BEIJING - Three times a week, I pretend I live in the real world. I get up at 7:30 a.m., get dressed and head out the door.
The difference between me and some of my other fellow college graduates is that I walk only a couple hundred meters, from my dorm to the class building. The other difference is that on the way I cross the River of Bicycles.
Chinese students at Tsinghua live in a dozen or so dorms at the extreme north end of campus. Their classes are scattered around the massive site, but since they live at the north part of campus, all must first go south. Most of them head down the school's main North-South artery, the Nanbei Lu. And since this is China, most of them do it on bicycle. This creates a constant stream of two-wheeled traffic, one that peaks about 10 minutes before classes begin. Right when I want to cross it.
My dorm is at the Dongbeimen, or Northeast gate. Our classroom -- a brand new, U-shaped building with a supermarket, post office, and hair salon -- is due west of the dorm. It's a quick walk, much shorter than at other colleges I attend. The only problem is the river.
Unlike cars, bicycles don't have to yield to pedestrians. There's no red light to allow periodic safe crossing. Just wave after wave of young Chinese adults, all trying to make it to class on time.
Cross the River the wrong way, and you could wind up on the River Sphinx.
In developing countries with poor traffic infrastructure the general rule is to cross at an even pace, giving drivers time to react to your movement. I wouldn't suggest that when dealing with bicycles. They're so lightweight and movable that drivers believe they can always avoid a collision, and don't turn away until the last possible second. It's damn scary, and I don't like it.
I've also tried crossing the river using the "Frogger" method, heading forward, backwards and sideways in gaps in the traffic. I get across, but not before I've wasted five minutes and embarassed myself in front of a good chunk of the Tsinghua campus.
This obstacle is forcing me to take action. Tomorrow, I'm buying a bike.
