Rush hours can sometimes be a nightmare in Beijing, from the traffic right outside your home to the hundreds of cyclists zigzagging in front of each other but none of these experiences can be compared to the Beijing Subway. The video of Beijing subway’s morning rush hour that went viral earlier last week on Weibo, shows the enormous crowd at the Xierqi Station on line 13. In the video you can see commuters waiting to board the subway and the ones in the train fighting to get off. The interesting thing is people were still trying to get onto the crowded subway after the doors reopen and kept being pulled out by a subway volunteer.
Our intern of the Month, Freda gives us some tips on how to be cautious while using buses and subways:
- – If you’re holding your phone in your hand on the subway, make sure you stay clear of the doors when the subway arrives at a stop. Some pickpockets make a grab for your phone right before the door closes, so that you have no chance of chasing after them.
- – Keep your bag tucked close and make sure you can see all zippers and openings.
- – When the bus driver or ticket seller suggests passengers to keep their belongings close, it usually means that they’ve spotted a pickpocket on the vehicle.
- – Same goes for subways, but a little vaguer in this case since you can’t be sure which car the thief is in.
- Beggars will walk through the subway cars, usually with a mike and amplifier, singing or explaining his or her tragic situation while displaying their injuries and disabilities. Some women will have babies in their arms, trying to seek compassion from the passengers. The hard truth is, these people are usually under some sort of organization and more will come swarming towards you angrily trying to get more (usually on the streets instead of the subway). If you want to help them, give them non-refundable food rather than money. Usually it’s all right to just walk away.
Photo by ‘Li Yong’ Flickr
