A video showing a bizarre scene of an old man riding a horse on the street of Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has gone viral on Chinese social media.

Running cheerfully, the horse looked like he was having a moment and in a merry mood on Wednesday.

The man was stopped by a traffic police officer on duty. It turned out he was trying to help a friend who couldn't go out to buy groceries due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. The friend asked for some rice and vegetables.

Because of the outbreak, motor vehicles are not allowed on the road without a pass. Instead, the man chose to go shopping on his horse. 

The traffic police told the man that it was a critical period for the prevention and control of the virus, which means running back and forth on horseback wasn't a good idea. When he heard the comment, the man murmured, "true, that's correct.”

Chen Yi, deputy-captain of Tiefeng brigade of Qiqihar traffic police detachment, told him it was prohibited for livestock to enter the main city streets, according to traffic law.

Additionally, "if the horse is shocked by anything on the road it could be a danger to pedestrians and vehicles," he added.

"I raised a horse and I can't ride it?" asked the man. The horse also bowed his head, not making a sound beside its owner.

When asked why he decided to raise a horse, the old man said that he had a lot of yard space and enough time to raise the animal after retiring.

In the end the man was persuaded by the police and told his horse, "I will go back to driving the electric car. Right, if we're not allowed on the street.”

However, this scene amused many Chinese netizens.

"A hardcore man! It looked so free and easy riding a horse in the city. This piece was so hilarious that it made my day after watching all heavy news of the virus," Weibo user @jinsedearure commented.

"The horse had a look like it was being wronged," a netizen named @RahXephonchujie noticed.

Another commenter @bubiduoshuo said on Weibo that "the old man was so cute telling the horse to take the police's advice."

According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Road Traffic Safety, to drive a horse-drawn vehicle, domesticated animals should be adopted and when driving across the road, the driver should get off the vehicle and pull the livestock. Riding horses on the motorway is not allowed since they are not motor vehicles.