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Whether it’s deserved or not, China has something of a reputation for producing convincing copies. Another thing the country is known for, however, is having authorities that do not suffer fools gladly… 

You might have caught images or video a couple of years ago of English magician Steven Frayne, AKA “Dynamo“, performing a stunt wherein he appeared to be floating outside a double-decker bus in the centre of London, clinging to said tourist favourite with just one hand while waving to people with the other.

It’s not quite up there with the likes of Penn and Teller’s genuinely mind-boggling tricks, and regular RocketNews24 readers will no doubt recall having seen a similar stunt abruptly ruined on Japanese TV, but it’s an impressive sight nevertheless.

▼ Dynamo’s “Bus Levitation” trick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G06xdAEYcjM

One company in China clearly felt that Dynamo’s trick would be a great way to advertise their brand, so procured a bus of their own, slapped their group’s name and logo on the side, and employed a stunt man willing to attempt the trick on the busy streets of Yangzhou.

For what it’s worth, they did a pretty good job, too:

Unfortunately, the levitation trick garnered a little too much attention. Just minutes after the bus hit the Yangzhou streets, police were on the scene to stop it and its not-quite-passenger, informing them that what they were doing was not only dangerous in that it was distracting other road users, but it was technically illegal.

They probably have a point; the traffic in London is far from light at the best of times, but having spent a little time exploring a couple of China’s urban hubs, I know which of the two I’d rather be strapped to the outside of—I mean float alongside—a bus in…

Source/featured image: YouTube/New China TV h/t Toychan.net