Those in Charge of Beijing's Urban Construction Should Be the First to Be Fired!
2006/7/25 15:19:32
Beijing's traffic is a problem that can no longer be called a problem — because it's eternally problematic, so it ceases to be a problem and can no longer problem. But traffic is like that everywhere in the world — at least there's a bit of an excuse: we're not the worst, everyone just muddle through. However, those in charge of Beijing's urban construction are definitely the world's worst, and the ones who most deserve to be fired!
Never mind that a major arterial road heading south from a famous villa district inside the North Fifth Ring toward the Asian Games Village has been impassable for ages — something that long ago stopped provoking even a shred of dissatisfaction. Just consider: when it rains, as it did yesterday, the entire city of Beijing instantly becomes one giant parking lot. Can this really be seen regularly in other cities? Never mind comparing with foreign countries — just compared with other domestic cities, where else does a bit of rain basically paralyze an entire city's traffic?
A few years ago, that snowstorm exposed the laughable state of Beijing's urban construction to the entire world. But has there been any improvement these past few years? Isn't it still the case that whenever the weather turns bad, everyone from top to bottom gets nervous? Organizing this team and that team is useless when the drainage system design itself is flawed — no amount of effort fixes anything. (A side note: Beijing's road design isn't much better either. Take those overpass designs — never mind outsiders, even locals who drive them regularly get dizzy sometimes. Traffic jams frequently occur precisely at these inhumanely designed spots.)
Beijing's residents must love Beijing — no matter how terrible Beijing gets, it's forever the most formidable place in China, beyond question. Therefore we must continue enduring these deranged roads and drains, must endure their mood swings in all weather conditions. After all, face-changing is a cultural heritage, isn't it? And though it's not Beijing's heritage, doesn't everything Chinese belong to Beijing?
Although Li Bai, Du Fu, and Shakespeare aren't from Beijing, and Gauss, Einstein, and Beethoven aren't from Beijing, Beijing IS culture, Beijing IS the cultural capital. Even Hong Kong claims it's not a cultural desert — why can't Beijing be the cultural capital? With culture comes magnanimity — why not accept a few deranged roads and drains? Without these deranged roads and drains, how would one have the chance to ruminate on culture's primal roots amid the snow and rain? Without a bit of frost, snow, thunder, and lightning — with nothing but pleasant weather every day — how could culture have vitality and creativity?
Fine, along these roads and drains, one can certainly continue to ruminate on culture with tangled-but-unbroken perseverance. But I still must bellow: those in charge of Beijing's urban construction, please resign! Consider it taking pity on everyone who's truly exhausted from all that ruminating. If you don't step down, nobody can enjoy themselves!