This time, I had extensive rides on the metro rail in Beijing. Beijing's mass rapid rail system is called The Subway. It has 15 lines that covers the entire length and breadth of Beijing. We can reach almost all major places of interst by Subway. Tian' anmen square, Forbidden City, Acrobatic Show, Kung fu show, The Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, The Summer Palace and umpteen number of other places are touched by the under ground, omnipresent Subway.The fare for a one way ride is just 2 yuans. In a way, with just 2 yuans one can travel the entire length and breadth in one direction by changing lines at different stations. As long as we are not coming out of the station, we can go on travelling. The most convenient way to travel to anywhere in Beijing city is to go underground. It is very cheap also.
Beijing Subway is very easy to use. It is so simple. The route maps and the station at which line change is possible are all marked everywhere. Directions are marked so clearly that even a first time traveler will find it so easy to go places. One has to just follow the directions. Every journey in Beijing can be by the subway. We can easily avoid hustles and bustles of the road traffic. Be on board a jerk-less journey. The only constraint is that it is difficult to travel by the Subway if we have some luggage as it is too crowded all the time.
At peak hours, it resembled a Mumbai suburban line. One day, at my destination, I have been ejected out of the train by the alighting commuters, just like they do in our own loved Mumbai Sub Urban trains! De ja vu indeed. Only difference was that there was no nauseating smell of pan masala and gutka here. The stations, where line change is available, the crowd swells manifold making even walking along the walkways so difficult.
Surprisingly, most of the people prefer to use the mechanised elevators to go up and down the different levels inside the stations instead of using the stair cases. Perhaps just one in hundred uses the stair cases in the stations. The Chinese who are known to be so conscious about physical fitness use every opportunity to avail facilities like escalators and lifts to climb heights wherever these facilities are available. Another funny thing I noticed is that, people, after entering a lift, immediately press the 'close' button before even pushing the floor number button. They show too much of impatience here. This is not an isolated incident but a regular practice here.
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| This scene was grabbed as the train was reaching its final destination |
Every girl and boy has the latest model of the smart phones. They, either standing or sitting, never take their eyes and minds off these gadgets. They are lost in these third generation gizmos. Many of these gadgets ought to be unbelievably resembling clones of the reputed brands. As the destination reaches, they just eject themselves off the train as if everything is programmed. It is hard to see a person who sport a basic humble mobile phone. Of course I have one. I feel so slighted to brandish it in public now a days.
There does not appear to be any Male - Female conflict here. Girls walk and work just like boys. Women drive city buses and taxis just as men do. No infringement on anyone's rights. No one tries to over smart or prove themselves superior to the other. Everything is a kind of struggle for existence. Instead of thinking about who is above the other, they work together to make their life easier.That is the spirit of life and the Chinese understand it well. Thank god, He had not yet sent his henchmen - the bigoted, sick minded religious leaders- to China to restric the Chinese women in the stone age itself...
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