Rules, Rules, Rules... or Whatever

I’m a rule follower.  If you know me, you know that I HATE breaking rules.  Besides “accidental” speeding, I’d say the worst rule I’ve broken in the recent time before moving here was sneaking food into a movie theater. 

But here, in China, I am a rule breaker.  Often. Like, daily. 

Take this coffee shop that I’m sitting in. It is illegal.  The police could shut it down and put a huge white imposing X on the door at anytime.  That is because they serve food here.  By law, the bars and coffee shops along this street are not supposed to serve food.  They all do. Two weeks ago there was a big bust and many of the restaur… er, “coffee shops” were closed.  The one’s that were not shut down received word *wink wink* that the police were coming and didn’t serve food that day.  The others were not so lucky.  They paid their fines and opened back up within a few days… serving food as usual.

Today I took an illegal taxi to IKEA.  These illegal taxi drivers, or black taxis, constantly sit outside of my apartment complex waiting for fares.  They cost a bit more than legal taxis, but often they will drive you to your destination, wait for you to shop or eat and then drive you home.  Many of them speak slightly more English than legal taxis and some of them will even give you their cell numbers so you can prearrange rides.  It’s very convenient not having to hail a taxi.  However, when the police show up, they scatter.  As soon as the police move on, they return. 

I own a scooter that I’ve named Boc Choi.  Boc Choi is illegal.  All scooters, electric and gas alike, are not allowed.  According to the government, something like 240 people died in scooter accidents last year.  Therefore, scooters should be forbidden… makes sense, right? I bought Boc Choi at a scooter shop about two blocks from my house.  There are no fewer than three scooter shops on that street.  However, when they cracked down on scooters last week did those businesses get shut down? Nope. Did ordinary folks get their scooters taken from them? Yep.   Boc Choi was spared, but the threat is still there.  At any time, they could set up checkpoints.  You’ll have to get off your bike.  They’ll take it, load it up in the back of a truck and you will never see it again (I have a feeling they resell the confiscated bikes, but I can’t prove it).  A co-worker’s husband has concluded that these checkpoints usually happen on Tuesday nights. So on Tuesdays Boc Choi will stay safely locked up, hidden behind a giant fichus tree in front of my building.

I also buy movies that are currently in theaters on DVD from a street corner for about $1.50 each… But I’m sure those are totally legal.