It has become a ritual when I arrive in China, to aquire a bicycle as soon as possible, so as to enjoy some independence from taxis, buses and subways. And to be able to navigate around areas that are too large to handle on foot, but quite manageable by bike. Of course, until now, my cycling experience was limited to Beijing. A large bustling metropolis, with wide avenues, sideroads, and, at least in many of the areas that I biked, cafés where I can sit, rest and drink an espresso, in the meanwhile surfing the web from my laptop.
But now I am in Guangzhou. And not downtown Guangzhou, which I have yet to explore, but in University Town. A large island in the Pearl River Delta, 40 mins by bus from the center of Guangzhou. University Town was, until 2004, an island inhabited by farmers, farming the wetlands. Then they were forced to make way for what now is a collection of campuses from various large Chinese universities. Schoolbuildings and dorms lie sprawling between the ringroads and sideroads. The boundary of University Town on the side that I will be staying for the next 4 1/2 months is marked by an elevated motorway flying what seems 1oo meters above the island. On it one crosses the giant river towards downtown Guangzhou.
When yesterday I took my new bicycle for a ride around the island I was struck how deserted it seems when you just stick to the roads. It is hard to imagine that behind those huge and non-descript buildings the hustle and bustle of campus life is going on. Shopping, eating, posing, flirting, playing pool. But, cycling as I was, along the roads, I felt completely isolated, and disoriented. There are no landmarks to guide you around the island, and although I had been told that if I stick to the ringroad, I’ll always find my way home, I managed to miss my cue to turn at the right corner, and ended up circumventing the island at least twice. Desperately looking for clues, I became increasingly frustrated – of course there is signage along the roads, also pointing towards the specific campus living areas (in my case the Guangmei Living Area) however it only appears as you’re almost there. Not when you’re halfway around the ringroad and have no idea which direction to take. Finally a student studying at what turned out to be the neighboring campus, cycled me all the way to the gate.
On this rather epic journey I had done some shopping, and as I was unlocking my bike, the woman from the supermarket came to me holding a ball of string and scissors in her hands. She made it her mission to tie my big lumpy bag and rolled up bamboo mats to the bagage carrier. This is the sort of thing that I love about being here. Hot and bothered, tired and frustrated as I was from the endless cycling along the uninspiring roads of University Town, here someone was taking time and trouble to help me out. Her method seemed flawed, there seemed to be no logic involved, but it worked! As by some miracle the improvised roping lasted all the way to the Guangmei Campus. And I had a much needed dose of human contact after meandering through the deserted roads of University Town.
