What you’ve heard or seen about Chinese driving is neither a myth nor a cliche. I think I could have a blog that would only speak about Chinese driving and it wouldn’t still be enough. When I first got here I was surprised at their strange way of moving: slowly, calmly, never looking straight and never turning your head. On the phone, eating, smoking, talking to the passengers, never paying attention. In countries like Argentina or Qatar the driving was also awful but I would qualify it as ego-related. The speed, the one that has the biggest car, the one that’s not scared. But here in China it’s different. People just don’t look, they’re not conscious of what they’re doing. They do what they want to do: drive on the pathway, making a u-turn in a one-way avenue and going back for miles, pushing people who take too much time crossing, and the list can go on and on. Driving in China.
After having witnessed 5 accidents in the last 2 months I came to the conclusion that Chinese people drive their cars exactly like they ride their bicycles. My explanation to that would be that cars were introduced in China in the 60’s but people started to be able to afford them way after; which also explains why you only see new, automatic cars. Driving in China.
And so, as I was waiting for a friend I had the pleasure to watch a young lad trying to park his brand new car in a spot that could fit two cars. 15 minutes passed and he still hadn’t stopped the engine. An older man took pity on him and started to give him directions (turn right, left, backwards…) but he clearly didn’t know how to drive neither and even if he could, the poor driver didn’t know his left from his right. Driving in China!
Anyway, I decided to go in. Usually it’s very insulting for a man to take driving advices from a woman but I played the “waiguoren” card (she’s a foreigner she doesn’t know our rules) and so we were, the three of us trying to park a car. 25 mins passed and the driver asked me to park the car for him.
Wait, what? Me? WAOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUH!!! My proudest moment in China.
And there I went, parking the car in 2 minutes (right after having figured out how an automatic works) and making that poor man happy.
And that’s it, happy moments of my Chinese life. Small things make my day.
The one that should give driving lessons 😉