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Lift Me Up
Elina in china
There are all sorts of interesting occupations in China, which you would not
come across very often in Europe.
I have written before about ear cleaners, with their little stools and array of
tools, waiting for customers in parks somewhere out there in central China.
Now I'd like to share another occupation with you, something that I see every
day in our very own building: Lift attendant.
Forget the people you sometimes might see in extra fancy hotels in the west,
someone standing in a uniform with polished buttons, ready to take the wealthy
guests to their floor.
I'm talking the guardian of the one single lift in our very normal apartment
building, with her little box-like miniature desk in one corner of the already
small lift, and the stack of daily newspapers she sells those riding the lift
for 5 mao each. This is the woman who makes sure the lift is used properly, and
there is no joyriding, no sir.
And the best bit is that she is equipped with a custom-made stick for pressing
the buttons, with a ball of some soft, rubbery material taped to one end, so she
doesn't have to reach her arm too far to press the buttons, but she can stay put
on her little chair and just use the stick.
Oh, it's brilliant.
Not to even mention the fact that the lift only goes to three floors our of 10:
the 1st, 8th and 10th.
But sometimes, when she's taking a break, or maybe having a nap in the little
office, with the hard bed right next to the lift on the first floor, we get to
ride the lift by ourselves and
PRESS THE BUTTONS
on our own. Man, do I feel like a rebel every time I manage to get away with
that! October 2006
CHINA
Elina in China
Lift
Me Up
Elina in china
There are all sorts of interesting occupations in China, which you would not
come across very often in Europe.
I have written before about ear cleaners, with their little stools and array of
tools, waiting for customers in parks somewhere out there in central China.
Now I'd like to share another occupation with you, something that I see every
day in our very own building: Lift attendant.
Forget the people you sometimes might see in extra fancy hotels in the west,
someone standing in a uniform with polished buttons, ready to take the wealthy
guests to their floor.
I'm talking the guardian of the one single lift in our very normal apartment
building, with her little box-like miniature desk in one corner of the already
small lift, and the stack of daily newspapers she sells those riding the lift
for 5 mao each. This is the woman who makes sure the lift is used properly, and
there is no joyriding, no sir.
And the best bit is that she is equipped with a custom-made stick for pressing
the buttons, with a ball of some soft, rubbery material taped to one end, so she
doesn't have to reach her arm too far to press the buttons, but she can stay put
on her little chair and just use the stick.
Oh, it's brilliant.
Not to even mention the fact that the lift only goes to three floors our of 10:
the 1st, 8th and 10th.
But sometimes, when she's taking a break, or maybe having a nap in the little
office, with the hard bed right next to the lift on the first floor, we get to
ride the lift by ourselves and
PRESS THE BUTTONS
on our own. Man, do I feel like a rebel every time I manage to get away with
that! October 2006
Damsel in
distress
The day before as I was standing in front of
the cash machine at a local bank, thinking about what I should be buying
when I do my shopping afterwards, the machine suddenly stopped cooperating.
I pressed all the keys far more times than it was necessary to realise
that absolutely nothing was going to happen. At this point, I had already
keyed in my pin number and was supposed to choose the amount I wanted to
withdraw. This, of course was after closing time, so there was no way to
go ask the bank staff to help me out.
So, there I was, standing in front of a machine that was almost mocking me
with it's happy "Welcome to our bank" constantly rolling from one side of
the screen to the other, but not willing to to do anything else. Not to
mention that the card inside was my VISA card, a total lifeline for me as
it's my only way to access my money back home. Without it I am literally
penniless. There was no way I was going to walk away from the situation
without my card, especially with the possibility that the ATM might
suddenly start working and with my PIN code already in, anyone would have
a free access.
After banging my head on the wall for a few minutes (believe me, it works
sometimes), I saw a police officer walking by and stopped him. After
explaining my problem to him, he got on the case and called around. He
finally managed to contact the bank, from where they simply advised me to
wait without touching the machine, until it resets back to the original
screen, and should spit my card out. This, they said, would not take long
at all.
So the policeman left, with me still waiting in front of the ATM. After
something that felt like a very long time, but in reality was something
like 20 minutes, I gave up all hope of the cash machine ever resetting
itself. Luckily at this point I had Fabio with me, so I left him at the
spot and went in search for a nearby police station, which, also luckily,
was only a 100 m away with a big sign pointing to it.
