Commuting in Beijing Is Worse Than You Ever Thought

— -- When I lived in China back in 1989 I rarely used the subway system here in Beijing. There were hardly any cars on the streets because no one could afford them other than party-owned taxi companies, party members or diplomats. When I did ride the subways the crowds were not that bad. But today it is insane!

China’s population is growing and especially in the east near the coast where people from the countryside are pouring in. Beijing had predicted that its population would be 18 million instead of the 21.5 people who now call it home. The roads are jammed with cars, trucks and buses.

And the most bizarre thing I have ever seen at a subway was the line where people walked through the cages like cattle in a corral.