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The art of piling and balancing boxes is taken to great heights here on Jiefang Lu in the vicinity of Metropolis Shoe City. And not only here, but around many commercial areas in Guangzhou, I’ve witnessed amazing towers of boxes piled meters high, either on the back of bicycles, or on small trolleys. The main, flabbergasting, mindboggling, incredible feature is that very often, the boxes aren’t tied together in any way. Nor are they attached to the vehicles of transportation. They’re simply arranged, loosely, one on top of the other. Presumbly their weight is enough to keep them aligned and in balance. On occasion, I’ve seen towers of boxes almost 3 meters high being negotiated through busy traffic on the back of a bike. Inevitably, every now and then a tower collapses…but mostly the young men, mostly boys, manage to weave effortlessly through the pedestrian crowds to deliver their packages safely. I watch and marvel.