5 - Traffic in China

As a pedestrian, crossing the street in China is similar to playing Russian roulette - the rules left a lot open to interpretation & you were very lucky if you got to your destination alive. The little green person light that generally means (in the Western world) you are safe to walk without worrying that a car, bus or truck is going to run you over, simply cannot be trusted here in Beijing. Cars, trucks & buses do honk vigorously if you decide to walk with the green light & you’re in their way.
I started to get the gist of it though - just follow the locals. Many of them cross when it’s red, figuring that the green light is pretty useless anyway. And if you are brave enough to go into the street, keep moving forward, never go back. Cars will stop (most of the time) if you happen to walk in front of them (if they see you, that is). Just keep on walking forward.

I’ve decided to name the traffic situation in Beijing, ‘Harmonious Chaos’. Amongst all the confusion, horns honking & congestion, the buses, trucks, cars, taxis, bicycles, motorbikes, rickshaws, & other funny looking transportation devices manage to weave together generally without crashing into each other or getting angry. Even though there are lanes, they really aren’t used very much - vehicles just steer wherever they want to go, mostly without ever even using their signals to indicate where they’re going. But, it works, most of the time. I did see a motorbike completely squashed under a truck wheel the other day - no sign of the rider though.