With the number of cars on the roads in Nanjing minor bumps and accidents are not an uncommon sight. I don’t like seeing people splattered on the roads – bike/e.bike lying on its side nearby but it’s an unavoidable part of life in Nanjing.
Typically when an accident happens on the roads, the drivers will abandon their cars in precisely the position they were when the collision occured and get out and have a huge argument. They care not whether their vehicles are blocking the road, that buses, cars and taxis are blasting on their horns in frustration. These guys are going to have their argument come what may and their wives will probably have a go too. A prolonged argument will attract a reasonable sized crowd of onlookers too – a spectator sport of sorts.
I love these confrontations and whenever I see them, I like to watch to see how animated it gets. I have rarely seen them come to blows but there’s a lot of hot air, girlie waving of arms and screaming.
Back where I come from, you’re highly likely to get a knuckle sandwich if you scream in someone’s face. Poking them in the chest with your finger would definitely bring blows raining down on you. But in Nanjing, they seem unwilling to get into a decent fight. I watch in hope but have only seen one proper fight in the 4 and a half years I have been here.
So come on men of Nanjing – show the world what you’re made of. Are you man or mouse? squeak squeak!