Yesterday around 6 p.m. I stopped by the Ganzhou Railway Station to take a closer look at it and the surrounding area. Upon arriving I found a location safe for standing with a mostly clear view of the station and a large sculpture of a horse in front. The horse is based on the iconic Flying Horse of Gansu bronze sculpture and a symbol for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), which recently merged with the Ministry of Culture to form the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The plaque on the base of the structure indicates the CNTA identified Ganzhou as a "Top Tourist City of China".
Just before lifting my camera, I heard a loud whistle behind me and turned around. A man driving a truck had turned into an area designated only for buses and a police officer was trying to stop him. The mistake seemed understandable, and I expected the driver would soon change course.
He didn't. Instead, after slowing down and showing clear awareness of the officer, he drove onwards. When the officer went running after the truck, it quickly accelerated. The man then drove into an area partially blocked by a gate.
A number of other police immediately became involved, but most of them didn't continue chasing the truck. They knew something the man possibly did not. There was no other way out. Unsurprisingly, the truck soon returned. Surprisingly to the driver, the police had completely blocked the road. The man chose not to go all Dukes of Hazard, and the police questioned after he had stopped.
This was not a great development for the man. Or me. With all the action now in the scene I had hoped to capture and plenty of police eyes about, I didn't know a) if me taking a photo would attract attention and b) whether the police would then question me. All I really wanted a photo of the statue and station and not create more of an event, so I waited.
The man initially tried to laugh the matter off. The police didn't laugh. They then appeared to ask for ID. Things proceeded rather peacefully after that, but there was no sign of when it would all end. So, I eventually gave up and quickly took two photos.
Fortunately, one turned out decently enough. Also nice, nobody approached me. As I walked away, I noticed they had allowed the man to depart. Especially for a person who had just explicitly ignored police orders and tried to evade them, the issue had been handled rather calmly and efficiently.
The rest of my time at the station passed by far more mundanely. Below are a few more photos I took of and from the station, some including the hard-to-miss horse. Train stations in China can be rather lively places, but at the time the station seemed relatively subdued. But at least the setting sun added some color.
Just before lifting my camera, I heard a loud whistle behind me and turned around. A man driving a truck had turned into an area designated only for buses and a police officer was trying to stop him. The mistake seemed understandable, and I expected the driver would soon change course.
He didn't. Instead, after slowing down and showing clear awareness of the officer, he drove onwards. When the officer went running after the truck, it quickly accelerated. The man then drove into an area partially blocked by a gate.
A number of other police immediately became involved, but most of them didn't continue chasing the truck. They knew something the man possibly did not. There was no other way out. Unsurprisingly, the truck soon returned. Surprisingly to the driver, the police had completely blocked the road. The man chose not to go all Dukes of Hazard, and the police questioned after he had stopped.
This was not a great development for the man. Or me. With all the action now in the scene I had hoped to capture and plenty of police eyes about, I didn't know a) if me taking a photo would attract attention and b) whether the police would then question me. All I really wanted a photo of the statue and station and not create more of an event, so I waited.
The man initially tried to laugh the matter off. The police didn't laugh. They then appeared to ask for ID. Things proceeded rather peacefully after that, but there was no sign of when it would all end. So, I eventually gave up and quickly took two photos.
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| A China's Core Socialist Values display, the Flying Horse of Gansu, and the Ganzhou Railway station (oh, and a truck stopped by police) |
Fortunately, one turned out decently enough. Also nice, nobody approached me. As I walked away, I noticed they had allowed the man to depart. Especially for a person who had just explicitly ignored police orders and tried to evade them, the issue had been handled rather calmly and efficiently.
The rest of my time at the station passed by far more mundanely. Below are a few more photos I took of and from the station, some including the hard-to-miss horse. Train stations in China can be rather lively places, but at the time the station seemed relatively subdued. But at least the setting sun added some color.
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