Foreigner’s perspective:What Makes Chinese Subway System Special

We all know China is a big country, big in terms of land size and in terms of population. This is why before I came here I thought “with so many people in China, traffic must be a huge problem”. I was very mistaken; the urban transportation system in Beijing is very good, the subway in particular. In recent years China has made a rapid advance in building subway networks, so it is no surprise that the subway here is fast, cheap and well maintained.

The reason Chinese subways are different from those in other countries has a lot to do with how serious the Chinese are about security. Whenever you want to ride the subway, right before swiping the subway card you first need to pass through a security check. This check usually consists of the following steps: first, if you have bags you will have to place your bags through the X-ray belt; second, you have to pass through a scanner and then, just like at the airport, the security officers will check your pockets and do a simple pat down; then, if you are carrying any drinks with you the security guards will politely ask you to take a sip; and if everything is OK you will be able to move on with your day. If you are not carrying any prohibited items, the security check normally takes less than ten seconds.

One thing to keep in mind is that when an important conference or international meeting is going to be held in the city, the security checks become stricter and will take a bit more time than usual. So what items are prohibited? Obviously, firearms are forbidden; knives, cutters, cleavers – basically any object that has a sharp edge won’t make it through; flammable products and products containing compressed gas are also not allowed. If you are a smoker, rest assured, you can bring your lighter on the subway – though you still have to show it to the security officers.

From a foreigner’s perspective, having security checks placed in subway stations as well as having your bag scanned with X-rays might make some foreigners feel a little uncomfortable, and some people might even consider it a violation of their privacy. But remember that these security measures are the reason why China’s subway is so safe and giving up a little bit of privacy for security is acceptable to me.

Below are a few things to note about the security checks:

■ If you are going to travel far from Beijing and want to save money on the taxi to the airport or train station, you can take the subway, but be careful not to bring certain personal hygiene products, like body spray or hair spray – you’d best leave them at home.

■ Alcoholic drinks can pass through the check, but there’s a limit of 2 liters’ maximum for high alcohol content drinks.

■ After they scan your bags, check that you have everything on you, because sometimes if the bags are small and not very heavy, they can get stuck inside the X-ray belt. This actually happened to me once – one of my shopping bags got stuck and I didn’t realize until it was too late.

■ If for whatever reason they find something inside your bag or your pockets that is prohibited, don’t panic – you are not committing a crime, and they will just keep it and let you pass. If you don’t want to lose whatever they found, you can always go home and come back later.

Name: Octavio Jhoncon

Nationality: Peruvian

University: Beijing Language and Culture University

Time Spent in China: 3 years

Places of Residence: Beijing, Guiyang

This article is selected from the book 101 tips for living in China

You can click "Read More" below to buy this book.

END

Editor: Crystal H

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