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Accessibility in China's Fast Growing Cities: Hard Lessons Learned
The best, yet hardest lessons learned in life are those that, by experience, place you in an unexpected situation that test your values, your preconceptions, your strengths, and your ability to learn from difficulties rather than succumb to hardship.
Upon my arrival to China, little did I know that the lessons would go beyond the classroom in such personal ways. Initially, life in China consisted of morning lectures that gave us a further understanding of China’s history; its architecture, gardens, and important people and customs. After lecture, we traveled the city of Beijing extensively and later other cities like Suzhou, Shanghai, and the Shanxi Province. We had the opportunity to experience “first-hand” everything that was taught in the lectures. We ate the food, met the people, and visited the places. We traveled by car, taxi, metro, subway, train, airplane, boat, and most importantly by foot.
Unfortunately, one week into our trip, I got a foot infection. The cause is still unknown. I was taken to a nearby hospital where I was treated. My foot never fully recovered during the trip but at least the swelling wore off after a week or two. That did not stop me from traveling alongside my colleagues.
I was told to stay in my dorm room and let the swelling subside, but I insisted on traveling and walking to the scheduled places. My friends and professors rented a wheelchair so I could “set foot” in the Forbidden City. I saw everything through the eyes of a disabled person. It was very difficult to get around. In fact, there were areas inaccessible by wheelchair, which made me express sympathy for those who truly cannot walk. Throughout the entire trip I kept thinking about the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and wondered how much the historical places we visited would change if they were retrofitted to be handicap accessible.
The fact is that most of the ancient designs do not comply with ADA access requirements. Compromises need to be made that would require the use of modern materials and systems instead of traditional ones. I have now discovered that disabled tourists have better access now to the Forbidden City following extensive renovations, yet I found it very difficult to get around; I could only imagine how it was before the renovations.
Apparently in 2008, elevators were installed so people in wheelchairs could ascend Wumen Tower, avoiding a one-hundred step climb. Also, wheelchair stair lifts are now available to help people with physical disabilities. These were obviously additions that were considered for the Olympics. I did not see any of these elevators or stair lifts while I was in China. Why is it that difficult to locate them? Do I need to have a tour guide with me to be able to enjoy myself? China simply does not have handicapped access readily available yet, so visiting the country in a wheelchair is still quite limiting and it definitely requires extensive assistance.
China is growing at a rapid pace and now with a demand for urban development, there has been an essential need for quick construction and a higher FAR (floor to area ratio). In bigger cities like Shanghai and Beijing, traditional Chinese buildings are no longer desired. They have been rejected in favor of modern architecture. The urban housing projects in China reminded me of Pruitt-Igoe (a large unsuccessful urban project in America built in the mid-1950’s and demolished in the ‘70’s). I believe it is a step in the wrong direction. I hope that at the very least accessibility in China will be taken more seriously to see it become an integral part of design in these ever growing cities.
Definitions of Personal Space:
Cultural Comparisons Dictating the Public Realm
Aside from the accessibility problem in China, another lesson I learned was that the cultural differences are extreme. The people I met in China were very nice and I gained many friends, but in a country with over 1.3 billion people, I also learned that people have to fend for themselves.
In the train, while traveling to Jinandong from Beijing, I learned that to get from point A to point B you need to be aggressive to get to your destination. In China, it’s a fight for survival. I did not push and shove my way through to get out of the train as my personal etiquette forbid me to do so. Unable to push my way out of the train at my destination, the train moved on with me in it while my professors and colleagues were left to wonder where I was.
I was left in the train not knowing the language or where I was then headed. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Fortunately a young Chinese woman understood me speaking English and was willing to help translate. She lent me her phone to get in touch with my party. I was told to exit on the next stop where I was taken care of until the next train arrived which took me back to my professors and classmates.
I have come to realize that I was pushed and shoved many times while I was in China. In rainy weather, I was constantly hit and poked by umbrellas without even a glance of polite acknowledgement. While waiting in lines I was pushed; when someone spoke to me, it was at uncomfortably close distances. People are far more invasive than we as Americans are used to. China has a different sense of privacy.
In China, I got used to people staring at me or seeing young children running around with their lower bodies exposed. In America, this is not customary. One of the things I questioned was how people could be in the restroom squatting down, fully exposed, and have an ordinary conversation with the guy next to him doing the same. As I stated earlier, 1.3 billion people in China means personal space is going to be invaded, as uncomfortable as it may be to foreigners. The Chinese are born in this environment with little to no privacy. By the time they reach college they might have to share a dorm room with up to six students per room. China has far too many people to begin to worry about what the guy next to you might think if you push him out of the way in order to get to your destination.
Sketch Gallery:
A Better Understanding Through the Use of Pen and Paper
While we visited the many places in China, we were required to take in what we were seeing, reflect on it and sketch something that we found fascinating or inspiring. These are several of the sketches I drew using pen (with some color pencil explorations).
I miss traveling, sightseeing, and learning something new with the many friends I grew close with. Now that I am back in America, I remember those days as if they were yesterday.
