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Today's Culture Lesson


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Having covered the busses, I finally get around to writing about taxis. Foreigners are probably more likely to travel about in the taxi than by bus for a brief visit to China, but for those of us actually living here, they are a luxury.

 

Taxis in China are not for the faint of heart. Taxi drivers around the world are noted for their hair-raising driving, but in China heart-stopping would be a better descriptor. The one thing that contributes the most to this characteristic is the concept common in China that the faster they get you to your destination the better they have done their job. It is more a matter of “face” than of anything else.

 

Any city of size will have a plentiful supply of taxis. To the American visiting China the rates are low. It varies somewhat city by city but usually flag fall starts somewhere in the range of 5-7 RMB. That is if the flag ever falls. Be sure that you establish that the ride will be on the meter or what the price to the destination will be. In some areas, the meter is never used and all prices are negotiated before you get into the taxi. Locals will normally use the busses and taxis are an occasional luxury for them.

 

In fact there will normally be an over-supply of taxis. This leads to the problem of managing to cross the street when you are the white face (or black face) amongst the crowd. As you step up to the curb it is common to immediately have a taxi block your way as they pull up hoping to get the foreigner who doesn’t mind dropping the cost of a taxi. Sometimes you get mobbed by a group of three who all jump out of the cars and try to drag you into their car. The thought that the foreigner would want to walk anywhere seems to be inconceivable to them.

 

This over supply means that some drivers resort to trying for the occasional long distance fare instead of fighting over the tiny scraps with everyone else. Around the train and long distance bus stations there are commonly a few taxi drivers hanging out trying to pick up a fare to another city. For instance, here in Shenyang, drivers will be harassing you as you go into the train station asking, “Beijing? Beijing? Dalian? Panjin? Anshan?”. These fares, should you choose to take them up on it, are highly negotiable. Expect to have to wait in the car for quite a while as the driver will try to find enough people going to the same place to fill the car. Whether this is a good idea or not varies widely. First of all when I say fill the car, I mean fill the car. It will most likely be a Volkswagen Santana and they will manage to cram in four people and their luggage, shopping bags, etc., which makes for a really tight fit. Next they will try to avoid the toll booths, not just because of the cost, but also because they probably aren’t licensed to be operating outside of their home city and the police sometimes hang around the toll booth areas on fund raising “safety checks”. Then there is the driving ability of your particular driver. But it can be quicker and they will deliver you to your destination, if they can find it in a strange city.

 

In fact one tactic for the tourist is sometimes to just hire a taxi for the day. After much hard negotiation, you settle on a price and you can go where you like when you like. Often the driver helps as a tour guide and can suggest good places to visit. This is normally considered to run from very early morning until evening at which point the driver will demand more money if you want to keep going into the evening. We hired our own taxi on my first trip to Beijing and used it to make the rounds of the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, etc. I think it was worth the cost for all that sight-seeing. If you hire a taxi be aware that you are expected to feed the driver too whenever you stop to eat.

 

As far as what actually riding in a taxi goes, I can only say that all the rules of the road go out the window. Any tactic which saves a few seconds of time is employed. It is normally hair-raising and it gets worse from there. The best job of describing what it can be like is probably Mick’s description which he has agreed to allow me to use. Those who have been around the board for quite some time will remember it, but it is worth repeating for the newbies.

 

“The evening started innocently enough. Tonight I took Li downtown for dinner to celebrate the end of a long, grueling semester for both of us. (For those of you who do not know us, we live in Shantou, Guangdong). We had a nice dinner at a western restaurant at a five star hotel. Food was good and we went for a nice walk afterwards. Everything went well, until we decided to return to the campus. That's when we encountered the Chinese version of Mario Andretti, posing as a taxi driver.

 

We had barely closed the door when I heard a loud slapping sound. As I lurched backward I understood the sound came from his heavy soled shoe hitting the floorboard of the car as he stomped on the accelerator full-throttle. I don't think he let up except under circumstances of dire necessity until we reached the campus in less than fifteen minutes. Keep in mind that this is usually about a twenty-five minute ride. He switched lanes constantly and, at one point, even went around the steel barracade and covered two blocks in the motorcycle lane. Cycles and scooters were jumping the curb to get out of this maniac's way. We asked him to slow down but this was to no avail. I swear my blood pressure jumped forty points and my heart took residence somewhere in my upper throat.

 

At one point he clipped another taxi and took off the rearview mirror. Undaunted, he pressed on with the other taxi in pursuit. I can't really say which was the most fearsome part of the ride. It either had to be the fifteen to twenty feet we were airborne after going over a nasty hump in the road on an overpass, or, more likely when we came so close to a truck loaded with pigs that I could actually see the fear in their eyes. He barrelled through the university gate without so much as a nod to the guard and finally came to a screeching, tire screaming halt in front of our building. With shaking hands I lurched for the door, only to hear he and Li engaged in a heated argument.

 

He actually was demanding five yuan extra for "getting us home so fast". Needless to say, we refused. After about five minutes of arguing, he left in another tire screeching lurch.

 

As I type this I am still terror stricken. I have had many hair raising rides over here, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to this one. This guy made Evel Knevil look like a piker.”

