2022: Reverse Culture Shock & Me... Part 2!

Transportation is my number one priority because I do not drive, ensuring that I can get from A to B is imperative! From high speed trains across China's vast Mainland to my local West Midlands Metro, that 'Reverse Culture Shock' has had me in my feelings for sure! Construction at a snails pace? Take me back to a country that keeps people moving! WM Metro, listen up now!

When I first arrived in China, taking the 'Metro' was something that I did only briefly in Shanghai during those first few days. Suzhou's growing transit system further acquainted me with a less deeper underground network of tube style trains in my then new East Asia setting. Throughout my time living in Wuhan and then Beijing, both 'Metro' networks were continuously presented spotlessly clean at all times. Upon arriving back into the U.K in 2020, I wasn't ready for the lack of presentation whilst I took the 'Metro' in several cities such as London. Even though that legendary 'Tube' claims the title as the oldest in the world, those stations and platforms didn't gleam like those across Mainland China had done. One thing I loved about taking the 'Metro' in the Middle Kingdom was that most stations would have basic toilet facilities, they were my saving grace! Sure, not every station boasted a toilet but we can't have everything! How about London's Tube? They have toilets right? Sure, it has to be China for me! 

I am no stranger to living near construction sites, overlooking my apartment building was Guanggu Square in Wuhan with its major infrastructure master-plan taking place for the entire time that I lived in that centrally located commercial area. A constant construction project forged ahead for several years with Line 2 and Line 11 soon becoming a key interchange hub, meeting at the gargantuan Optics Valley Square. We don't see that kind of construction flow so effortlessly in the U.K because bureaucracy always finds a way to derail things. Aside from that massive Guanggu project, Wuhan's Metro's network mushroomed at a rate of knots across the city because no private company nor union hamper the progress of the city. People's movements were never compromised, those new lines sprung up with the quickness, not even the Yangtze River could try and delay things! The west has a lot to learn, the U.K needs to fix up! Beijing's lines spanned the same distance as London Victoria to Brighton, the U.K could never! Fight me! 

The Pandemic brought me back to the U.K, not my own choice I can assure you without any stain on my conscience! To add to that 'Reverse Culture Shock' my only way into the city of Birmingham was already moving at a snails pace with its wider development, had Manchester and London sucked up all of the residual funds from government? Even before I discovered the conveniences of transport in China, during my final year at university in Birmingham it was apparent the 'West Midlands Metro' would be halting the completion of their latest extension project. The 'Edgbaston' extension ended up taking much longer than it had been originally projected. The Pandemic apparently had the constriction along Broad Street and across the Five Ways ring road halted, for what reason? Test and put the workers into bubbles in the city away from their families and then the work would have been completed well before that poor 2022 end date. What about the people? What about the original pledges that were made to people? 

Already unimpressed with the poor movements of the Metro's development endeavours, we were about the face months of unprecedented disruption. Lasting for most of 2021, the outer layers of the Spanish made West Midlands Metro trams had to be recalled for a full inspection, grounding the whole 'one line' network to a diabolical halt. The return of Frankfurt Christmas German Market deserved better, most of all Birmingham deserved a whole lot better! If truth be told, I don't fully trust the system now after it has been stopped and restarted so many times already. No, we wouldn't see this issue in China because the trams would have been 'Made in China' not overseas, leading for a quicker repair period. Why couldn't West Midlands Metro swerve 'CAF' by choosing a U.K based company like 'Bombardier?' There's a lot of pressure, pressure bought upon themselves to complete the future infrastructure projects without bailing themselves out with excuse upon excuse! Look to the East, they might learn some helpful tricks! 

Sure, the U.K is light-years behind with 'High Speed Rail' with our Victorian made railway tracks keeping is on that go-slow gravy train! I crave to be back onboard a smooth travelling Chinese high speed train in the near future, those enjoyed before had me travelling for a cut price in half of the time. Zooming from Wuhan to Shenzhen in under five hours for less than £40 saw me crossing the Hong Kong border before tea time! HS2 continues to take the absolute proverbial, overpriced and behind schedule, the whole distribution of this upcoming high speed line hasn't been thought through at all. The U.K Government has dragged their feet, they continue to deny funding and derail projects which will not reach certain parts of the North. There's a real sense that we will be left behind, that high speed rail has been denied to use in England especially. We see that nearby European countries already have competent high speed networks. I for one want no part in the shambolic attempts to revive HS2 because we are looking real messy, so messy! 

For a large part, China's vast rail network keeps people moving at a supersonic speed with each ticket bracket in mind. During China's Chinese New Year travel migration, the railways are ready to deal with millions of people who are all travelling to some place other than their working location. The larger than life newly built train stations have the capacity to deal with that influx of people, we couldn't cope with that even during warmer weather because most of China is plunged into an deep freeze during that February time. I remember taking the train from Harbin to Shenyang, the landscape remained frozen but the trains still sped along the newly built tracks without any delays incurred. In the U.K, our transport network as a whole grinds to halt when any kind of weather front poses the smallest stresses on the country. Even now, we still haven't modernised the railways so they are fit for purpose, better still nationalise them. I long to be back in a country, such as China, to keep my train travel cheaper and on-time and seamless. Oh! 

Coaches, where do I begin? My life in Beijing had me in a different mindset, I looked at coaches in a different way compared to how I would view them in Wuhan. Ironically, since I have been back in the U.K, I have boarded many a coach since that first Megabus from Birmingham to Nottingham during March 2020. Finding myself take the coach once again didn't feel strange, although it did feel like I had took a step backwards because in Beijing I had been used to reasonably priced private car hire services. During my Hebei and Xinjiang trips in 2019, I arranged two return carpool journeys with an APP called '飞猪' in English that means 'Flying Pig!' If truth be told, I was quite content in Wuhan taking the coach during my travels as I remember taking the coach from Zhengzhou to Dengfeng in-order to see the Shaolin Temple. Making the most of that first time China traveller, those APPs weren't familiar to me, so in Kunming I took the coach from the East Coach Station to the Stone Forest without hesitation.

Much like in present day, in May I embarked on a wonderful coach trip around the North Antrim Coastal Path in Northern Ireland. That day long coach trip with McCombs allowed me to see several outstandingly beautiful places like the Giants Causeway amongst several former Game Of Thrones filming locations. The simplicity of that coach has had me reconsidering future coach choices into the future, it can be very convenient to take a private car from point to point but where's the experience? This one factor has allowed me to appreciate the privilege to travel, regardless of transportation mode, there shouldn't be any reason why I should say no to a coach when there's no need for a private car. Sure, these U.K coach experiences have opened my mind, allowing me to reevaluate those Wuhan decisions, to see they can be suited to my experienced travelling state of mind. Sometimes having 'Reverse Culture Shock' isn't a bad thing, those differences allow me to reflect on a deeper level. Future, I'm ready for everything! 

Metro... You're In Danger, Girl! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure