冒险的事 (risky behaviour)

bodawei

Thanks junxi - that does look better! I try to remember what people say in conversation and sometimes have to fill in the spaces!

junxi

It is my pleasure to help you. ^_^

bababardwan

什么危险？。。。晚了？ 迷失？拦劫了？。。也许都这中的事？。。什么是最危险的？

bodawei

在中国有人觉得都是危险的, 但是旅行是多半安全的。 因为他们慢慢走，所以不太危险。关于乘公共汽车， 有一点问题比如说很麻烦，上车，下车，上车，下车，。。。什么路？。。。

不过，我喜欢坐公共汽车，下一趟十分钟以后不多，还有很便宜。 :-)

bababardwan

噢，当然咯；他们最害怕的车祸。。不过我觉得公共汽车比较摩托车安全。。所以这是为什么我问你。

junxi

I think your friend said that is a risk because you are a foreigner and you can't communicate with Chinese persons in skilled Chinese, so they worry about you may get lost or have any accident when you are alone.

Actually, even a Chinese from other cities always get lost because of the chaos traffic condition .

Your friend prefer drive you just because they want to protect you from risk.

bodawei

It is interesting that Chinese people have a greater sense of danger compared to foreigners. I would say a 'heightened' sense of danger. I have been told on a couple of occasions that my own street is 'dangerous' at night, yet I have never yet seen any evidence of danger.

Getting 'lost' is one way to improve my Chinese skills. :-)

suxiaoya

It seems to me quite ironic if it is indeed the case that Chinese people have a greater sense of danger (and, I agree, I think they do); I have never felt safer in any city than I have in Chinese cities.

I remember being warned by Chinese friends that the city of Wuhu, a city in Anhui in which I lived a few years ago, was known to be pretty dangerous. I could never understand why, though, because I never once felt at risk there. Perhaps I just didn't see the "nastier" side of the city, or perhaps foreigners are not targetted by criminals for whatever reason? I don't know, I think it's just that the definition of "dangerous" is subjective!

bodawei

Gdday Light...

The Hangzhou bus system is more sophisticated than Sydney (but unfortunately that may not be saying much?). Of course like most big cities in Asia there is a stored value card for public transport. (Ouch - that will hurt the Sydney-sider.)

But in Hangzhou each bus stop has an indicator showing how far away the next bus is. For each route served at that bus stop. There is a GPS transmitter on each bus. In 2007 they were also trialling a fleet equipped with an environmentally friendly engine modification (Australian technology actually.)

Also, like most Chinese cities, each bus stop has a route indicator with every bus stop marked for the entire route. (Sydney's system is painfully archaic in this respect.) Yes, it is in hanzi but still very easy to read. And the buses stop at every stop - no need for hailing. There is also an extensive message about each stop, safety precautions etc. (The Hangzhou one tells you to be careful about traffic after you get off and use the pedestrian crossing, which no one does of course.)

The Chinese bus system is generally safer and more efficient than the Sydney one - you shouldn't have any trouble. Did I mention cheap? All trips in my city, a State capital, are 1 RMB (about 15 cents Australian), regardless of length.

Finding the right route - if you get a 'transport' map of the city it will have each bus route listed with every bus stop against the route number. Small writing, but all the information you need.

I forgot to mention: in Hangzhou there is also a TV for you to watch at the bus stop while you are waiting for the bus. :-)

suxiaoya

I was injured running in Hangzhou about 9 months ago so had to find my way out of the mountains and down onto a road. I needed to get back to town, near West Lake, so I decided to take the bus (no taxis in sight anyway). Far from being risky, it was a great experience!

The people at the bus stop was so helpful in making sure I got the right number bus. I was actually led by a little group of them to the station where we had to change buses, then they helped me get off at the right stop. To be fair, I guess I looked a bit of a mess and in need of help (I was sweaty, tired, scratched-up, and entirely on my own). Still, I had a really nice conversation with the group, as they tried to work out what on earth I was doing, and I jumped off the bus feeling quite happy that I had got lost!

In Shanghai, buses are still pretty inaccessible to foreigners who can't read characters (I guess it's assumed that most laowai will take a taxi or the metro). I think this is a huge shame because it's a fun way to see the city - and not at all risky - even at night.

bodawei

The mountains are for walking, Suxiaoya. :-) At least that is the best way to enjoy them. Walking in the mountains that encircle Hangzhou is one of the best memories I have of my year there.

Thanks for your story about the bus - it is a mystery for most Westerners that people can be so helpful and friendly in a big city. I think it may be because Chinese cities are actually (large) collections of villages. There is a village feel in your local area because everything is there - you rarely need to cross town.

Now the 'villages' where I live are being replaced by estates of apartment blocks 20 stories in height or more. I am wondering how that will change things.

suxiaoya

Haha, walking or running, those mountains of Hangzhou are great. I went there with friends this weekend just gone (we were all running!). Love it :-)

bababardwan

bodawei,

But in Hangzhou each bus stop has an indicator showing how far away the next bus is. For each route served at that bus stop

..got some of them [or ,ah,at least one of them...I rarely catch the bus] here in Brissie. No TV though.

I remember impulsively jumping on a bus in Taipei just for the experience.I had no idea where it was going, but it felt perfectly safe. Folk were all so friendly.

bodawei

Don't you know Brisbane leads the known world (ie. Australia) in public transport? ;-) Or so I heard the Government saying. Brisbane actually does have great public transport but suffers from being sparsely populated, hey? You can wait a long time for a service. Reminds me of a visit to Adelaide and waiting a long time for a bus. Ages. Then someone comes up and says, oh, no, the buses don't run on Sundays after about 5 pm.

light487

haha.. and Brisbane "closes" after 4pm on Saturday.. the whole city just shuts down.. including the supermarkets (Woolworths etc).. Oh but they do have 7-11's, pubs and bottle shops of course :) lol