The Greenwalking

"The Greenwalking [Chinese webpage of greenwalking in Wikipedia.] , known in Taiwan as xiaoluren (Little Green-man), is an innovative animated pedestrian crosswalk signal designed in Taiwan. This innovative device first appeared in Taipei City, between Song-shou road and Shi-fu road in 1999 [Liberty Times.] , and was spread from the capital Taipei City to Taipei County, Taoyuan County and Xinzhu until it was utilized around the whole country within few years. The image of a little greenish man with a hat first appeared in East Berlin, Germany in 1961, and was named Ampelmannchen, but was motionless then.

Urban Legend

There are a number of urban legends associated with the Greenwalking in Taiwan. The most popular version is that the Little Green-man would fall down every 20,000 steps [News] , or when the traffic gets too busy. Another story is that the Green-man would turn sideways or walk upside down from time to time to fool the pedestrians. As ridiculous as these stories may seem, many college students are fascinated by the funny stories. Many students have proclaimed on the local BBS (Bulletin Board System) that they have spent hours waiting to witness those actions, but none of these proclamations have been verified.

Animation Technique

The animation is created from seven different pictures of a man’s walking poses, using the Photogene Effect of human vision to make the viewers see him as walking and running.

Controversy

The appearance of this animated image aroused much controversy over its design patent. While Taiwan's Ministry of Communication proclaimed that the device is an aggregative creation, and thus should be a public property, the CEO of Kang Shen Technology Company argued that the company had applied for a patent for the design early in 1995, but was rejected by the government for its lack of progressiveness. The argument continues today. [Patent controversy]

New Creations

Many Taiwanese have tried to design their own Greenwalking. To name a few, someone in Pingtung made an up-side-down Greenwalking, another person created one riding a bicycle,and there are others. People like this device and try to add a bit of their creativity to it, even though those designs may not be actually be on the road.

Footnotes

References

* [http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A1%8C%E4%BA%BA%E5%80%92%E6%95%B8%E8%A8%88%E6%99%82%E9%A1%AF%E7%A4%BA%E5%99%A8/ Chinese webpage of greenwalking in Wikipedia. Chinese webpage of greenwalking in Wikipedia]
* [http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2005/new/sep/20/today-life10.htm/ News]
* [http://traffic.tycg.gov.tw/news/newstraffic/upt.asppageno=76&uid=&con=&cid=&year=&month=&day=&key=&p0=173/ News2]
* [http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2006/new/mar/2/today-so8.htm/ News]
* [http://tw.epochtimes.com/bt/5/9/20/n1058078.htm/ News2]
* [http://www.wretch.cc/blog/greenwalking/ Official Blog]

External links

* [http://www.greenwalking.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.books.com.tw/exep/prod/booksfile.php?item=0010171820/ Book]
* [http://toddweb.myweb.hinet.net/pic8/index.html/ DIY]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxEi9HRuAkw/ on the bike]
* [http://blog.pixnet.net/chinszuhan/post/6875088/ Japanese tourists watching the Greenwalking]