The Frontier and the Middle Kingdom

Abstract

The old woman wove across multiple lanes of stalled traffic hawking strings of fresh gardenias. My taxi driver rolled down her window, offered a few kuai, and looped a garland around the rearview mirror. The street was packed with people—businessmen in Armani, vendors selling peanuts and melons, women carrying kids on their backs, teenagers talking on cell phones. Bike lanes were crammed with hundreds of cyclists hauling chickens, ladders, boxes, and baggage. A chaos of cars and buses packed the center of the street.