Video by China police on how to survive a knife attack goes viral for unexpected ending

A video uploaded by the Chinese police force on how to survive a knife attack has gone viral, but not for reasons we'd expect.

The short 12-second clip starts off rather seriously, with a uniformed police officer announcing: "Today, we will teach you what to do when you encounter a knife-wielding assailant."

The camera turns to an armed man standing beside him who immediately strikes a menacing pose for the cameras -- the slightly comedic action should have warned us of what was to follow.

The camera then pans back to the officer, who's seen taking off and running in the other direction, screaming at the top of his lungs: "Help, police!"

According to reports, the video was made by the Longyang district branch of Boashan city police in Yunnan province and posted onto Hubei Shiyan police department’s official Weibo account.

[embed]https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/1001301115177127936[/embed]

“Normal people should deal with knife attackers this way. This is very practical — everyone must learn this method!” Shiyan police department said in the post.

A similar clip made in the US was posted on YouTube last month, so their idea may not have been original.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfAYyZoVy5o[/embed]

The Chinese video has so far been watched by more than 17 million people since it was posted last weekend, provoking laughs from netizens.

Many praised the police department for having a sense of humour, finding the light-hearted video "adorable".

But some found that the "advice" was basically "what normal people would do anyway".

Humour aside, the message is clear -- unless you've been trained to take down armed assailants, don't be a hero, and don't be afraid to run.

candicec@sph.com.sg