Just before the Asia Games opened in Guangzhou, China the city built and opened 6 (SIX !) new subway lines with free fares for the first 5 days. I think they wanted to test the carrying capacity of the lines in advance of the actual event. People from outlying areas flooded into the city just because they could. These were college students, workers, aspiring white collar folks, and, especially, peasants who had never been able to afford to ride a train, seen an escalator, or a building more than 3 stories tall. Many of them were grandparents with pre-school children in tow. Most of the elders spoke only a village language, and many of them could not read, and had certainly never seen a map, much less a subway system map. Imagine being confronted with an escalator for the first time. How do you get on? Do we all get on together? I mustnt let go this little hand. And, more to the point, having screwed up enough courage and taken that first treacherous step, how to get off?! Ooops, back up? Noooooooo others are being relentlessly delivered immediately behind. This the morning commute in a city of 13 million people. And I thought gridlock on the streets was bad! Did everyone get on the train? Grandma? Grandpa? Wait a minute, where is the kid? Oh no, Ive lost the only child permitted by law. Let me off, let me off. Dont close that door. My handbag is stuck in the door. My HAND is stuck in the door (these are not gentle bounce back doors, either). Hello, little boy, where is your mother? Tears, confusion, screams. Is that a foreigner? They eat babies, dont they? How do I get out of here? By Tuesday escalators, stairways, trains, platforms were buried in people, gridlocked beyond any hope of progress. Regular commuters who could, abandoned the trains for buses and cabs. Surprisingly, I didnt see any one fall. And once the penny dropped for remaining regular riders, an amazing level of care evolved. I didnt see anyone pushed, no angry faces, disbelief perhaps, irritation. And finally mei ban fa, It cant be helped, look what the government has done now. A very common phrase delivered with a shrug. Individual Chinese have a great deal of tolerance for chaos and a deep aversion for aggression. Every life, especially a childs, is precious, someones son, daughter, mother, father. They brought in the army that afternoon. The first day they came with boots, helmets, batons and frightened looks. Young men from all over China, many of whom did not speak the local language and were only basic training away from peasantry themselves. The next day they were more organized, in cloth shoes and caps with red stars. By the fifth day systems had emerged. Lost and founds. Lost child areas, first aid stations, orange vested local student volunteers. The timing of trains and the opening and closing of the doors were relaxed. One way staircases, barricades to channel traffic flows and regulate access to the platforms. Immense queues. I guess they tested the system. The Asia games went off OK. Grammy and Grampy had stories to tell, and I have told you mine.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 23:00:57 +0000
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