Anyone who cycles or rides an e-bike in China has at some point been involved in an accident. Whether it be a slight bump because someone didn’t put the brakes on fast enough or something more serious, it is hard to remain sane and keep tempers out of it.
This particular British man failed to do either, according to Chinese newspapers. On November 24 he and a man named Mr. Huang crashed into each other. Mr. Huang’s leg was cut and his bike destroyed so he demanded 2000 RMB in compensation, and got 200 RMB in return.
When Mr. Huang asked for more, the foreigners answer was to reply with “F**k” and a throwing of the middle finger. Mr. Huang apparently didn’t appreciate this attitude and started to get pretty angry himself. The incident ended with the foreigner throwing 600 RMB at their feet and walking away.
Just another day in the life of a laowai in China.
Source: news.21cn.com
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Keywords: foreigner crashes into local; laowais in China
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I have seen too many people over 10 years in China ride the wrong side and in the wrong direction. It really takes a lot of guts to navigate your way in cities like Beijing. I just moved into Fuzhou and will ride mostly up in the mountains. this isn't news. this is daily life.
Dec 28, 2013 08:57 Report Abuse
It is my impression there can be no law against driving counter-ways because many streets in China are fenced in ..so the only way to get to the correct side of the road is drive counter-ways until you can cross at an intersection... The road designs with their parking lanes necessitate it in many circumstances...Seeing the designs, I just accept that people are forced to drive counter-ways most of the time.
Nov 29, 2013 20:32 Report Abuse
Sure, behaving like a dick and telling someone to fuck off after you caused an accident isn't very nice, but I can well imagine the guy on the receiving end of the accident didn't act all that jovial either. I regularly bump into people when walking down the street and get angry/aggressive stares every now and then, even though I try my best not to bump into people (which is hard when a lot of people are too busy staring at their phones or the sky to notice their surroundings). The fact that some people's initial response to any form of contact is an angry glare is something that regularly pisses me off, and that's just when brushing shoulders on foot. I can only imagine the initial response the guy who got hit came up with in this scenario, and I wouldn't be too surprised to find out he greeted the foreigner with a hearty 'Cao ni made' or something along those lines. If the article mentioned the Chinese guy getting off his bike, checking the damage, and then in reasonable tones try to discuss what to do from there, the Brit's response would've been totally uncalled for, but I very much doubt this is the way it happened.
Nov 29, 2013 19:17 Report Abuse
I don't drive on the wrong side of the road at home, nor will I do that in China. It's not a matter of what is legal or not but whether you value your own safety. Driving the opposite way just because you have seen locals do it is such a poor argument. Almost everyone you see on a bike is local. So out of the thousands you see each day you pick the dozen people who drive the opposite way to 'blend in' with the locals. Same goes for weird crossing behavior. Sure, everyone goes along with the flow when it's at a zebra crossing, but what about diagonal crossing? Having been here for quite some time I have only seen it happen a few times but in two of those cases it was a foreigner clearly trying to 'blend in'. This is the thing I don't get, there are millions living in Beijing, but for some reason 'blending in' means taking on the bad habits because that is apparently what defines being local. . Just imagine. A guy from Shanghai in France walking around with a flat cap and baguette. "Je suis tres local, oh, oh, oh!" Or a Beijinger in Germany with a small puff of facial hair under the nose yelling "RAUS" at people. ICH BIN SO LOCAL! Or a guy from Guangzhou enjoying a day at the gay pride in Amsterdam by running around naked and 'bumming' random men. "Oh, hellooooo officer pretty, I didn't know it was illegal to sodomize people, I'm just being local!" . Acting like a tool doesn't make you any more local than getting an apple on the head makes you Newton.
