You've heard about the stabbing, the lip synching cute little girl who replaced the unacceptable looking good singer at the Opening Ceremony, the doping of athletes and horses, the possibly underage gymnast and, most dreadful, the two old women detained for "re-education" (I thought that term went out with the Gang of Five) after applying through so-called legal channels to protest. However, there is one previously (that I know of) unreported scandal of the Olympics: the taxi situation!
In both Beijing and Shanghai, where in the past cab drivers would pull over in droves at the sight of a fare, they became as scarce as late night in the rain after a Broadway show. This was especially true after Olympic events. Not only were there no designated cab queue areas just outside the Green and other venue sites, but often passing cabs simply drove by, even if their "available" lights were lit. Sometimes drivers had someone sitting next to them in the front seat--brothers or girlfriends?--who looked to us like shills. It was really frustrating, especially late at night, and everyone dependent on such transport complained about it.
You may remember that, during the multi-year lead-up to the Olympics, PR emanating from China advertised the English classes cab drivers were taking in preparation for the Games. The ones who took those classes must have moved on to doing who-knows-what. As Jonathan remarked, taxi driving is a high turnover occupation in China, with new cabbies arriving daily from outlying provinces. Also just like New York City!
Cabs that would pick us up were scarce even in central areas of town, and the word was that, with all the foreigners around who didn't know where they were going and/or couldn't communicate with the drivers, the drivers preferred to pass on the fares, rather than lose face by revealing that they couldn't understand the foreigners and also probably didn't know where to go either! Once a driver mandated a RMB 50 up-front fare, rather than rely on the meter, for a downtown trip we knew to be less, but it was take it or try to convince another to pick us up. Jonathan said we should have taken the registry number and motioned that we would phone in a report on this unethical action. Even he had a hard time hailing a cab just by virtue of his Caucasian countenance; if there was a chance for him to speak Chinese to a driver, he got one.
However, the cabs themselves were physically updated and spruced up from the past: fleets of late-model two-toned vehicles (lots of Hyundais), mainly gold on the bottom (purple-gold, maroon-gold, Packer-like green-gold) roamed the streets proudly unoccupied.
I asked him Jonathan morning (or whenever it was) before we flew out of China whether he wanted the scoop on this story, or whether I could break it! He deferred to me. After all, he's still at risk of being blocked in Beijing.
Again, the dearth of cabs and the attitudes of the drivers pale compared to the human rights implications of detention and re-education. But the situation presented visitors with great difficulties and cast aspersions on China's goal of a truly welcoming Olympics, not just a public relations smoke-and-mirrors facade.
Now that I am back on the eastern side of the Pacific, I can at last access the whole blog. Thanks for your comments to those of you who have posted same!