Hello and welcome to this week's "Getting Around the People's Republic" issue of the Yellow River Chronicles. Here at the YRC, we always try to stretch the boundaries of contemporary journalism with a zesty mix of repartie, induendo and outright mendacity. We have also added video, which brings granularity and density of vision to the column....we think.
Getting around China. The three-year-old tricycle pilot.
As you know, the YRC staff likes to "get around" and China is no exception! We start this weeks issue with...well, it's a great example of childcare and traffic, Chinese style. Watch the video and we'll chat when you get back.
Wild, yes? That crazy kid! We think we see a future Chinese racing car driver in training, don't you?
First, thank goodness he made it. Second, what we found interesting was that NOBODY stopped their buses, cars, or motorbikes to get the kid. No, we have places to GO people and....hey, drive around that kid on the bike would you? Third, the policeman brings the kid home, yuks it up with Grandpa and all is well.
And yes, this sort of thing happens in the PR of C quite frequently.
Cruising the river on the Pearl Number Seven:
This just in from China Daily, the choice for objective news reporting in the PR of C.
"The luxury cruise ship Pearl NO 7, bumps a bridge in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, May 23, 2012. No injuries were reported, but the deluxe liner lost its chimney which left a mark on Wenzhou Bridge. The cruise was being dragged by four tugboats to a downtown terminal ahead of opening to the public during the National Day holidays in October. The accident is believed to have been caused by miscommunications of the ship's height, Wenzhou City News reported. [Photo/CFP]"
Honey, the Ledo deck is out of commission. Want to hit the buffet before the crowds?
How to avoid a car inspection in Nanjing:
And now for an exciting article and video from ChinaSmack.
As exposed by internet user “JEEPNJ”, on 2012 April 3rd around 3pm in the afternoon, on Nanjing’s Gaochun Road, in order to escape inspection, a driver in a black Buick Excelle staged a mad charade, smashing into 12 cars before fleeing the scene. Currently, police are still investigating. This is the above-mentioned user’s dash-cam recording.
Click here for the article and video
(http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/videos/chinese-driver-hits-12-cars-to-escape-police-checkpoint.html) (If it doesn't work, paste into your browser, please).
Our favorite part is when the motorbike pulls into the "lane of destruction", followed by a large group of people.
And finally, a birds eye-view of traffic patterns in a typical Chinese city:
According to www.driver.com, "To the North American eye, used to simple traffic, simple rules and lots of space, it looks impossible and disorganized. A China-bound tourist might take one look at this and understand immediately why rental cars in China usually come with their own driver.
However, upon closer scrutiny, the 'chaos' is not so chaotic. The Chinese themselves are used to this more informal relationship with rules and their expectations of other road users are vastly different from the North American expectations.
As journalist Ken Wills points out in an article on the Boston.com web site, Chinese driving habits appear to be "a direct extension of China's bicycle culture, whereby every move is a calculated negotiation among throngs of cyclists flowing at roughly the same speed and in the same direction."
So that's it people! You now know why we are somewhat nervous when we step out the door in the morning. It's an adventure, we'll tell ya! Thanks for tuning in, check those mirrors and as Bill Murray said....don't drive angry.
Getting around China. The three-year-old tricycle pilot.
As you know, the YRC staff likes to "get around" and China is no exception! We start this weeks issue with...well, it's a great example of childcare and traffic, Chinese style. Watch the video and we'll chat when you get back.
Wild, yes? That crazy kid! We think we see a future Chinese racing car driver in training, don't you?
First, thank goodness he made it. Second, what we found interesting was that NOBODY stopped their buses, cars, or motorbikes to get the kid. No, we have places to GO people and....hey, drive around that kid on the bike would you? Third, the policeman brings the kid home, yuks it up with Grandpa and all is well.
And yes, this sort of thing happens in the PR of C quite frequently.
Cruising the river on the Pearl Number Seven:
 |
| Pearl No. Seven and Bridge death match. Pearl loses. |
"The luxury cruise ship Pearl NO 7, bumps a bridge in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, May 23, 2012. No injuries were reported, but the deluxe liner lost its chimney which left a mark on Wenzhou Bridge. The cruise was being dragged by four tugboats to a downtown terminal ahead of opening to the public during the National Day holidays in October. The accident is believed to have been caused by miscommunications of the ship's height, Wenzhou City News reported. [Photo/CFP]"
Honey, the Ledo deck is out of commission. Want to hit the buffet before the crowds?
How to avoid a car inspection in Nanjing:
 |
| Watch the black car. Watch out for the black car! |
As exposed by internet user “JEEPNJ”, on 2012 April 3rd around 3pm in the afternoon, on Nanjing’s Gaochun Road, in order to escape inspection, a driver in a black Buick Excelle staged a mad charade, smashing into 12 cars before fleeing the scene. Currently, police are still investigating. This is the above-mentioned user’s dash-cam recording.
Click here for the article and video
(http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/videos/chinese-driver-hits-12-cars-to-escape-police-checkpoint.html) (If it doesn't work, paste into your browser, please).
Our favorite part is when the motorbike pulls into the "lane of destruction", followed by a large group of people.
And finally, a birds eye-view of traffic patterns in a typical Chinese city:
According to www.driver.com, "To the North American eye, used to simple traffic, simple rules and lots of space, it looks impossible and disorganized. A China-bound tourist might take one look at this and understand immediately why rental cars in China usually come with their own driver.
However, upon closer scrutiny, the 'chaos' is not so chaotic. The Chinese themselves are used to this more informal relationship with rules and their expectations of other road users are vastly different from the North American expectations.
As journalist Ken Wills points out in an article on the Boston.com web site, Chinese driving habits appear to be "a direct extension of China's bicycle culture, whereby every move is a calculated negotiation among throngs of cyclists flowing at roughly the same speed and in the same direction."
So that's it people! You now know why we are somewhat nervous when we step out the door in the morning. It's an adventure, we'll tell ya! Thanks for tuning in, check those mirrors and as Bill Murray said....don't drive angry.
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