Paolo
Uccello
And here is where the fun begun. My going to
the police station initiated the second biggest police operation in Beibei
since 1957. The chief took the matter in his hands, with all available
staff buzzing around and talking on their mobiles. Some other officials
were called in probably from their homes, and arrived at the scene looking
important and busy. So, as we were on the steps, having a little picnic to
kill the time and pacify the stomachs, this whole scene was taking place
around us in the street -- to the enetertainment of the town people, of
course.
To cut the story short, they managed to send some police officers to meet
the local back personnel, who finally sent over a woman with the keys to
the branch and the ATM. They kept me updated during the whole process,
giving me information on who was were and what was going on.
In the end: success!! I left with my card, without withdrawing any money,
though, however much they told me to go for it. ---And with their
reassurances that if I ever get in any more trouble, just find the nearest
policeman!
All in all, a wonderful show and a little incident that really made me
believe in people more (and less in machines). The policemen were so
lovely, they took this thing as something really important and didn't
think twice before getting all the staff involved in this mission of
saving the laowai.
...And the next day, as I went to school, as a woman working in our office
first saw me, she asked: "Did you get your card back?" "How do you know
about it?", I asked her. "Teacher Dai told me." "How does he know?"
"Teacher Zhang told him." "How does HE know?!?!"
She just smiled and walked away. Elina
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PRC 57 years - Building a Harmonius Society
elina
Again it's one of
those times in the year when the whole population of China goes on holiday at
the same time. Only those working in the tourist industry stay at work to count
their gold, but the other 1,3 billion people are all fighting for that same seat
on the train.
Here in Beijing,
though, things quiet down in the areas that are usually busy with commuter
traffic and people going about their daily errands. The normal living areas clam
down for a change, while the main tourist spots fill with endless noisy, crowds.
It's been three
months now, that I have lived here in Beijing, and my love for this city is
still on the rise. Every week I discover new treasures in the surrounding areas,
which makes me enjoy this city just that little bit more.
Around the nearby
lake, there are many little cafes and bars, where you can go on the roof
terrace, and have a drink while looking over the roofs of old courtyard houses,
being shadowed by many lush, green trees. And between the branches, you can see
the glimmer of the water. What's best, all this in silence, feeling like there
were no other people in the world.
Or you can hop on
the bike, ride past the amazing historic sites of the Drum and Bell Towers, the
Jinshan Park, the Forbidden City... and end up by the Tiananmen Square.
Especially now, as it's the National Day holiday, the whole massive square has
turned into a sea of people. Visitors from all over China just want to be right
at the heart of it for a moment.
And the government
has prepared the place for them. The banners celebrate the 57th birthday of the
country, and announce the building on a harmonius Socialist society and the
development of science. The themes of the decorations for this year's National
Day are Tibet, the Three Gorges Dam, and the upcoming Olympic Games.
Pretty miniature models on artificial hills or
strong messages to send ?
Miniatures of the Three Gorges Dam (behind) and the
Potala Palace in Lhasa (front right) at Tiananmen Square
Bow Down, Mister
Although living in the 'village' inside the city, it is nice sometimes to get
out of the urban area and out into the green of the nature. With this in mind,
yesterday morning we took the subway to the westernmost stop at the end of Line
1, and from there took a bus to a temple in the mountains west of Beijing.
Though as we arrived, seeing this sign I wasn't quite sure that we had taken the
right bus, and for a moment I was confused of whether I really was west of BJ or
had somehow ended up back in Europe. ------>
Green hills, fresh air, plenty of sunshine....
Still, as we walked through the various halls and shrines in the
temple area, we ended up in a small temple room that seemed to serve the purpose
of putting the "fear of God" into people. The walls were decorated with
colourful and detailed depictions of various punishments given out in hell,
supposedly trying to coach people into living a 'good' life. This, in my mind,
goes to show how far the organised Chinese buddhism has come from the simple
philosophy taught by Siddharta Gautama --- the ideas of compassion, forgiveness
and love.
This also shows clearly in the way most people coming to the
temples to bow down in front of the statues of various buddhas and boddhisattvas
don't seem to have the slightest idea of ther teachings. Ritual usually takes
place of thinking, you come to the temple to offer incense, money and fruit for
good luck, riches, fertility....whatever you need most at the moment.
