Life of Guangzhou - Norwegian Consul General Hits the Road!

Most people imagine diplomats travelling around Guangzhou in big black cars with their nation's flag flapping in the wind. But if you come from Norway and your country is determined to set a good example of what an environmentally friendly lifestyle should look like, then an alternative must be found. Early March, Tormod Endresen, the Norwegian Consul General in Guangzhou took up the challenge and tested five other ways to get to his office, comparing their advantages and disadvantages both in terms of efficiency and comfort, but also their impact on the environment.

Biking from Bin Jiang Dong Lu to Citic Plaza (blog.sina.com.cn/norwegianlion)

The experiment started on a Monday morning with the Consul General mounting his bicycle for a pleasant ride along the riverside before attacking Guangzhou Dadao. The cyclist's nightmare turned out better than expected although he did point out that more bicycle lanes and better road manners would go a long way in improving the experience.

Even Foreign Diplomats have Yangcheng Tong cards (blog.sina.com.cn/norwegianlion)

During the following four days Mr. Endresen rode the metro ("clean, efficient and cheap"), travelled by taxi ("very pleasant driver"), by bus ("cheap, but crowded") and finally by roller-blades ("not so safe"). On that final trip, the sight of this tall Norwegian man on roller-blades dressed in a sport suit must definitely have attracted a lot of people's attention.

Endresen waiting for the bus. (blog.sina.com.cn/norwegianlion)

"A Foreigner on wheels": Endresen attracts enormous attention.
(Guangzhou Daily)

Obviously this experiment was a one-off demonstration and Mr. Endresen himself admits that the nature of his job means he will always have a carbon footprint considerably higher than most people (it would be rather time-consuming to bike all the way to Norway for a meeting). However, with this year's Shanghai World Expo focusing on "Better Cities - Better Life" the experiment goes to prove that alternatives do exist, are affordable, and can sometimes even be more efficient than taking a private vehicle. Indeed, it took the Consul General only 30 minutes to go from his house on the southern bank of the Zhujiang River to his office in Citic plaza. Imagine the time it takes to walk to your car, fight your way amidst the traffic during Guangzhou's peak hours and then look for a place to park ...

To learn more about Tormod Endresen's experience, visit his blog (in Chinese and English) at http://blog.sina.com.cn/norwegianlion

(By Jessie Huang, David Keyton)