Blowout Chinese Fights

Dear Friends-

As I mentioned earlier, I came back. But I now I went back.

I thought I would have to do something crazy to see something crazy enough to write about. But China never disappoints.

I just arrived in Shanghai. The flight starts with a 10 hour flight to Tokyo where your meditation skills are tested by the crying baby that inevitably sits in your section.

Arriving in Tokyo is actually not too bad because the Japanese are so polite and the place is eerily clean and quiet.

Boarding the flight to China is when it all goes downhill though. It is always a festival of pushing, shoving, little old ladies trying to lift giant bags, Shanghai girls with way too many bags of Japanese products banned by the commies and dudes coughing on you. I am over that though. That's just how it is from time to time. I do get a kick out of trying to predict who will stand up and try to open the overhead compartment when the airplane is taxiing (it happens 75% of the time).

Tonight we were treated to a blow out Chinese fight on the airplane though. That is a first for me. I would see blow out arguments on the street all the time and definitely on the train (you are in my seat, no I am not). But never on an international flight.

I couldn't quite figure out what was going on but all I knew was the lady two seats in front wanted to stay and all ten of the flight attendants and the ground crew wanted her to leave. She was screaming at them and had herself buckled in for dear life. I do know that sending the Japanese to try to remove a Chinese migrant worker (just a guess based on her bags made out of canvas) is a good way to escalate any situation.

It is kind of hard to describe a Chinese blow out fight but you just have to imagine lots of yelling and red faces. I don't know why they do it but I heard it had something to do with saving face once you take a stand.

The best part is that after the Chinese lady had decided to make her seat her own little Alamo for a while, the other Chinese passengers started to yell at her, the flight attendants and each other. At about the time the flight was supposed to depart, at least 20 people were standing up in my section and half of them were yelling. At that point, I think the airline just decided to let the lady ride before everything blew up even more.

I think that in America, this would be extremely alarming (as in, we don't need no terrorists or crazies on the airplane). In China (or flights bound for China), it is normal.

China does not disappoint.

I am sure I will have more later.