The media in Hong Kong chewed on the “Bus Uncle” story for days. Chan appeared jovial on camera and laughed off the incident, saying he doesn’t use foul language at all. In the wake of his brief fame, a restaurant hired him to do public relations. But not all citizens considered him a hero. Three men mugged him at work one day, and he ended up in the emergency room.

The tale of Chan and his “Bus Uncle” triumph has now subsided. The videos are still all over YouTube, but the news cycle has passed. Yet in Hong Kong, the legend continues: A current advertisement for a bottled­-water company features a reenactment of the “Bus Uncle” incident — the most-watched episode in bus-transit history.