Suffering a loss — and then moving on
I lost my best friend last year, my partner, my intimate companion, my confidant, my buddy, my pal — one who had carried me without complaint, through storms and sunshine alike. The sense of emptiness and loss was profound.
Yes, my bicycle was stolen.
I left it cabled to a steel fence near a Beijing shopping mall and ducked inside for a few minutes. When I returned, the bike had vanished.
I quickly passed through all the stages of grief — first shock, then denial, then anger, depression and, finally, acceptance. It had been taken … TAKEN! Where is Liam Neeson when you need him?
This Day, That Year
ItemfromJune21,1985,in ChinaDaily:Chinaisto buildmoreharborstosolve seriousportcongestion, whichisholdingbackthe expansionofforeigntrade.
The7thFive-YearPlan (1986-90)callsforthespeedingupoftheconstructionof portsinmajorcoastalcities.
China’sportscannow handleonly120shipsaday, lessthanhalfofthe380vesselslininguptounload.
China is home to seven of the world’s busiest container ports, according to the World Shipping Council.
Theft is a low crime — and an especially unexpected one in Beijing, where people are normally welcoming and honest. Why would anybody do this to me? What did I do wrong? Many thoughts tumbled through my mind as I trudged glumly home.
For some people, pets become part of the family. For me it was a black-andgreen aluminum Giant, with special grips, composite fenders, lights front and rear, electronic speedometer and a basket to carry stuff. It really was a nice bike.
And it cost me 5,000 yuan ($730). That brought real tears to my eyes.
I considered posting pictures on lampposts and in subways: “Have you seen this bike? Reward!” For more than a year I nursed my pain, scrutinizing virtually every bicycle that happened by — anything that remotely resembled my lost friend,
The country has 34 major ports, which can handle at least 100 million metric tons in cargo throughput annually. In addition, there are more than 2000 minor ports.
Shanghai has been the world’s busiest port by container volume since 2010. Its capacity has ballooned from 14 million TEUs, or 20-foot containers, in 2004 to more than 37 million TEUs last year.
Last month, Asia’s first fully-automated terminal was put into commercial operation in Qingdao, Shandong province. even though I knew finding it was about as likely as Neeson NOT catching up with the bad guys.
To this day, I haven’t abandoned hope. Like the parent of a kidnapped child, I never stop looking. I’ ll never forget you, buddy!
And then, on a recent weekend, as I was walking with my wife on a crowded street near home, there it was! A man was riding alongside a female companion on MY BIKE!
I began chasing him and would have caught up, but as I ran, my mind was running faster. Suppose I catch him. He will be angry. There’s all these Chinese people, and I don’t speak the language. There’ll be a public disturbance. I’m likely to get beaten up. The female companion will claw my eyes out. The police will come. And besides, this guy probably didn’t steal my bike but bought it from
The Qingdao New Qianwan Container Terminal has a capacity of 5.2 million TEUs and can accommodate the world’s largest container ships along its six berths.
Zhang Liangang, the port’s general manager, said the ability to work at night has somebody else.
I gradually slowed to a walk and gave up. Oh, heck, let him keep it.
I bought another bike with a similar color scheme. Now I use three locks — a heavy wheel lock, a cable lock and a fold-out bar lock. I always pull the seat and carry it with me. A thief will likely look at this setup and decide it’s not worth the trouble. As they say in New York, “Fahgettaboudit!”
True, I now have to put up with old men at the locker room at the gym who openly laugh at the laowai who pulls a bicycle seat out of his gym bag. But I can live with that.
Contact the writer at randy@chinadaily.com.cn
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increased the terminal’s efficiency by 30 percent and labor costs have been reduced by 70 percent.
A similar terminal is under construction in Shanghai. Trial operations are expected to start later this year.