Down with Shanghai – Time to “crash”

This year, back in March, I was lucky enough to escape unharmed from a bike crash. I was cycling across the junction of Julu Lu/Shaanxi Nan Lu…post-work, headphones in, daydreaming in the Springtime…riding straight through a red light taking my front wheel down the side of a cream Mini Cooper car. The bike took the brunt of the collision and is completely off the road now…and I escaped pretty unharmed apart from a graze and thigh bruise. I felt lucky that day and thought, since then, I’d be a bit more careful…that was until today.

In hast of being late for an 11am meeting in the m50 art district of Shanghai, I was cycling like I owned the streets (as usual to be honest), with confidence, conviction and drive. I love it. As I was cycling North up Shaanxi Bei Lu, at the junction with Wuding Lu right by one of the best massage places in the city (I think anyway), my luck changed very, very quickly. A Chinese man on a scooter was riding in parallel to me on my right hand side and decided to turn left, without looking, and into me at full speed. I, and my confidence, was suddenly brought to a very severe halt. I went straight off my bike somehow falling onto my right shoulder…it felt so fast yet at the same time in slow motion. This is it, I thought…broken bone time and I’d done so well…only a month until the UK! Luckily that wasn’t the case. I froze and lay there showing the world my white M&S knickers from under my navy blue Ralph Lauren preppy polo dress, dazed and shaken until an Italian guy on a scooter dragged me and my bike to the side of the road as cars didn’t stop coming. A crowd of Chinese people then surrounded me where I became the inevitable “laowai” spectacle for the morning. One man even laughed at me straight in my face, so I very aggressively swore at him in Chinese. He was so shocked at this confrontation he walked off. I feel bad for using that language but it was a horrible feeling. People then appeared with various pharmacy products – iodine, gauze, bandages, cotton buds, alcohol pads – all trying to help, literally wiping blood off me and I had to stop them. Who on earth touches someone else’s blood like that?! I tried to get hold of a friend but they’d left their phone at home, so I called my housemate who kindly conversed with the guy responsible. Another man there showed me a translation on his phone that said “We’ll take you to the hospital”…but I didn’t think there was any need. It was painful though, so, so painful. As a child you think you are indestructible, or maybe you don’t remember the pain as much, but as an adult it’s different. Though at that moment I felt like a kid again. I was surprised people stuck around to help to be honest, as usually, when a crash happens in Shanghai or China, people disappear as soon as they can so no blame can be made. Anyway, here’s some of the damage…my shoulder is killing me right now…knees and joints swollen…and the bruises are coming up a real treat, including on my chin, wrist and thighs. I must learn from this right? It’ll never stop me from riding…but I was, well let’s just say, pretty nervous when cycling back home constantly shouting 当心 (dāngxīn) at people around me – “be careful, look out”…