Harbin Metro: Opening of Line 3

The Harbin Metro's Line 3 is finally open!

...but as of now only two of the stations are open.

Line 3 will eventually make a ring around central Harbin, but for now the only stations open are at its southern crossover with Line 1, the Harbin West Railway Station, and one station in between the two.

While it'll be of limited usefulness for now, Line 3 certainly is all shiny and pretty! Here's to hoping more of its stations open soon!

Ice City Roads

We got a lot of snow (for here) this November plus the usual fluctuations in temperature, which resulted in some incredibly icy roads even for Harbin! Pictured is the first bus I tried to take home from work. It got most of the way up this hill coming out of Qunli, but then got stuck on the black ice at the intersection. Most of us got out two or three times to try to push it along, but after moving a bit it would stall again and I finally called it and started the long walk home...

Harbin Bus Races

It's a little hard to tell (apologies for the quality!), but all three of the buses pictured are of the same number. I'm not sure why Harbin's bus drivers think that they're all in a race with each other, but they do and they are and it's incredibly frustrating if it's a line that doesn't run many buses and you run up to your bus stop as three (sometimes four, once I even saw five) buses of that line drive away. It's then that you realize you either have a 45-minute wait before the next one (instead of, say, 10 minutes) or will have to pay 9 times or more for a taxi. Just one of the many wonderful aspects of life in Harbin!

Winter Traffic

Curiously enough, China's Ice City is not so great at dealing with snow and ice. We recently had some heavy (for here) snowfall and it paralyzed the city for a couple of days. Buses driving busy routes that normally came every 5 or 10 minutes stopped running entirely, others came at much longer intervals than normal, taxis became impossible to find, and horrendous traffic jams made off-rush hour trips that usually took 15 or 20 minutes by bus take an hour or more. It's my second winter here and even though I left for work extra early each day I still barely made it on time, and once not at all! (Pictured above is the tail end of a traffic jam I got stuck in on a bus - it took nearly an hour to go a kilometer and a half. When we finally made it to a bus stop I walked the rest of my way.) So be warned, if you're going to be in Harbin in the winter, bring your winter gear and think about walking to wherever you're going if it's just snowed!

Crowds: The Chinese Queue

There's nothing like trying to get on a crowded bus at a crowded bus stop, especially during the winter. Suddenly your personal space goes from minimal to non-existent as everyone from grannies to children start shoving their way to the bus door. There is no queuing (if only!). Even once you've gotten to the door there's no yielding - I've seen grown men both try to fit through at the same time, which just does not work! (The bus entrance doors really are only wide enough for one.) Occasionally the very old or very young will get some mercy, but even this is often not the case. And strangely enough, you will endure the same pushing and shoving if you try to get on an empty bus at an

only slightly crowded bus stop - there is no concept of lining up, of making the whole process easier and quicker. Instead people skip straight to difficult as they elbow their way towards the bus door.

I grew up in places where this sort of masochism is the norm, so most of the time it doesn't bother me. When I find myself in such a situation I just pick my mascot in the crowd - someone to use as a wedge to get me in the door - and use my height and weight to push them along until we're in. But there are days I find the whole situation exhausting. It is all so incredibly unnecessary! Why the rudeness, when you could just queue up and enter the bus without the danger of being knocked flat on the icy ground? (Or, once in, the slushy bus floor!) If Chinese culture cares so much for children and expects people to honor the elderly, then why not at the very least send them to the front of the crowd? I think in some circles it is fashionable to speak of the West as being the place where it's all about the individual and individuals' selfish pursuits of what benefits them, but what is all of this rudeness - from granny and hipster alike - if not selfishness?

I wish it were only buses where this sort of thing is the norm, but unfortunately it extends to leaving the bus, getting in (and out) of elevators, entering and leaving buildings, and lines (often "lines") in stores. (And no doubt many other places!) It is all the more surprising given how friendly and warm I've found coworkers and strangers alike to be here in Harbin. All the same, the crowd "queue" craziness is something to be aware of, whether you're planning a visit or a move to this wonderful Ice City!

Frost Art

I just love the patterns the frost makes on the bus windows in the mornings - such an ornate, natural beauty in the midst of Harbin's frozen urban jungle!