Mom Defends Buying 3 Train Seats for Her Daughters—But China's Rail Rules Say Otherwise

A simple train ride turned into a national debate after two girls—roughly 8 and 10 years old—spread their snacks across a third seat and refused to give it up. The confrontation, filmed and shared on Weibo, exploded after the mother of the girls came forward to explain her actions. Her defense has split the internet.

What Happened

On August 21, railway authorities (成都铁路局) issued a ruling: the adult whose ticket occupied the contested seat (006) never checked in, and therefore forfeited the seat's usage right for that segment. The two girls couldn't just claim it either—the crew had to physically decide who sits where. But the mom insists it's not as simple as “snacks ”.

The mother told reporters she was seeing off her two daughters on a 27-hour green-car train home to Sichuan. Because she couldn't get leave from work, she wanted to “train them independence.” Under China's rail rules, children under 12 can't purchase a ticket alone—they must be tied to an adult ticket. So she bought an adult fare (236 yuan) to accompany them, boarded, settled them, then hopped off.

Why Didn't She Just Return the Adult Ticket?

The dad—wait, the mom—explained that she had failed to book a sleeper compartment (卧铺), and she was worried about her daughters sharing space with strange men overnight. For a 27-hour ride, she deliberately kept an extra seat so the kids could stretch out and sleep. She also noted that if she'd cancelled the adult ticket, Chinese rail workers have the right to remove the children, as they'd be unaccompanied minors. “12306 clearly told us that,” she said.

Weibo's Split Verdict

The internet is sharply divided. Supporters see a resourceful parent and a calculated safe move. One viral comment from @琉玄 says: “The thing is, the adults are filming two little girls—that's disgusting. The mom bought three connected seats so she could leave her kids. She worried someone unknown next to them—if it were a man... she'd feel uneasy.” They point out that putting snacks is just a defense mechanism.

But critics worry about precedent. @李小粥的茶水间 argued: “If it's fine to buy extra seats for your kids (or snacks), fine. But then why not for luggage? And with stagger times, someone could use multiple identities to hog a whole train—public transit isn't just about throw money.” One user added, “What matters is the rule is a messy gray zone.

Cultural Context & Policy Gap

On China's rail system, seat allocations are the norm: each passenger has a designated seat. But “no-seat” tickets are allowed to stand or take any empty seat, often leading to friction. Children can't ride alone—simplex adult tickets required—and the state-owned railway has no “unaccompanied minor” service like airlines provide. Airlines in China offer paid “unaccompanied minor” services (5-12 years), often free—but rail has none.

For this mother, the choice wasn’t between optimal and acceptable; it was between safe and dangerous. “If you cancel the adult ticket, the crew may force kids to get off,” she said. But critics counter that keeping the adult ticket while not using it defeats the purpose—and unintentionally blocks another traveler.

As of now, the mother’s story has seen 70,773 likes and over 4,000 comments on a single video. It’s a lesson in that sometimes, everyone is right—and also wrong.

---

#零食占座当事人母亲发声 #占座当事人母亲解释买3张票原因 #母亲未退票是考虑孩子休息和安全