Nov 29, 2013 18:33 Report Abuse
Ladies and Gentlemen, also mentioned in the Chinese version of the article was the location of that accident ---- Quanzhou, which is in southern Fujian. This article dated May 2013 said they were preparing the licensing of e-bikes there. >>>> http://www.newsking.us/news-4463787-Photo:-Quanzhou-preparing-the-introduction-of-the-new-regulations-of-the-management-of-electric-bicycles-July-Jin-Mo.html. So, it looks like the need for e-bike license varies depending on where you are driving it. Also, I found these highly entertaining discussions regarding ebikes. >>>> http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/phpbbforum/electric-licence-q-a-t99418-60.html by mydo » Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:19 am New initiative for 2013 maybe? I was pulled over by the police on Anfu Lu last night. 4 Police men pulling over bikes. Always a risk to play "ting bu dong" with authority, but it worked in my favour and he let me go. He was telling me that I didn't have a licence, but couldn't tell if the end result was going to be arrest or confiscation. I didn't hang around to see what happened to delivery guy in trouble behind me. I saw another road block on my way home from dinner. Advice: Don't stop at junctions with policemen. Hang back until the lights are green. But like the ban on car horns, things will probably go back to normal soon. jeffinflorida » Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:49 pm ^ Same in Suzhou. Often I see 4 or 5 "cops" pulling over ebikes. I usually just smile and wave and keep going. One day I was riding my Giant bike (peddle bike) with my girlfriend on the back and all the cops were talking and looking at me. I asked the girlfriend what they were saying and she said they were laughing and said that they are surprised that the bike didn't break because I was so fat...
Nov 27, 2013 22:18 Report Abuse
I think a foreigner paid too much. If you agree you were wrong in this situation, words of excuse will be quite enough. (You should say to him you also have suffered). If a Chinese want money compensation - 50 RMB will be quite enough. His kind of bycicle (quite new) is worthy of 300 RMB (so, why he wants 2000?). If the Chinese insists on more money, I will offer him choice: "I give you now 50, or I dont pay you at all, and you should invite me to police/to court for legal trial, and let the judge decide the amount of fine for me. What do you prefer?". Many Chinese are absolutely sure, a foreigner is a fool/ignorant, and one should order from him a huge some of money.
Nov 27, 2013 17:42 Report Abuse
Why should this make the news? Dont Chinese people do this everyday to each other? Its a double standard, a prejudice, biased. For every one forienger that doesnt obey the traffic rules there are probally a Million Chinese who do the exact same thing, yet they arent putting that on the news. I guess I am lucky they didnt put me on the news here in SZ. I got angry with a man and women at a local store for giving me fake money and they didnt want to admit they was wrong and make it right. I said all kinds of nasty things, yelled at them, and even called the cops to come and check to see if they had any more fake money to give out. Yet, they wont report these kinds of things on the news. They dont report the times the taxi drivers give fake money, or the crazy drivers here run red lights, cut other drivers off, or when they cheat foreingers. Its a shame we are held under a microscope when the locals here do the same things and even worse.
Nov 27, 2013 15:58 Report Abuse
Meaningless piece slanted towards anti foreigner. Not enough info to know what the real facts are. Guest922618 made a good point...You don't need a drivers license for an e-bike. So why would the author put that in the article as if the foreigner did something wrong? Bias? Poor journalism? The author doesn't know the road rules of his country? Either way you look at it not good and it DISCREDITS the whole article.
Nov 27, 2013 11:55 Report Abuse
Everyone drives on the wrong side of the road on their bikes, scooters, etc. This is common in every city I have been to and I have been here seven years. Having a license is unnecessary in most cities unless it uses gasoline and not electricity. As for the licence if it is even required, it may as in the case of my present city, be unavailable for foreigners. In both my accidents it was the Chinese drivers fault (at least by western standards, ie 'common sense'), but in both cases they demanded money. In both cases the demanded more money than was needed even as I lay there bleeding with far more damage to my scooters than their cars (one with a broken tail light and the other a scratched bumper). The offensive part of this is too often Chinese people see this (as did this guy) as a chance to cash in because it's a foreigner and as we all know all foreigners are rich. 2000 RMB wow! For what a 100 RMB bicycle and some band aids? The British guy didn't need to throw a tantrum, really no point just give them what you think is fair plus a few hundred more and walk away. If you really need to express yourself you can calmly cuss them out with a smile as you leave. Better to throw in a few hundred RMB extra and leave than linger and have the police come and spend the rest of your day waiting for the cops to figure out what to do with you. You may end up paying less but it will probably take 3-5 hours and involve your school or a Chinese friend.
Nov 27, 2013 07:10 Report Abuse
Or if you're married, your Chinese family will get involved. Doesn't only happen to foreigners, but we sure are easy targets. Usually police are not involved, but rather a trip to the local hospital to perform health tests. If they are lenient, the 2 families involved will agree on a sum that's a bit high. If not, it becomes an awkward balance between posturing about how powerful and well-connected your family is, but without suggesting you're rich. Problem is, in China it only matters how much muscle your family has. I've heard of cases where the richer family taunts and laughs at the poorer family, despite having just killed someone from the poor family. If you hear angry shouting in a hospital, it's usually about this kind of BS.
