There’s still no definitive explanation of what caused last night’s New
Years Eve stampede that left at least 36 dead and 47 injured. Perhaps, as some
have suggested, the crowd of 300,000 lost control when someone dumped leaflets
that resemble $100 bills from a nightclub. Or, more likely, there were simply
too many people on the Bund, the city’s signature riverside promenade, for too
few reserved spaces (some are reporting 2,000 reserved spots) from which
spectators could watch a free laser light show.
What is certain, however, is that such an accident was long overdue in a
city that takes particular, oftentimes reckless pride, in staging large
spectacles, which draw big crowds that underscore the worthiness of the
expense. In part, the problem is a kind of second city syndrome, whereby
Shanghai — China’s most important commercial and financial hub — seems
determined to prove that it’s just as relevant, and even more grand, than
Beijing, the country’s political capital and cultural powerhouse. Big crowds
for big events are a great way to make that happen — and a great reason for an
image-conscious, insecure local government to ignore safety.
As an example, I’d
cite the evening of Oct. 1, 2002. It was China’s National Day, and — like
hundreds of thousands of other Shanghai residents — I wanted to see the
promised fireworks display on the Bund. To get there, I started walking down
Nanjing East Road, a roughly 1,5-kilometer long shopping street that on a
good day attracts more than a million people. During 2013’s three-day National
Day holiday, it attracted 5.8 million shoppers, according to local media. On
Oct. 1, 2002, the crowd was huge, and as we proceeded to the Bund, it thickened
such that it was more like a current — if you stopped, it pushed you along
forcefully, pressing toward the crowded Bund. Finally, about half the way down
the road, I managed to jump out of the surging current, exhausted and
terrified, and onto the steps of the Sofitel, where I watched the dangerous
crowd, vowing never to return for another holiday celebration on the Bund.
That was not the
lesson taken by the city of Shanghai. In fact, it has continued to hold annual
holiday-themed events on the Bund (in particular, for National Day and New
Years Eve) that draw even greater crowds than what I witnessed in 2002. (In
part, this is due to Shanghai’s massive new subway system, which gives the
city’s outlying suburbs easy access to the center of the city.) Typically, the
next day’s papers include coverage of the crowds, along with proud mentions of
their size.
In fairness, China has
a lot of people, and it’s not hard to draw a big crowd. But drawing a crowd and
drawing a crowd safely are two different things. For too long Shanghai has
emphasized the former while ignoring the latter.
If this year’s tragedy
accomplishes anything, it’s likely to be the end of badly managed free
entertainment on the Bund and in other prominent city venues. In the hours
since the stampede, Chinese media shifted from covering Xi Jinping’s
politically important New Year message, to covering the stampede — and Xi’s
reminder that a “profound lesson” should be learned from it. Meanwhile,
Shanghai’s longtime mayor Han Zeng demanded that the city’s districts and
counties take steps to “prevent similar tragedies.” Alas, the real tragedy is
that the mayor didn’t send the message a decade ago.
Adam Minter is an
American writer based in Asia, where he covers politics, culture, business and
junk. He is the author of “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash
Trade.”
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