Lately, there have been teams of two young university students, decked out in bright vests and hats, stationed at the mouth of each escalator in the subway station during peak hours. They hold signs and chant, “Stand on the right, pass on the left!”
So it goes. There have been so many changes in the city since the coming of the World Expo. DVD shops have been shut down en masse (though actually, every single one of these shops just has a fake wall separating the “legit” DVD section from the taboo “fake DVD” section. You just need to look touristy and ask, “Can I see the DVDs in there?”). Street-food vendors are virtually non-existent. X-ray machines sit right before the turnstiles at every single subway station, and “Safety Assistants” gently bark at passengers to put their big handbags on the conveyor belt, behind which a sleepy officer sits, staring at every possible direction but the screen. Sometimes, I wonder if all these measures are in place just for show. I mean, really, who would actually put a bomb in their handbag? History shows that these people would just strap the C4 onto their own bodies. Sorry, am I being out of line?
Okay, I guess this obsession over “safety” sometimes gets to me. Or gets in my way. But the effects of other positive changes can certainly be felt. Hanging above the subway platforms are usually a few TV screens that show the countdown until the next train, as well as some kind of video or news show to catch a bored commuter’s interest.
Over the past few months, they’ve (they=Big Brother) started broadcasting public service videos on these screens, which demonstrate how to board a subway correctly (after letting passengers off first, instead of barricading them inside with human bodies that must get on the subway car asap), or how to offer up a seat for someone in need, a young or elderly person, or a pregnant person. Or sometimes, a cartoon showcases the Shanghai version of “If you see something, say something” - a South Park-esque woman notices a bomb sticking out of a suspicious-looking man’s bag, and she reports it to the station security (hero!). The man gets hauled out of the station, and everyone is happy.
Not that I’ve seen the “If you see something, say something” in action, but it seems like these videos really work! I was subway surfing in the middle of a subway car this mid-morning as usual, when a friendly old couple tugged at the end of my skirt and motioned for me to sit in the empty seat beside them. One stop later, a scruffy-looking dude jabbed me on my side to point my attention towards the just-emptied seat next to him. Gee, I get really flattered that they sympathize and think of my comfort like that! Unfortunately, I know I look like I’m a child, but I often prefer the thrill of standing up and pretending like I’m on a giant skateboard through the underground maze beneath Shanghai, over the boredom of sitting down.
Despite the fact that you see people literally running to any and every empty seat on the subway, I keep seeing more and more people give up their seats for the grandpa that hobbles into the car, or the under-6-years-old kid that typically scampers onto the subway. It’s really heartwarming, and I might be wrong, but I feel like it was never like this even say, two years ago. What’s more, it’s a whole lot easier making one’s way walking up the escalator rather than being force-squeezed into what seems like a can of sardines, 1.5 inches from the butt of the person in front of you.
Now, if they can just do something about those people hacking loogies on the streets (and making that disgusting sound). That would be graaaand.
