the return policy. 

Deng clarified that his backpack was purchased in September and the ski suit in 2023, which was outside the return window, so his criticism was misplaced.

Deng explained that these tags provided information about missing children to raise public awareness. He showed a tag containing a photo, personal information, and parents' contact number of a missing boy surnamed Li. This is why they kept the tags.

Meng, head of clothing brand NO1NW, thanked Deng and explained that the tags are part of a four-year public welfare project. Meng said that at the brand's launch, they created the tags based on public information provided by missing persons search organizations and updated them every one to two years.

Deng's clarification helped clarify the tags' true purpose and cleared up the misunderstanding that had led to online harassment.