Confucius asks," Can you cut in line if there is no line?"

I thought lines would be a universal thing.  At least in China they would use lines, right?  Shanghai has over 20 million people.  There are over a billion people in this country!  Lines seem obvious, to us but not them.

A few weeks ago Bri and I went to the bank.  I grabbed a number and sat in a chair to wait to for my turn.  The greeter told me they weren't busy enough to use the numbers so I just stuck it in my pocket.  About 10 minutes later they were busy enough to use numbers and the people who didn't have them were out of luck!  They had to go get a number and start waiting to be called.  They weren't given the next numbers or ushered to the front of the line where they rightfully should have been because as I mentioned earlier the line system has faults here.

Last week as I waited to order our first meal at McDonald's a lady walked right in front of me to cut in line.  I thought it was quite obvious I was in line.  There was enough space for a small woman to stand between me and the man ahead of me but I certainly hadn't left enough room for people to question why I was standing in front of a register at a restaurant staring at a menu. 

We've seen this numerous times in different situations.  Most recently we went on a river cruise to see the Bund and the Pudong skyline at night.  About 15 minutes before the gates were set to open a few people started to form what appeared to us foreigners to be a line.  There were posts with cords lined up leading to the gate which we had been instructed to enter through at the ticket counter.  It was unmistakably a place where a line should form.  When we saw a few people walk up to the "line area" we left our seats to join them.  It just so happened that Bri and I walking up caused the tipping point where everyone else involved heads to the gate.  Did the mass of people form a line? No, we formed a herd.  We looked like a bunch of cattle who were being pushed through a gate by men on horseback.  Everyone was nudging forward slightly, touching no fewer than 4 people around them at the same time.  Nobody was quite sure what came after the gate but we were all sure that we'd be better off when we passed through it.  Then a guard said something on a megaphone that I interpreted (but not really, I don't speak Mandarin) as, "You have 15 minutes to wait".

I made small talk (more accurately small gestures and facial expressions) with the lady next to me to make sure we were in the correct herd for our boat.  She pointed at my ticket and smiled confirming that we were in the correct line for our boat.  Bri and I had been separated during the chaos and I ended up in a better position.  She was wishing she had gum to share with the people around her and mouthed that to me while we stood and waited.  Fifteen minutes later the doors opened and we were off to our boat.  Exiting the boat we decided to wait for the herd to clear before making our move.

Bri likes her bubble of personal space.  She doesn't like waiting in herds. Can you count the people touching Bri?

I haven't quite figured this particular culture difference out but as I learn more I'll share.  I know it has something to do with the different views on personal space.  That is why the lady at McDonalds thought it was entirely appropriate to stand in front of me.  I left WAY too much room.  Lesson learned, the next time I'm waiting in "line" I'll be standing on the back of someone's shoes.

Matt