What strikes me most about walking down the streets of Shanghai is the traffic. Cars seem to come from all directions, switching lanes like dodgem cars and it's not just cars but bicycles and scooters too.
The sound of hooting horns fills the air as pedestrians zig-zag in and out of traffic. It is one of the most simple yet incredibly well organized systems I've ever seen. What appears precariously dangerous is, in fact, a system that not only works but seems to run very smoothly.
Which got me thinking about the idea of hooting, when walking down the streets you are likely to hear the sound of horns everywhere ... so what's the hoot all about? In countries all around the world we hear the hooting of horns but have you ever stopped to think what it all means? It may appear obvious on the surface and the purpose of a horn is most certainly as a warning signs but with most things in life we tend to adapt sounds to become yet another expression of ourselves and indeed our surroundings.
New York has often been dubbed as the city that never sleeps, probably because of the up-all-night drivers who communicate with their horns. The French too have a love affair with the horn. They use the horn to celebrate, especially en route from the church to wedding receptions.
The Germans however, use the horn as a show of strength. If you have ever been in the fast lane of the autobahn and the speedometer has dipped a little, the guy in the big grey Mercedes will let you know with a long blast to make sure you move over.
While the British traditionally have a more restrained relationship with the horn, it has developed a more strident note of late. Beeping has become a product of their times with more and more cars on the road it has come a tension release mechanism, releasing some would argue the pressure of a long hard day.
In China however, hooting to me at least seems part of the whole traffic system and Chinese culture. Walking in downtown Shanghai the beep of the horn is for me an indication of the traffic flow and direction and, to be quite honest, I would personally be lost without it. I tend not to pay that much attention to the traffic lights but rather rely on the beeps to tell when it is safe to go and when I to stop.
Chinese drivers seem to beep their horns with a smile on their face to point out to you that not only danger is around the corner but also an almost friendly hello and acknowledgment of one's place in the chaos. Whether you are in a bus, a taxi or walking the organized mayhem and beeping of horns is very much a part and parcel of the whole feel of the city. In fact for all concerned it's a bit of hoot really.
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