Where are Beijing's whingers?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-29 10:24

It has been two months since I left Shanghai for Beijing, not long to be sure, but lengthy enough to make everything back home dear to a homesick woman.

I miss the zigzagging, bewildering streets and lanes of Shanghai, plus the subway stations deluged with hundreds of thousands of agitated commuters.

Oh, and then there is the humid weather and rain that ensure my outfits are always damp.

Above all, I miss the complaints I hear in almost every corner of the city.

In the subway, hot-tempered passengers blame each other for being pushed and shoved; in taxis, disgruntled drivers curse at the rush hour traffic; and in restaurants impatient customers reproach the waiter for not bringing their meals within five minutes.

But please do not misinterpret this image of Shanghai. For me, these complaints are proof of life in the fast-moving metropolis and the motivation behind much improvement in the city.

Here in Beijing I don't hear these sorts of complaints that often.

You may disagree. But consider this: Shanghai is the first city in China to effectively diverge passenger flow at subway stations by opening up doors on both sides of the buses.

While the ingenuity demonstrated by local traffic departments is admirable, I am more inclined to believe that in Shanghai it is the complaints that have made the city more efficient.

While Beijingers grumble about bad traffic and overcrowded subways, they are patient enough not to push to get on and off transport.

If the train or bus is full, a Beijinger appears to be more inclined to wait for the next train whereas a person from Shanghai believes that saving time is worth the risk and would calculate that there is always room for one more.

This is not, of course, what proper manners instruct people to do. But for me, it explains why Beijing's traffic management system is less efficient than that of Shanghai - it's because people hear applause and not complaints.

Beijingers do like talking about politics, and voicing their concerns and having disagreements, but to me it seems more like a habit without any genuine belief in change.

This mentality is best reflected in the popular catchphrase in Beijing - "duo da shi'er a", meaning there is nothing to be worried.

Even more interesting is the fact that I, after moving to Beijing, have unknowingly become more compliant, killing most of my grievances whereas in Shanghai I really could not spend a day away without lamenting job, life, and everything else.

Despite the fact that Beijing has a lot to offer - a challenging work environment, a greater variety of cultural events, and above all, a bigger playground for ambitious reporters - I love Shanghai more because I'm more used to whingers.

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