Saturday, September 22, 2007

Searching for a highly symbolic car-free day


Shanghai Daily displays a new Porche

Being killed by a car would have been the summon of cynicism and I almost did it today. To be honest, I initially did not notice a change in the traffic and when some Shanghainese told me today was a car-free day, I realized I should look pretty good to find it.
In another effort by Xinhua to prove that they had fully lost touch with reality, they announced this as a "significant day". But even the Shanghai Daily, not shy of a bit of propaganda, not not mention the day in its online edition, where it proudly displayed a new model of the Porche.
In the city center I was told that only Huaihai Road was closed for the traffic today, but when I walked along the road, it seemed as busy as always. At Huating Road I saw a police man scolding a car driver, who wanted to go on Huaihai Zhonglu. At bit more west, at the level of Chang Chu Subway station there was indeed a bit of a barrier, where most private cars were forced to take a detour. Since busses, taxi, cars of diplomats and other official cars were not stopped, it hardly caused a change.

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