The ups and downs of elevators in China
To the editor:
The cold has finally come home to The County and the tales of the freeze are a delight to relive. Very few places have to thaw out words just to hear your neighbor complain that it is a wee bit chilly this morning. Down at the Diner the coffee is hot, the food delicious, and the conversation is lively.
The past few weeks have kept the calendar full as one job ended and another began. Toss in a nice case of the flu, and a search for an apartment well, chaos looks nice.
Thanks to the American’s With Disabilities Act, doorways, hallways, and elevators are a little larger and far more common throughout America. Ramps and access points are much more natural and as your deliveryman can tell you, his job is just a little easier.
Elevators in China are an interesting collection of myths, mechanics, and mischief. Spending time here, you quickly learn that many buildings lack elevator services. If a building has fewer than six stories chances are it will not have an elevator. One learns not to have too much to carry up the steps. Hallways are narrow enough that even the mosquitoes complain about banging their wings on the walls. As newer buildings enter the picture escalators and elevators are becoming a more common sight. The big shopping malls have many and one learns where they are so that getting around is a breeze.
Elevator etiquette evolves. In the States, if the elevator looks full, it is. Here, there is always room for one more. Siemens, Otis, and other elevators have installed alarms that ring and keep the box from taking off. What follows is a riff on the comedy routine of who goes first. After the crowd is sorted out and the elevator starts moving each floor receives its guests. There are two buttons of intense fascination here. One shows two arrows pointing away from each other and the other shows those same arrows pushing in. These are the open door and close door buttons.
If you are a frequent patron of the elevator, they are annoying beasts. For some strange reason, known only to the Supreme Being, once the box has let its passengers get off, the doors stay opened. In reality, there is a timing circuit and a few deep breaths, rolling of eyes and harumphing will be enough to get the beast moving again. It makes sense. Inevitably my neighbors will pound the door close button with abandon. One would think it was the launch button for missile defense. Most of the time the elevator ignores the poke and plods along at its own pace. Numerous jokes in Chinese and English make the moment amusing.
Not certain if there is a conspiracy to put the button in just to cause aggravation. Probably an income boost to the companies which can charge a decent price to come out and “fix” the troublesome button.
Having spent the past few weeks navigating these beasts, it is on good authority that the best elevator is one that works.
Orpheus Allison
Guangzhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com