But as one of these worshippers what originally was behind all of it? Did
Gautama want to become a golden statue? Didn't he say that he can point the way
but everyone must walk it themselves? Just some thoughts on seeing what the
temples and the visitors represent. But that being said, everyone has their own
way, and waving insence in front of the statues just might work for those
people. We all have our own ways of finding what we choose.Elina
ChInese Students
elina
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Have I ever really written about the Chinese students? I can't help but wonder
and admire every day when I talk to them and look at their lives. The children
here learn very early that studying is their work and it is to be taken very
seriously. Even the young children stay at school until the evening, only to
come home to a mountain on homework and passages to be memorized for reciting.
And of course, the ambitious parents probably want their child to take up an
extra hobby to fill in the few otherwise idle minutes. The competition begins in
kindergarten and grows fiercer and fiercer as the children move up through the
different stages of school.
By the time they reach university, they are fully trained in study techniques
and accustomed to waking up before sunrise to begin their day of studying. Many
students at our university go to the little campus park to recite texts or
practise their English before breakfast. The breaks between classes and lectures
are easily filled with self-study, there are heaps of books to be read and
memorized. And the work goes on until the night, the students sometimes complain
that the electricity (and thus the lights) are swtiched off in their dormitories
at 10:30 pm, which means they have to stop studying or use a torch. At any given
time, the vacant classrooms at the university are all filled with students,
sitting their with their books.
And no talk of holidays, the books go anywhere you go, and there are always
extra courses to take. I have noticed that the standard answer to my question
"What are you planning to do over the holidays?" is 'study', quite often
attending an extra course in mathematics, English, this, that or the other. The
university organises some of these classes, but there are also a number of
private schools offering vacation courses.
The results of this all? A country full of exhausted students. Maybe smart
students too, or at least ones with heads crammed full of information. But at
the same time, my students tell me that they haven't *really* learned much
during their time at university, at least not anything very useful that they
would be needing later on. The learning is too often based on memorizing, which
I notice also in my own classes. The students can recite bizarre texts from
their middle school textbooks, but they might have no idea what it all means. Or
they can remember long lists of words by heart, but can't use them in a
conversation.
And why are they doing this, you might want to ask. The pressure comes from
different directions. There is an immense competition for jobs and an even
bigger pressure to be the best, to be successful, to make money, to contribute
to the country and especially to make the family proud (and rich). The parents
set unattainable goals for their children and push them to keep going at all
costs. Some students tell how they dream of a life in arts or music, but are now
studying physics or biology as chosen for them by their parents. Another girl
said how she would like to open a small shop, but has to now go do a Master's
degree instead, as realising her dream would cause her family to lose face. Of
course, most of them are the only children of their families, therefore having
to carry the heavy weight of the whole family's success and reputation on their
shoulders.
The university also encourages students to study and to compete, I was told that
our university offers a prize for the best two students in each major exam. The
first one gets 500 yuan and the second 250 yuan, which is a lot of money for a
student. Not a bad incentive.
I know I'm writing about this in a negative tone, but I feel helpless sometimes
talking to students who are simply exhausted and talk to me about how they are
feeling. Pressure, stress, exhaustion... And just yesterday I told one of them
to just keep pushing on for another couple of years, that graduation was not
that far away, she replied: "And then what? I have to compete to get a good job,
and then work work work as hard as I can to please my parents, to become rich
and to build a successful life for all of us."
On the other hand, I think many students in Europe have a lot to learn from
their Chinese counterparts. Comparing to them, I think I went through university
not doing anything much, and certainly without such determination and
persistence. Being here now makes most European students appear as simply
slobs... Maybe there is a middle way somewhere in between the two...and maybe
someone will find it, too. I certainly hope that some of these students will be
different with their own children. And I hope that in the middle of all the
pressure, my friends here will keep on pushing for it and smiling, I truly do
admire their courage and strenght, I think I should be the first person to learn
from them.
Elina
Black Days June 2005
Yesterday and the
day before that are referred to as 'the black days' by Chinese students.
No, nothing tragic happened -- it was just time time for the yearly nationwide
university entrance exams. This year a record 9.5 million students took part in
the fun.
The exams are a time of stress not only for the students but possibly even more
so for their families. Aftr 12 years of work, now it's the time to see the
results. And in China of 2006, results matter.
For these couple of days, each news broadcast has been showing interviews of
nervous parents, relaxed students, angry parents, stressed students... Even
parents who had paid thousands of yuan to get a luxury hotel room by the school
for their kid to study and rest.