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Dear Owen,

i've read a lot on this BBS recently,and i'm pretty sure u understand much more of China than other Americans here,and enjoyed reading your posts here,still,i suggest u use "SHENYANG" or the City or the town u saw what u wrote about instead of "CHINA",otherwise it'll mislead many guys here.I'm a chinese girl who travelled a lot in China on my work,and i can tell,things are sooooooo different in different area in CHINA,like TAXI price,

in my hometown,a small city in AN HUI Province,it's starts from RMB3 for most TAXIs,some good ones starts from RMB5,and u can bargain before u take any taxi,though not all drivers will be willing to talk to u on this,:)

in NanJing,where i spent my university time and where i worked,it starts from RMB7;

in BeiJing,it starts from RMB10,same sas SHANGHAI;

in ShenZhen,it starts from RMB12.5

it's far from the story "usuallyIt varies somewhat city by city but usually flag fall starts somewhere in the range of 5-7 RMB",

 

well,it's just one small example,there're something else like this can't be judged as "CHINA";also some guy else here would say China is "MODERN" than USA on cellphone,who doesn't know that CHINA just begins to use CDMA tech,and it's so IN now for CDMA is said to be of better connection and music and more healthy to People.

 

 

:)

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This whole series started quite some time ago and did include a note that it was just one persons observations from what they had seen. I have traveled over eastern China quite a bit although I do live in Shenyang. I entirely agree that China is a country as large as the US and having just as much variation as the US does.

 

I encourage and enjoy the comments and input from everyone. The real purpose of this series, dubbed "Owen Opines" by one of the other members, is not just to inform, but to encourage discussion.

 

Still waiting for more input on this forum from those who have moved to the US.

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Aloha from Hawaii,

I can speak for Beijing. Yes the minimum fare is 10RMB. However, how far you can go

for 10RMB is based on time an milage. Yes, you can negotiate the fare. Also the fare

rate is marked on the rear quarter window of the taxi and they are not all the same. There

is also a mini bus line to take you off of the main bus lines.

 

Speed only becomes a factor if there is space on the road. Most of the time the traffic

is too heavy to get any real speed. The bad part is at the intersections where a green

light really means enter with caution and red means enter with more caution. People,

bicycles, motocycles, cars. turcks and buses ignore red lights.

 

Myles aka Annakuen'GG

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In Qingdao the taxi drivers are insane. They play a non-stop game of leap-frog, drive more often in the oncoming lane than their own, and will cheat you if given the chance. Many of the like to play the "Let's drive the foreigner for a scenic trip around the city" game. While I find them very convenient and affordable, I avoid sitting in front and looking out the front window.

;) :blink:

Dave

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In Chongqing our fare usually started at 5 rmb, some drivers are more race car drivers than others, ha ha left of the center line is a big thing and without the horn blowing most drivers are lost, you sometimes also find a different driver than the one with the licensce picture in the car, guess the wife is going out to make some extra shopping money for that new dress, or the brother needed extra money, speed is the thing, faster to get you there, the better, they have more time for another fare. ;)

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In Qingdao the taxi drivers are insane. They play a non-stop game of leap-frog, drive more often in the oncoming lane than their own, and will cheat you if given the chance.

exactly what i have experienced in QINGDAO with my husband!

when we talk of that city,we'll say where the driver is crazy... ;)

but we have to note the truth is that the population there is not so high as most other cities in China,the road is clear to go fast.

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Owen, I recall the taxi ride you described all too well. I had numerous hair raising taxi rides during the five years I spent in China. As for the fares, in Hefei they were really cheap. You could go just about anywhere in the city for a flat rate of five yuan. Not a bad price at all. However, Shantou was another reality. You have to bargain hard for a good price, especially if you are a foreign devil.

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I had numberous taxi rides (taken alone) in Nanning. Except the some foul gas smells in some taxis, the rides were okay. The drivers weren't that aggressive and they didn't try to rid me off by taking the longer route. Even if they did, the extra 1 or 2 rmb is not much. Also, I didn't need to tip the drivers.

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One of the things that I have actually come to like about China is that I don't need to own a car. Not having the expense and hassle of one has turned out to be rather nice since one can easily obtain public transportation. Of course my wife is always bugging me to buy a car, but that is more a matter of the status that she is concerned about.

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One of the things that I have actually come to like about China is that I don't need to own a car.  Not having the expense and hassle of one has turned out to be rather nice since one can easily obtain public transportation.  Of course my wife is always bugging me to buy a car, but that is more a matter of the status that she is concerned about.

I believe owning a car in China is at least 3 times more expensive than owning one in US. I rather not drive if I have a choice.

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Cars a very expensive in China but it seems more and more people are buying them, especially in the wealthier areas like Guangdong Province. The problem is that the more people who own cars, the worse the traffic gets. Most Chinese cities do not have roads that were designed for heavy traffic. Shantou is a great example of this. The traffic there can be horrendous at rush hour. Cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and busses all competing for the same space.

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  • 1 year later...
In Qingdao the taxi drivers are insane. They play a non-stop game of leap-frog, drive more often in the oncoming lane than their own, and will cheat you if given the chance.

exactly what i have experienced in QINGDAO with my husband!

when we talk of that city,we'll say where the driver is crazy... B)

but we have to note the truth is that the population there is not so high as most other cities in China,the road is clear to go fast.

And my Darling and I both agree with you on this too!

 

However, one interesting thing to note is that the drivers there are also VERY NICE to her. She has been walked to her door now by 3 of the last 4 drivers when asked to, since it was late at night, and she must walk about 100m down a long and dark lane to her apartment's door.

 

Additionally, she has gotten a free ride, or a reduced price ride, even when I have been with her. I think that they are much nicer to locals who can speak the local dialect, especially given all of the Korean and Japanese tourists there who are willing to pay through the roof.

 

There is some honor there among the taxis.

 

Plus, it may just be good business, since with their subway under construction, building these relationships now is really helpful. Also, this makes sense, since today, with the busses starting to run later, there is more competition (and we certainly make use of public transit when it can save us some money, as well as the added pollution).

 

An interesting thread, and one which I would like to see more comments on. :D

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