China: A Well-organized Chaos
By Adolfo Laborde
Professor, Law and International Relations Department, Tec de Monterrey, Santa Fe Campus. Visiting researcher at the Institute of Development, Funda University, China.
Abstract
I had to arrive very early to a place very close to Shanghai’s financial district. My colleagues told me I should take the subway, so I did. I got up early and left for the Jiangwan Stadium station on line 10, which is close to my apartment. As soon as I set foot on the street, I was automatically a part of that army of people who, like I, was headed for the subway. Some were riding bikes; some were walking or on motorbikes. They were all in a hurry. I had to slip myself into the crowd. I kept up with them. As I got closer to the station, the volume of people increased; there were more bikes and motorcars. It was chaos, but orderly. Perhaps like in Mexico, of course, if we look at it from our point of view. I’ll try to explain. Even though this observation might seem illogical, it isn’t. The chaos has order. The Shanghai subway is the best example. It was easy getting to the trains, but on the platforms things changed. There were a lot of people waiting to board. Getting on was a real achievement. Once inside, it was so overcrowded, but I noticed that the people didn’t mind. Everyone’s head was down, concentrated on smart phones. Not even the sudden braking at the stations affected them, and much less the people getting on and off. They were living statues that only disconnected when they had to get off.