And then there is the cheating. This year, there are strict measures in place to
try and stop to cheating. Still, each year there are thousands of students who
get caught and get a '0' stamped on their result sheet. And how many thousands
who don't get caught?
My teacher suggested that I take a detour on my way to class and go check out
one of the places in Beibei where the exams are held. He told me to expect
masses of parents waiting outside, all standing up for the few hours the exams
last at a time. Many parents, he said, make the long journey from hundreds of
kilometres away just to be there for these couple of days.
So, I thought I'd go and take a look as one of the schools where the exams were
held is not far from where we live. As I got to the school gates, there was a
line of maybe 10 parents, all standing with their arms crosses over their chest,
staring at the gate. Maybe the bigger scene was inside the school area, but I
didn't dare go in since as soon as I walked into their field of vision, the eyes
were drawn away from the gates and attached to the laowai. "Eeeeehhhh, loook
everyone, a foreigner!!"
So much for my covert operation then, I didn't feel like going around asking for
any more attention so I left quickly and continued on my way to school.
I hope they did well and made their parents happy.
Tuesday,
August 22, 2006
Listed
Elina
When you stay in a country long enough, you start to
identify with certain habits and stereotypes.
You know you've stayed in China too long,
when...
...you no longer need a handkerchief to clean your nose.
...you go to the local market in pyjamas.
...you always try to be the first in a line and do not understand why
other people are properly lining up.
...you can sleep everywhere in any position.
...you do not ask for somebody's age, but for his year sign.
...you start calling other foreigners laowai.
...you have no feeling for traffic rules at all.
...you stop directly at the end of an escalator to do your daily planning.
...you think its fun to enter the subway before the other people got out.
...you smoke a cigarette before, during and after dinner.
...you no longer wonder how somebody with a yearly income of US$ 4,800 can
own a Mercedes-Benz 500.
...you accept the fact it's necessary to stand in line to get a number for
the next line.
...you think the best time to stand up and get your hand luggage is
directly after the airplane leaves the runway.
...you ask for somebody's income and excpect an answer.
...you always talk louder than really necessary.
...asked for the way, you explain how to go, even if you do not know the
place you've been asked for.
...you wonder why the folks at home do not buy 10 DVD's per week.
...you look out of the window and think "so many trees", not "so much
concrete".
...you think air pollution - what air pollution?
...you think it's cool to attach flashy lights to your mobile phone's
aerial and carry the phone on a coloured strap around your neck.
...you do not need diapers for your baby, as the open-seat pants are so
much more handy.
...the footprints on the toilet seat are your own.
...you have the insatiable desire to join a large group of people
following one person carrying a small flag.
...you give the 'peace sign' in every picture you are in
...you dress up in pyjamas and home slippers after work, then take your
folding chair, shuffle through the alley to the next main street and settle
there to watch the nightly show pass by
...you always carry an old jam jar filled with water and some green tea
leaves with you.
.....and so on and so forth. Lists like this could go on forever, especially
in a country as full of everything as China. Just though I'd share a few
favourite picks with you :)
The New Beijingers
 And
here I am, in my new home city --- one that already feels like home. I have been
so looking forward to moving here, and it's all going just the way it should be.
We are staying in a hostel inside an area of the old alleys (hutongs), some of
which still have been preserved even with the demolition boom going strong, and
looking for a place to call home. We have decided on looking only in the area
around here, my very favourite part of Beijing. There are lots and lots of these
little alleys, with traditional Chinese courtyard houses and little cute cafes
and bars, one of which I am sitting in right now.
Just a few minutes walk from where I am now, there's a beautiful lake,
surrounded by old houses, now turned into reataurants and little shops. At
night, when all the lights are lit and reflect on the water, it's one of the
mostbeautiful places in the whole world.
It's all pretty, it's Beijing, it's just how China should be. Ahhhhhhhh
............
one of which I am sitting in right now.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Bikes
Now here's a recipe for a completely Chinese
experience: take one bicycle and just enough courage to face the outside
world in the streets of China and just wait to see what happens.
My first bike that I had here in Kunming was a heavy number, pretending to
be a mountain bike but probably suited just for rolling down the slopes than
ever attempting to go up. Anyway, it served me relatively well and took me
to where I wanted to go, until one day it just went "crack" and the whole
correded body just snapped in two.
