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30th March, 2001
Historic Beijing; Workmen On Lorries Sitting, Standing Or Sleeping; Special Bicycle Lanes On Major Roads: Changes Attract Outside World.
August, 1987
Historic Beijing was soon to have a transport problem ! Historic Beijing not only attracted tourists, but also attracted Chinese people from other areas of China hoping for a better life. There were service buses in which the passengers were packed in so close that it puzzled me how any of them were able to get off the bus when it reached their particular destination. I often wondered what these bus passengers thought of us travelling in our air conditioned coaches, with comfortable seats, when our coach occasionally pulled up alongside them, as the service buses were far from new.
Even lorries seemed to have seen better days, sometimes precariously loaded, with perhaps workmen sitting, standing or sleeping on the open backs. The most used form of transport was of course the bicycle, which had special lanes on the major roads, and it was a spectacular sight to see them packed together, when they were stopped by a red light at a road junction.
This was of course 1987 and by 1990, on my second visit, the improvements in the lives of the ordinary people were more noticeable and the mushroom growth of new hotels and new roads had already begun. By 1999, the year of my last visit, it was sometimes difficult to remember which city I was in, as driving along the inner ring road, one might well have been in Hong Kong or New York. Gone were the middle aged men with their notebooks. sitting on low stools at road junctions and other vantage points, ready to reprimand and fine anyone who dropped litter, spat on the road or pavement, or crossed roads against a red light. There were more private cars on the roads, and the numerous taxis were hired not only by the tourists but also by the local people themselves, although now it is almost quicker to walk. This spectacular change in China attracts the outside world like a magnet !
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Even lorries seemed to have seen better days, sometimes precariously loaded, with perhaps workmen sitting, standing or sleeping on the open backs. The most used form of transport was of course the bicycle, which had special lanes on the major roads, and it was a spectacular sight to see them packed together, when they were stopped by a red light at a road junction.