By Eryk Michael Smith / Staff
KAOHSIUNG — A minor mechanical issue on an amusement ride at E-DA World (義大世界) on Monday drew public attention after one of two elementary-school boys trapped on the attraction used a hand gesture commonly referred to online as “540” to signal for help.
While many older people in Taiwan have likely never heard of the “540” signal, thanks to Instagram, TikTok, and anime, it’s relatively well-known among young people here.
Wikipedia explains that the gesture began during the COVID-19 pandemic, “It was designed intentionally as a single continuous hand movement, rather than a sign held in one position, so it could be made easily visible. The Signal for Help was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation and introduced on April 14, 2020. It soon spread via the TikTok social video platform … It received widespread praise … for helping provide a modern solution to the issue of a rise in domestic violence cases.”
Watch the Wikipedia gesture demo HERE.
On January 26, at the E-DA World’s “Super Water Battle Boat” ride, the wheel assembly beneath one boat became stuck on the track inside a cave section of the attraction. The boat, carrying two boys, was unable to continue moving.
A nearby visitor noticed the stalled boat at around 4:55 p.m. and used a mobile phone camera with digital zoom to get a clearer look. In the video later posted to social media, one of the boys can be seen forming a hand signal toward the camera, which online viewers identified as the “540” distress gesture.
E-DA World said staff immediately activated standard safety procedures. Trained personnel wearing safety equipment entered the water to assist, and the situation was resolved within about five minutes. The ride resumed normal operation shortly afterward.
Staff confirmed that the children were safely assisted off the ride, were not injured, and remained calm throughout the incident. The children and their accompanying family later thanked staff for the prompt response.
The “540” hand gesture seen in the video is not an officially recognized emergency signal in Taiwan. However, some individual schools have introduced the gesture during safety or life-skills education, meaning familiarity can vary by age, school, and location.
E-DA World said it has completed an internal review of the incident and will continue to reinforce ride safety checks and boarding guidance.
Below: Some local young people say they learned about “540” from popular anime songs, such as the one below, which has close to 180 million views.
Source: Liberty Times