But no worries, I headed for the second (third...seventh...??) -hand market
to get a new one. This is a place where the stolen bikes end up, which means
that there is a constantly changing selection of everything from rusty
skeletons to shiny new racing bikes.
I decided to take my chances on a mountain bike bearing the proud name of
ZENDA. The price was ridiculously low (8 euros) and it seemed to be in
decent condition. After all, the previous summer in Jinan I got a fairly
good bike for just 6,5 euros so I was willing to risk it again. The keyword
here, of course, is 'seemed'.
From then on, I have gotten to know most of the bike repair men (occupying
many street corners in the city) near the university, replacing various
parts and just generally trying to keep Zenda in one piece.
Until a couple of days ago, when it finally came to a point where it would
have been pointlessly expensive to get it fixed, the whole back wheel should
have been changed. So, as I was standing there with the corpse of Zenda and
the bike repair guy, he pointed out his own bike to me, saying that even his
was better than mine. So, in a Chinese way I asked him how much would he
sell it for. After some negotiations, we agreed that I'd get it for 50 yuan
(5 euro), and he'd put my old lock and seat on it as well as give me free
repairs from now on.
Not a great bike by no means, another piece of equipment that could easily
qualify as something to be used in the wolrld weightlifting championships,
but it moves, it moves...
So, I took my new bike and headed for lunch in a cafe up along the same
street. Two hours later, coming out from the cafe and trying to open the
lock, I realised that I couldn't fit the key in the lock. Reason for this
being, as I quickly found out, was that there was a bit of a broken
screwdriver inside the lock. So, as I'd been inside, someone had already
tried to steal my new ride. With no success, thankfully. So, back to the
bike guy, who forced the lock off...
Yesterday, a friend of mine had his bike stolen from that very same spot.
His second one in two days. A bike whose pedals kept falling of despite its
being new. And after having had two other new bikes practically fall apart
as he was riding them.
Ooooo the joys of China biking .
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Social outings
That's what we do here in China
A
couple of weeks ago I went to the hairdresser's here in town. I had to stay for
quite a while, which gave me the chance to watch the people coming and going.
Many of the customers were women, and some of them also had to stay a long time
while having their hair curled or straightened. But what stroke me as different
was that none of them were alone. Some had husbands of boyfriends with them,
while some others were accompanied by a girlfriend or two. The husbands went out
and brought lunch, and the friends at by, talking of this and that.
All the while I was perfectly content sitting with a school book I had brought
with me. Members of the staff kept coming to talk to me every now and then,
until finally one of them asked: "Haven't you got any friends here in Beibei?
How come none of them came with you?" Later, after I answered a friend's
phonecall, an assistant asked me hopefully: "Is your friend coming over?"
The same goes for doctor's appointments. Doctors in Chinese hospitals do not see
their patients in private, but a doctor's room has open doors for anyone to walk
in or out as they wish. This means that usually at any time, as you are talking
to a doctor yourself, you are surrounded by an assortment of other patients, as
well as their friends and family.
Although this all seems a little strange, it's also nice and comforting. The
Chinese society is very family and community centred, and although sometimes the
lack of privacy can feel annoying, at the same time, you are not left alone to
face boredom or difficulty on your own.
Carry on
Elina in China 2008
 I
took this picture while walking to town here in Beibei the other day, and it can
give you an idea of the most common way to transport small loads of just about
anything. Really, you name it, these men carry everything from furniture to
building materials to livestock. The men who do this for living can often be
seen hanging around street corners, waiting for jobs. And why not, it's an easy
way to start your own business, all you need is a bit of bamboo and some rope!
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Elina
Contradiction
People often say that studying a foreign
language is also studying a whole other culture. And when it comes to
Chinese, this is true much more than with any other language I have ever
studied. One reason is the Chinese characters that come from the original
pictograms. When you realise where they have come from and the kind of
associations they have behind, it gives you a little peak to the life and
minds of the ancient Chinese...
But another, even more visible thing is how the everyday Chinese frequently
uses words and experessions derived directly from ancient stories recorded
over various dynasties. At first, you only learn words as words, but getting
to know the 'whys' behind them takes you an a whole other trip.
Here's an example: The word in Chinese, which translates as 'contradiction',
literally reads 'spear-shield'. The story behind it , recorded around 250
B.C., goes like this:
In the kingdom of Chu there was a man, who sold spears and shields. He would
stand in the market place and cry out loud, praising the products he was
selling: "Come by my spears! They are so sharp that they will pierce through
absolutely anything, there is no material so strong that it could defeat my
spears!" He then went on: "Come buy my shields! They are so strong that
nothing will get through them, there is no weapon so strong that it could
cut through my shields!"
