Our first Metro in Shanghai (上海地铁)

I'm going to be using this line for the rest of the month
Today was our first trip to Mandarin Class using the Shanghai Metro system. Looking at their Metro map, I was taken aback by how many lines and stations Shanghai alone has. Currently they have 13 lines and 288 stops and more lines to be built within a few months. Unlike America, it is so cheap and convenient for the people to travel around Shanghai just by riding on a Metro. Soon Shanghai will have the world's largest Metro system. From what I read from the net, Shanghai is going to extent its lines up to Line 16 in the 2020's, the Metro will expand to 21 lines. Look at how fast the metro has developed over the years from 1995 to 2013. 

First Shanghai Metro Map in 1995.

Shanghai Metro Map in 2013
One word to describe my experience on the Metro: CRAZY. There are so many people taking the Metro everyday to their work, school, vacation and etc. I just cannot understand why the Chinese are so impatient as they rush everywhere they go. They push people in to and out of the trains regardless of you are an old lady or man or young girl or boy. People are just always rushing and pushing in the subway. One observation is that the Chinese could never have the courtesy of letting the passengers in the train out first before allowing themselves into the train. They squeezed in from either the front or sides in order to be the first to get into the train. Besides that, I also realized that they like squeezing with other people. No matter how full the carriage was, people still squeeze with one another like sardines. The picture below is an example of how pack the train will get. 



Oh well, I'm gonna spend the rest of the month taking the Metro to Mandarin class. I can't escape the craziness of the Metro but to get used to it. 







0 comments: