This evening we went with friends to dine at the Pass By Bar. As we walked up Nanluoguxiang to that venerable institution (a decade this year!) I wondered — not for the first time mind you — why there is any resistance to banning auto traffic on that narrow street.
This evening saw the inevitable black Audis barreling down the road carrying KTV Communists to meet their ernai from the drama academy. Plus there was yet another full-on street squabble over a fender bender. When we walked by, “Driver” A (I use that term as a convenient definition, in no way am I testifying to the man’s actual ability to operate a motor vehicle) was bending down in front of “Driver” B’s car, trying to take a picture of the license plate as “Driver” B and “Driver” B’s…girl friend (she was a woman, about three decades younger than her companion, so I’ll be charitable in my description) were smacking “Driver” A on the head and neck whilst a crowd of looky-loo’s (including your correspondent) stopped and gawked. Fun times in the hutong.
It seems so simple, given the nature of the road, to ban non-essential traffic, private automobiles, and taxis