Whither this speed?

The train collision on July 23 may be the perfect symbol of China's problems in its dash to modernity, Raymond Zhou suggests.

When a high-speed train was stalled, allegedly by a bolt of lightning, common sense dictated that later trains waited. Tragedy struck when a second train rear-ended into the stalled one, derailing several carriages and killing at least 39 passengers. It could be the result of a technical glitch or human error, or a combination of both. But before the investigation report comes out, a lot of people are asking: "Why so fast?"

It is the first time one senses a fundamental shift in public sentiment toward speed. We do not want high speed; we want safety over speed.