The two strange things about Xining. I was talking to a cabbie today, and he mentioned the "two strange things about Xining." As he said it these as follows: 1) There are very few bicyclists in Xining. As opposed Chengdu-- where there is a special lane for bicyclists and scooter riders--or Beijing--where I remember one being more likely to be hit by a bicyclist than a car when crossing the street back in 2002--Xining has no specialized lanes, and though it is not uncommon to see cyclists riding around town, they are not present in the massive numbers associated with other cities. And 2) One sees no window-mounted air-conditioning units marring the external appearances of buildings. It never once occurred to me until he said it, but he's right. Xining's mild summer temperatures and perpetually concrete skyscrapers render air-conditioning unnecessary. Huh.
It's worth mentioning that I had never heard of these before today, but he said it so "matter-of-fact"ly that i felt like it must be part of a bigger discourse.
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About TimAs you can see elsewhere on this webpage, I conduct research on ethnic minorities in western China. This blog offers semi-academic musings on the minutiae of daily life out here--the sort of information otherwise destined for footnotes. Categories |