Eric's Beijing Diary

Today was what the expats call a "bad China day." Yesterday, bicycle number 3 was stolen. Particularly troubling this time, because it was stolen from right in front of the teacher's dormitory. This gives me cause to believe that someone was tipping off the thief as to when I would be there.

Last night, I walked to the coffee bar. At the coffee bar I ran into Raymond and a classmate of his from the Geosciences University. Leave it to Raymond, the music lover--he had a tune for the occasion. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." It's a gig by Monty Python. The song is actually a bit cynical--about what you'd expect from Monty Python. But, oh well, it's the idea, you know. Raymond's classmate told me about a place over in the Chaoyang District that sells used bicycles.

This morning, I hailed a taxi and headed over there. Fortunately, the lady cab driver was very friendly, and she tried her best to help me find the place, but to no avail. Finally, we pulled over, and she talked to a motorcycle cab driver. He said he knew where it was. I was skeptical, because those guys always say they know...they want your business. But I decided to go with him. He took me to a street corner where there were a few guys standing around. They immediately showed me a new bike. This was definitely not a bicycle shop, and the bike they showed me was almost certainly stolen. I started walking away. Another guy saw me and motioned for me to follow. He led me through a bunch of narrow alleys and finally stopped in front of an old shed. He unlocked it and showed me a bike very much like the one that had just been stolen from me. It was in mint condition. The price he quoted was half what my bike cost me new. I turned and walked away. As I was walking away, he yelled after me...the price dropped quickly. He really wanted to unload that thing. I didn't turn back. I felt like spitting in his face. Sorry, I'm not in a good mood right now. Minimum wage workers in Beijing make 500 to 600 RMB a month. A bicycle like that costs more than half a month's wages. That's not easy to save for. And just to have it taken from them by the growing criminal element that preys on these people, and will continue to prey on them because of middlemen like this who do their dirty work for them.

I walked across to a gas station and asked them if they knew of a shop locally that sold used bikes. A lady heard me and started offering me prices. I walked away. Miserable. Everybody is into the racket. I hailed a cab and told the driver I wanted to go back to Wudaokou. I mentioned something about buying a used bike and he told me he knew the place where they were sold. I asked him if there were many bikes there. I didn't want a repeat of what I had just seen. I wanted to go to a legitimate business. He told me there were many bikes there. He was lying. He dropped me off in a neighborhood where there were a couple guys sitting on new looking bicycles. They immediately started bargaining with me. Disgusting. I noticed we were right across the street from a bus yard, so I walked across the street and caught the 802 to Xidan.

To some, it would seem that I am drawing a false distinction, and they may be right. I was looking for a legitimate shop that sold used bikes. But what guarantee would I have that those bikes weren't stolen? I suppose there is no way to know for sure, but at least they have a fixed location, and the police can stop anytime and demand a bill of sale to prove that the bikes there were obtained legally. But I am quite sure the four different parties I was introduced to today (all in the space of about an hour) were dealing in stolen bikes. I wish I had remembered to bring my camera with me. I wonder what they would have done if I had started taking pictures.