Being that China is such a big country, the roads there can be built to a larger scale much more American in feel than European (which have tiny roads). The main roads charging through Beijing, for example, are anything up to six carriages wide and the volume of vehicles on these roads is astounding. Cars routinely change from lane to lane - you don't have to be in any lane to overtake, nor have to indicate to let anyone know that you are going to do so. Simply swerve out into any unoccupied road space, no matter how small, and hope that the cars in the lane you're moving into somehow know what you are going to do. Crossroads are frankly insane, with 894 lanes of traffic all converging at the same time in the same place and the drivers don't seem to pay all that much attention to anything that is not vehicular and on the roads.

Hannah and I were at a pedestrian crossing and waiting patiently for the green man to appear before we set off across the road. In the meantime, Beijing-ers were happily crossing the road as though it were no more taxing than going to bed and casually side-stepping cars bearing down on them at 100 miles per hour containing a driver that looks like they have a taste for roadkill. Anyway, once the green man had ordained us with his presence we decided that it must be safe to begin the treacherous walk to the other side of the road (now I really know how that poor chicken felt). This was a mistake. Just because the green man says it's fine to cross doesn't mean he is telling the truth. The second my foot got even close to the road, a car swung round the corner, without slowing down, and forced me to step back with such haste that I'm sure I left some of myself on the road (that was replaced swiftly by a new arrival in the back of my underpants). You have to learn quickly on these roads and the lesson is simple; it is never safe to cross the road, so do so when you can, not when some green image tells you to.

With all this going on you would think that the cars were not something that the drivers really cared too much about. Not so. Most cars on the roads and expressways are brand new and the majority of them seem to be Audis, VWs and Buicks. I've spotted some Hyundais and Kias but otherwise they're all really expensive and nice looking cars (even the taxis). Maybe with these high end cars the Chinese feel (both drivers and pedestrians) that there's no way anyone or anything will come to harm. I've got a strange feeling they might be on to something.