Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.38.43

Last weekend, Typhoon Soudelor, a powerful storm whose winds were recorded in excess of 230km/h (142mph), tore through the island nation of Taiwan before heading north to batter Southern China. It claimed the lives of at least six people in Taiwan alone, and has left a literal trail of destruction in its wake.

Now that the storm has passed, however, people in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei have been lining up around the block for a unique photo opportunity with a couple of objects which only just survived the powerful winds…

It goes without saying that typhoons are tremendously destructive forces, so you wouldn’t normally expect someone uttering the sentence “Did you see what the typhoon did to the post office?” to have a smile on their face.

But in Taipei this week, hundreds of people have been gathering outside one post office to have their photos taken alongside a couple of objects on which Typhoon Soudelor left its mark: two mailboxes so bent out of shape that they look like a pair of dogs cocking their heads in confusion.

Check out this news footage of the curious scene:

▼ The obligatory hadouken shot

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.50.28

▼ And the “I’m pushing this over”, AKA “The Leaning Tower of Pisa”, shot

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.50.46

▼ Why not combine your visit to the mailboxes with a hug from a uniformed man?

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.51.00

▼ “Please! No rushing! Everyone will get their turn with the post boxes!”

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.49.47

▼ “See?”

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.41.00

▼ We’re not sure all of these poses are entirely suitable for younger viewers…

Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.40.31

Local people have asked that the typhoon-tilted mailboxes, which have already been christened “Little Green” and “Little Red”, respectively, be left as they are rather than replaced. It’s not yet clear whether they are safe to remain, but judging from the about of buzz around the mailboxes, we’re fairly certain the post office they belong to would be more than happy to keep their unexpected new mascots.

Source: Culture Lab
Screenshots via YouTube/chinatime