The China Scurry

My entire childhood I was teased for my run. Always on my tiptoes with my arms to my side, and flat hands pointed out. Almost as if I were skipping while wearing a tight mermaid-style dress. Earning me the superlative “most likely to prance” from my soccer team; mostly accredited to my blonde, valley-girl tendencies. However, I now realize the true reason for my prance. Deep down, I am a Chinese girl in my natural state of the China scurry.

The China scurry can be seen everywhere by all walks of life; the Grandma fighting for a seat on the metro, a man hurrying to catch a bus,  a mother with her baby crossing the street in front of on-coming traffic, or two excited students rushing towards something shinny.  Another unspoken rule in China seems to be that the scurry combine with linking arms with a friend can stop traffic. The thing that strikes me about the scurry is that it seems to be a lot of effort for very little progress. The arms and legs are shuffling so quickly, yet the result is mostly just a quick walk.

In America, the scurry would be comparable to our obligatory “3-pump jog,” as my friends say. Meaning when a car lets you walk in front of them you are obligated to give three steps in jogging form to show a respectful hustle. However, after the charade you can return to a normal walk. So perhaps this scurry is China’s charade for a hustle. In many other cases you see that this respect for other people’s time is not a concern for most people. I guess it is fitting that this is used mainly for pedestrians at the mercy of the driver. Except, of course, for the girls scurrying towards shinny things. That is simply an example of femininity, as it is equally fitting that all girls should be drawn to shinny things.