Nov 27, 2013 18:03 Report Abuse
While walking around I've been hit by e-bikes and scooters several times. At no point did the driver stop, apologize and offer compensation. Hell, they didn't even acknowledge me, just kept on going.
Nov 26, 2013 18:21 Report Abuse
I feel sorry for you. At least when I get hit people smile before going on their way.
Nov 28, 2013 08:44 Report Abuse
Foreigners can be crazy. Yes, I know. I am a foreigner and I know. They can be really crazy. So I stay with my Chinese friends. I stay away from foreigners. Seriously.
Nov 26, 2013 10:30 Report Abuse
I speak Mandarin and have more Chinese friends than foreign ones. But you need both sets to stay sane in this country. You have to, "Go Native" or you will be miserable every day of your life here. But you also need people who know where you're coming from and can understand things that the outside world knows. For example, things like "communism" in China has nothing to do with economics and everything to do with making the rich richer and keeping the poor uneducated and dying. If Marx were alive today, he would be a 愤青 trying to create armed revolution in China. But I digress, my point is, this country is made up of extremes: love the people, hate their manners. Love the landscape, hate the pollution. Love the food, fear the 拉肚子. When push comes to shove, you need people who get it, and don't just parrot the Party lines or shrug their shoulders and get back to work.
Nov 26, 2013 14:47 Report Abuse
(昨日凌晨，泉州，两辆电动车相撞。一方是去菜市场的肉贩黄师傅，另一方为骑无牌超标车逆行的外籍男子。黄师傅指对方逆行撞人要求赔偿，后外籍男子赔偿600元，并在事故处理后还爆粗口竖中指。) This is the original Chinese version, you can read it by clicking the link in this article or ask someone who can read Chinese to help you read it. It is only 3 lines. Too long for writer to translate what is in there? The original article pointed out the laowai was travelling the opposite lane (i.e. travelling the wrong direction), and that he had no liscence!!! How can something this critical be left out in a translation, unless ... the writer purposely want to make the laowai looked innocent? Very unprofessional and irresponsible this writer is, if this is the case.
Nov 25, 2013 19:12 Report Abuse
first of all because 100% of the chinese have no legal driving license nor they can drive at all. second you dont need a driving license for an e-bike third chinese people also dont look around before crossing a street or whatever and wont move aside because they are only selfcentered if he was driving on the wrong side, yeah its his fault (not like chinese dont do that) nevertheless its another BAD BAD FOREIGNER story on 1 "bad" foreigner comes 1 million bad chinese
Nov 25, 2013 21:58 Report Abuse
Guest2368048 (original answer) still get a good point : the guy was driving counter-way, therefore he was completely wrong. Yes, 50% of the people on a bike lane are driving wrong way in every place I've been in China. So then it's fine to do it ? A Westerner would drive counter-way back home ? But it's China, it's fine, others do it, I do it too ? But I still despise the locals despite going as low as them ? Double-standards... (In case I'm flagged as an 'answer wu mao' : no, I'm a Westerner, tired to see other Westerners raging at the locals yet behaving as badly)
Nov 26, 2013 09:58 Report Abuse
it's possible that there may be bias on the part of the article translator, but keep in mind how hectic and disorderly chinese traffic can be at times. since we don't know the layout of the road where it occurred, it's hard to judge exactly how strange it was to go against traffic. as for the nonsense of no licence, electric bikes in china have no license plates and need no licence. so, that may show some bias on the part of the original article writer; thrying to make a bad foreigner look even worse to confirm people's bias it happens in news stories all over the world - it's very safe, easy and popular to have a go at foreigners anywhere. it's very common that chinese will try to extort miney after an accident, and the victim is portrayed as very lenient for only asking 2000 from a foreigner, which i don't believe for a second. this same thing could have happened to me, and i might have reacted in exactly the same way. be careful out there, expats!
Nov 26, 2013 13:10 Report Abuse
When I hear this kind of excuses from Westerners "but I just adjust to the local ways, I didn't know going counter-way was wrong", it's like hearing Chinese with the usual (bad, lame) excuses to behave like sociopaths. If you feel morally above, have the guts to behave accordingly.
Nov 26, 2013 14:51 Report Abuse
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