Chalk One Up To The Beijing Police
This Beijing policeman has a hard look at this BMW X1. Not because it’s extremely dusty. A few days parked outside in Beijing, and any car looks like that. No, this car has no license plates. The plateless car has been gathering dust for a while on Beijing’s streets.
So the policeman has the X1 towed. In America, that would be that. But this is China. To maintain a harmonious society, the owner needs to be notified of the towing. Now, the policeman has a problem: There is no license plate on the car, so how should he know the owner?
A fast thinking member of Beijing’s Finest whips out a piece of chalk, kneels and writes ( translation courtesy Carnewschina: )
“To the owner of the BMW X1 car. Please contact the local police station for information concerning your property.”
It looks like it hasn’t been raining for a while. The chalk may still be there when the owner comes back.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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I've heard horror stories about the air in Beijing, but in all seriousness, how many days parked outside would it take to have your car covered in soot like this? Or, for those who have lived there, how often do you have to wash your car? Is the dust worse because of pollen (last spring my car was covered daily, parking under a tree of course), or is it year round?
Here in the US, they'd just tow your car without leaving any kind of note. You would have no idea whether your car was stolen or towed until you manage to find the number for the city tow yard, which would probably be closed for the day by the time you call.