Taxi Driver Replaces Rickshaw Man For Transport In Modern China
At the hotel, the doorman blew a whistle, then, 'hey presto!', a taxi driver drove his bright red taxi to the door to pick us up. In ancient times it would not have been a taxi driver coming to collect us, not a rickshaw man. The life of a taxi driver in this modern world is certainly a better one than the life of the rickshaw man in days gone by. There would be no comparison between the life of a taxi driver of today and the life of 'Camel Xiangzi' as written in Lao Shi's story of a rickshaw man. Whatever the weather, the taxi driver drives in reasonable comfort, the rickshaw man in similar conditions might suffer greatly from his need to earn a cent or two. The taxi driver in his red taxi, not only drove us from the hotel to the middle school we were visiting, but also gave us a commentary whenever we approached, or were passing, a place he thought would be of interest to us. One other 'service' provided by the taxi driver was to stop the taxi whenever a roadside view was worthy of a photograph being taken. Opening the taxi window for a few seconds let in the outside noise, heat, and dust, into the air-conditioned taxi, so this request was not made often!
Knowledgeable Taxi Driver In His Red Air-Conditioned Taxi Sports Long Hairs On Chin.
Of course, taking a photo of the taxi driver, who had served us so well during the journey from Huai Hua, was one of those 'must do' things that crop up from time to time. The taxi driver was sporting a few long hairs on his chin, and when asked how long it had taken him to grow them, he replied, 'Six weeks!' After the photo was taken, the taxi driver returned to Huai Hua, and we went to visit the middle school, despite the fact that officially, the school summer holidays had already started.
The school was open during the holidays for extra classes in English and Mathematics. The first class we visited was during a Maths lesson, the teacher being my friend's wife. When we first entered the classroom, it was a bit of a surprise for the pupils to see a westerner enter their domain! The second class we entered was during an English lesson. The teacher gave an explanation for the visit and when about to leave the classroom a request for an autograph of the 'visitor' was made by one of the pupils. When this was agreed to, there was a 'stampede' by the pupils to get an autograph, but sadly there was no time to satisfy all requests. Two other classes were visited before we left the school in peace to get on with their lessons, probably, much to the relief of the teachers!
After lunch we found another taxi driver to take us back to Huai Hua. The taxi itself was just as comfortable as the red taxi in which we had travelled to the school, but the taxi driver was not as informative. Perhaps it was coming to the end of his working day!
After lunch we found another taxi driver to take us back to Huai Hua. The taxi itself was just as comfortable as the red taxi in which we had travelled to the school, but the taxi driver was not as informative. Perhaps it was coming to the end of his working day!
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Taxis are often "hailed" or "flagged" on the street, either by a passenger as a taxi is driving by, or at a taxi stand (sometimes also called a "cab stand" or "hack stand," also "taxi rank" or "cab rank"). Taxi stands are usually located at airports, railway stations, and hotels, as well as at other places where large numbers of passengers are likely to be found. In some places—Japan, for example—taxi stands are arranged according to the size of the taxis, so that large- and small-capacity cabs line up separately.
Src: Wikipedia.com. '''''
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14th June, 2007
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