The Incident... and the Punchline
We started off in Beijing on the wrong foot (actually, Beijing started off with us on the wrong foot). On our first day or two here, we decided to go and attempt to open a bank account at the Bank of China. We needed to do this because: a) it's a good idea to have a local bank, b) I needed a local bank for some work payments, and c) Bank of China was the only option for work. I knew that not all branches had english-forms or english speakers but our books indicated that it was possible at the larger, downtown branches.
Using a taxibook of high-profile addresses, SN and I hopped in a cab. We were promptly dropped off at the correct address on Ya Bao Lu (Ya Bao Street, henceforth known as Russian Mafia Street). After looking around quickly, we concluded that their was a Bank of Beijing at this address but no Bank of China... looks like the taxibook was a bit dated. The Ya Bao Shopping Center was Russian central in Beijing. All signs were in Russian and the styles on display in the ads and stores were very reminiscent of my impression of Russia (e.g. models with large, multi-colored eye shadow and frizzy bride-of-frankenstein hair, expensive watches, etc.). From what I've read, the only way you could be a rich person in Russia is if you're in business and paying off the Mafia or it you are the Mafia.
The information people inside the shopping center told us the Bank of China was nearby and drew a little map. They said it was about 20 minutes walking. As it was 100 degrees outside, we decided to take a bike rickshaw. There was a line of them outside so we motioned to one and showed where we wanted to go. He nodded and indicated 2 yuan. The number seemed a little low but I quickly compared it to what bike rickshaw drivers get in India for short distances and 2 yuan was a reasonable amount for a few minutes of riding.
He took us to our destination and by now we were pretty displeased since their was no Bank of China at this new location either. As SN walked in to the building to see what was going on, I attempted to pay the driver his two yuan. He kept shoving the money back at me and started going on about 200 yuan. I kept thinking I had misheard him and kept pulling out 20 yuan (which was a huge amount but I was in no mood to bother over a matter of 18 yuan). He absolutely refused and got belligerent. I stuffed the 20 yuan in his bike rickshaw and started walking away. He followed me the whole distance so now I knew that we had entered into a bluffing match. He was trying to bully me into paying 200 yuan by scaring me with his presence and I was making a play to let him know that his bullying wasn't going to work. Of course, I tried to make sure that much of this bluffing and posturing occurred while SN was removed from the situation in some way.
At this point, SN came out, I told her the situation and we tried to get the guards at the local building to help us out. They were polite in listening to me and promptly laughed at the rickshaw driver when he tried to explain that he deserved 200 yuan for all of his hard work. Even though they laughed, there was no help in keeping him off of us or getting him to move on. The guards find his request amusing but I guess, in the end, it wasn't their problem. After a bit of heated conversation by all parties, SN went off to get in a cab. I decided to wait until she was far awat until I made a move to walk away because the guy was close to getting physical and I wasn't comfortable with having SN nearby when I was going to provoke him.
I made sure SN was in the cab (about a quarter-block down the street) before I started walking. The driver now tried to get in my way so I just kept walking past him. He then started trying to punch me and hold me back. I was busy deflecting his punches and pulling his arms off of me. By now, we were out of sight of the guardshack. We grappled for a few more seconds before I shook him off, got past him and kept moving toward the cab.
I guess he decided that the time for bluffing was over because he ran in front of me and grabbed a piece of cement off the ground and made a move as if to swing it. By this point, I realized I had lost the full bluffing game and moved back in sight of the guardshack (I at least needed witnesses). Seeing this, SN got out of the cab and I'm sure the cab driver was relieved to find out he wasn't going to lose a window by picking up a fare.
After a bit more heated negotiation, SN went back inside the building to change a 100 yuan note so I could pay the driver a total of 50 yuan for his few minutes effort. I was pretty displeased that I was paying him a 10x reward for his belligerence because it worked for him and he was rewarded for being an ass. Unfortunately, we had just moved to Beijing so we didn't have all the information we needed in order to make a more official stand against paying him (calling police, foreigner's help line, embassy, etc.). I couldn't help but feel that in our payment, we had doomed other foreigners to the same fate in the future. On the other hand, we learned a valuable lesson for only 50 yuan. The same lesson could have required more money or other, less tangible, currency. We were fairly lucky that we only lost some simple yuan.
I think our days of riding bike rackshaws in China is over and it's a shame. I've had great experiences and relaxing trips using bike rickshaws in India and I'm sorry that I won't be able to do the same in Beijing. Subsequent reading indicates that this is a common scam that bike rickshaws use on foreigners (other forms are giving a single price and then indicating that it was a per person price at the end of the ride). Apparently, even native Beijing'ers have problems with the bike rickshaws.
