Wall to Wall People Street in Chengdu, Sichuan -- Wall to Wall People

The next time you see a traffic jam here in the USA, think of this scene. Wall to wall people in the street. We thought at first when we saw this, that it was some special event. Not so! There are so many people that they have to walk in the street to get where they are going. And this is not a weekend. To help the situation the government staggers the weekend. At this time in 1984, the Chinese workweek was 6 days a week. The government staggers the day off so one in seven takes each day of the week. In some Chinese cities there is not enough room outside for everyone to go outside at once. When we are driven by bus, van or car, the driver is honking incessantly to get through the crowd. The people ignore the horn but eventually part so the vehicle can pass. It is slow going and nerve racking driving in China. Most all drivers are professional drivers.

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