As one of the passers-by heard the man's cry, he stopped and asked: "If I
take your spear that will cut through anything and with it attack your
shield that will defeat any weapon, what will happen?" The man could not
find anything to say in reply.
And that's why even today, 'spear-shield' stands for 'contradiction'.
Job opportunities
Some time ago I posted a picture of a Chongqingese porter carrying his load. In
the post I also mentioned how the armies of these porters gather at street
corners, waiting for a chance to pick up their bamboo pole and and the bit of
rope.
But a picture speaks more than a thousand words, eh? So here's a shot I took
this morning, on my way to the market for some fruit shopping. So if you need a
hand with those groceries, you know where to go now.
Besides the army of the porters, the second
largest troops belong to the army of shoeshiners. I reckon their trade must be
going down a little now with the arrival of this flip-flop weather, but still,
the otherwise oh-so-rough looking Chinese men (brown teeth, BADLY fitting
pseudo-western suits, with trousers rolled up to their knees, sometimes instead
wearing the shirt they will just carry it around in their hand while cooling
themselves down...) will always make sure that their shoes are well polished.
And these people at the corner just next to the porters are ready to attack your
best shoes with an old tooth brush!
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Elina
Push
In
an effort to cut down pollution caused by increasing traffic,Beijing city
council is promoting more environmentally friendly energy sources for public
transportation.
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Tour de Beijing
Elina
Finally I feel mobile again.
After 10 months in 'the mountain city' where motorbikes were the only
reasonable two-wheeled option for transportation, I have joined the crowds
of bicycle people here in Beijing.
The city is great for cycling, it's all flat and there are generous bicycle
lanes in most areas. In theory, anyway.
Now I am no longer forced to sit in a taxi, stuck in the endless traffic,
trying to stretch my neck to see how far we actually still are from the next
intersection. No sir, no I simply whizz by on the bike, speeding away.
Sometimes it really works like this. At other times, I am faced with the
reality where 5.000.000 other people are also on their bikes, hoping to
speed by the traffic jams, just creating another one on the bicycle lane.
But the worst problem by far has nothing to do with traffic jams, but with
the way people drive. Even if I trust myself on the bike, I trust absolutely
nobody else on the road. The potentially most dangerous ones are the drivers
in the cars, many of whom seem to have gotten their licences by bribing an
officer rather than taking any test (or lessons, god forbid!). These drivers
are likely to take a short cut through the bike lane, make completely
forbidden turns at intersections, break in the middle of the street with no
warning...the list could go on for quite a while.
And the cyclists. Most people prefer to ride their bikes rather slowly, and
nothing wrong with that. The problems start when some of the slowest
cyclists always seem to be riding right in the middle of the lane, every now
and then wobbling to one side. So when you have just decided to overtake on
the left, the person on the slow bike will suddenly make a wobbly "fall" to
the left. Then you fall behind again, observing for a while and they seem to
be going straight enough, you gather your courage and make for the right
side....*wobble* --- they lean to the right.
Of course, some local cyclist solve this problem by simple shouting as they
ride:"Get out the waaaaaayyyy!!!!". No one seems to have bells though. Maybe
not effective enough?
But all in all, being on a bike again makes me feel free again. And nothing
beats a ride through the hutongs in the evening. And what really counts,
Beijing has suddenly become much smaller.Elina
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Sunset 
Thieves like crappy bikes elina
My mobility was recently compromised as I unvoluntarily became part of the big bicycle circle of Beijing. Bikes here get constantly stolen, and then they are sold on again, presumably to people whose bike has just been stolen.
My bike disappeared from right in front of our building, regardless of our having guards at the gate and security cameras in the bicycle parking area. What maybe annoyed me most of all is that every night there are a few hundred bikes parked outside our building, and only one of them got stolen. Mine, of course. Why couldn't they go for the neighbour's cool GIANT instead? Huh?!?
The security company checked the tapes, with no results. All I got was a bunch of apologies, and more than a week of being bikeless. In Beijing this is quite a serious condition. But finally today, I managed to replace my stolen steed, and now can take part in the mad morning cycling slalom race on my way to work.
I hope next time they go for that GIANT of Mr Wang's...
Elina
Spt. 2006