U.S. State Dept. Map of Beijing 1981 - source

Graham Earnshaw was the Daily Telegraph correspondent in Beijing from 1980 to 1984, and he's been looking through his clippings, which seem to prove both that China has changed completely and also that China has stayed exactly the same. This spring and summer, Danwei will be publishing a series of these reports from the past. This is today's resurrected item:

Legal hazards facing drivers in Peking
March 5, 1981
By Graham Earnshaw in Peking

A good way of causing a traffic accident in Peking is actually to drive according to the letter of the law.

Not only is it illegal to drive at night through the Chinese capital's dimly-lit streets with headlights on, but trying to respect the law on pedestrian crossings appears to only increase traffic chaos.

As a test, I drove down the length of Peking's busiest street, the Avenue of Everlasting Peace, trying to stay within the law. I failed, and probably avoided an accident as a result.

Zebra crossings were painted across some of the main roads last year and regulations enacted which state that drivers must give way to pedestrians on the crossings.

But no driver in Peking takes the slightest notice of the regulation despite the law's clear warning that any accident involving an injury in a zebra crossing is automatically assumed to be the fault of the driver.

My attempt at driving lawfully not only failed, but I also caused confusion amongst the pedestrians uncertain of why I was stopping, anger amongst drivers behind me convinced that I had the right of way, and impatience in the case of one policeman who testily waved me on as I stopped to let pedestrians cross.

One car almost ran into me as I slowed to remain within the law.

The utter confusion which reigns on Peking's streets appears to be getting worse despite attempts to deal with the problems.

For years the biggest hazards have been swarms of jay-walking pedestrians and the cyclists zig-zagging amongst the traffic in death-defying fashion. Few Peking citizens seem to realize that cars can kill.

But the twin nightmares of serving cyclists and darting pedestrians have been joined recently by another danger - a corps of novice taxi drivers conscripted on to the roads to help deal with a recent influx of foreign
tourists.

Driving at night down Peking's dark thoroughfares is particularly hair-raising because of the law banning headlights.

When asked the reason for the curious ban on headlights Chinese officials have said that it is to stop the cyclists being dazzled.

- - - - - - -

Author's note: At the time, there were almost no cars on Beijing streets except for a few buses, army jeeps and the occasional Red Flag limo. It was all bicycles. It was possible to drive very fast, and I once did Jianguomen to Beida in 15 minutes. Madness. At night camel trains of several camels, as well as donkey carts, would pass along Jianguomenwai Dajie, so deathly quiet after 9pm that it was possible to clearly hear the Peking station clock playing the East is Red on the hour every hour. Another explanation given for the ban on headlights was to prevent giving the US imperialists or Soviet revisionists guidance on any possible bombing run.