Saving time and face is a lost art

Transportation was unexpectedly smooth and I arrived at the meeting half an hour before time. I kept my eyes on the restaurant door. Several customers entered, but not my friend. At 6 pm, she sent me a text message: "Urgent work to finish. Will be 20 minutes late."

I had forgotten my book, so I spent the time reflecting on my experiences of being late in China. On my first visit in 1985, punctuality was deeply rooted in Chinese morality. There were no traffic jams then.

Our tour guide told us the previous night the bus would leave at 8 am, but at 8:02, one person was still missing. The guide panicked: "Something must have happened? This is impossible! Maybe he overslept?" And she asked the reception desk to send someone to the absentee's room for a check.