The really tragic part of the story happened a few weeks later. This past Saturday morning, I was doing some random exploration of downtown Beijing on my skates. I happened across Russian Mafia street and decided to check it out again with my more experienced eyes. Yep, still super-rich Russian stores and ads and signs. I got to the shopping center and confirmed that there was still no Bank of China at that address. But what did I see when I rounded the corner and looked to my right? An enormous branch office of ... The Bank of China. *sigh*
Using a taxibook of high-profile addresses, SN and I hopped in a cab. We were promptly dropped off at the correct address on Ya Bao Lu (Ya Bao Street, henceforth known as Russian Mafia Street). After looking around quickly, we concluded that their was a Bank of Beijing at this address but no Bank of China... looks like the taxibook was a bit dated. The Ya Bao Shopping Center was Russian central in Beijing. All signs were in Russian and the styles on display in the ads and stores were very reminiscent of my impression of Russia (e.g. models with large, multi-colored eye shadow and frizzy bride-of-frankenstein hair, expensive watches, etc.). From what I've read, the only way you could be a rich person in Russia is if you're in business and paying off the Mafia or it you are the Mafia.
The information people inside the shopping center told us the Bank of China was nearby and drew a little map. They said it was about 20 minutes walking. As it was 100 degrees outside, we decided to take a bike rickshaw. There was a line of them outside so we motioned to one and showed where we wanted to go. He nodded and indicated 2 yuan. The number seemed a little low but I quickly compared it to what bike rickshaw drivers get in India for short distances and 2 yuan was a reasonable amount for a few minutes of riding.
He took us to our destination and by now we were pretty displeased since their was no Bank of China at this new location either. As SN walked in to the building to see what was going on, I attempted to pay the driver his two yuan. He kept shoving the money back at me and started going on about 200 yuan. I kept thinking I had misheard him and kept pulling out 20 yuan (which was a huge amount but I was in no mood to bother over a matter of 18 yuan). He absolutely refused and got belligerent. I stuffed the 20 yuan in his bike rickshaw and started walking away. He followed me the whole distance so now I knew that we had entered into a bluffing match. He was trying to bully me into paying 200 yuan by scaring me with his presence and I was making a play to let him know that his bullying wasn't going to work. Of course, I tried to make sure that much of this bluffing and posturing occurred while SN was removed from the situation in some way.
At this point, SN came out, I told her the situation and we tried to get the guards at the local building to help us out. They were polite in listening to me and promptly laughed at the rickshaw driver when he tried to explain that he deserved 200 yuan for all of his hard work. Even though they laughed, there was no help in keeping him off of us or getting him to move on. The guards find his request amusing but I guess, in the end, it wasn't their problem. After a bit of heated conversation by all parties, SN went off to get in a cab. I decided to wait until she was far awat until I made a move to walk away because the guy was close to getting physical and I wasn't comfortable with having SN nearby when I was going to provoke him.
I made sure SN was in the cab (about a quarter-block down the street) before I started walking. The driver now tried to get in my way so I just kept walking past him. He then started trying to punch me and hold me back. I was busy deflecting his punches and pulling his arms off of me. By now, we were out of sight of the guardshack. We grappled for a few more seconds before I shook him off, got past him and kept moving toward the cab.
I guess he decided that the time for bluffing was over because he ran in front of me and grabbed a piece of cement off the ground and made a move as if to swing it. By this point, I realized I had lost the full bluffing game and moved back in sight of the guardshack (I at least needed witnesses). Seeing this, SN got out of the cab and I'm sure the cab driver was relieved to find out he wasn't going to lose a window by picking up a fare.
After a bit more heated negotiation, SN went back inside the building to change a 100 yuan note so I could pay the driver a total of 50 yuan for his few minutes effort. I was pretty displeased that I was paying him a 10x reward for his belligerence because it worked for him and he was rewarded for being an ass. Unfortunately, we had just moved to Beijing so we didn't have all the information we needed in order to make a more official stand against paying him (calling police, foreigner's help line, embassy, etc.). I couldn't help but feel that in our payment, we had doomed other foreigners to the same fate in the future. On the other hand, we learned a valuable lesson for only 50 yuan. The same lesson could have required more money or other, less tangible, currency. We were fairly lucky that we only lost some simple yuan.
I think our days of riding bike rackshaws in China is over and it's a shame. I've had great experiences and relaxing trips using bike rickshaws in India and I'm sorry that I won't be able to do the same in Beijing. Subsequent reading indicates that this is a common scam that bike rickshaws use on foreigners (other forms are giving a single price and then indicating that it was a per person price at the end of the ride). Apparently, even native Beijing'ers have problems with the bike rickshaws.
The really tragic part of the story happened a few weeks later. This past Saturday morning, I was doing some random exploration of downtown Beijing on my skates. I happened across Russian Mafia street and decided to check it out again with my more experienced eyes. Yep, still super-rich Russian stores and ads and signs. I got to the shopping center and confirmed that there was still no Bank of China at that address. But what did I see when I rounded the corner and looked to my right? An enormous branch office of ... The Bank of China. *sigh*
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