Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Sept. 19 – “Same same – but different” is of course one of the standard sayings of Asia – usually in the Southeast where t-shirt vendors will offer the same design but in alternative colors, or the dodgy fakes of LV are compared, at a fraction of the price, to the real thing.

Beijing and Delhi are not usually compared with each other, save for the fact they are both the capital cities of Asia’s largest countries. In fact, as both have developed, they share rather more in common, and especially now in infrastructure, than many people think. Here then is our photo essay of Beijing compared with Delhi – same same, but different.

Transport
Rickshaws

Both cities have ‘em, except winters in Beijing gets so cold they have to cover the entrance with rugs. Being phased out in both cities, but likely to hang on longer in Delhi where private enterprise means they aren’t subject to government licensing. Want a job in Delhi? Pedal away…

Verdict: Draw

Tuk tuks

Beijing’s tuk tuks to be frank are little more than aluminum boxes placed on a 50cc motorbike. Flimsy, and they’ll run you the same price as a cab. Delhi has proper tuk tuks that will take you, two friends, and a whole bunch of shopping in the back. Cheap, everywhere, and can go anywhere.

Verdict: Delhi

Loaded bicycles

Both countries can load them up, but China probably takes the lead in precarious balancing of gigantic loads. It’d be an interesting contest though…

Verdict: Draw, but maybe Beijing shades it.

Elephants

Both Beijing and Delhi still have occasional horse and carts on the streets, but only Delhi has elephants. They’re mainly for tourists, but this one is plying trade along the main MG Road, Delhi’s version of Jianguomenwai Avenue. Brave.

Verdict: Delhi. Beijing doesn’t have any elephants.

Taxis

Thought Delhi’s taxis were all decrepit 1940s hulks? Think again. Since last year’s Commonwealth Games, the city transport had a makeover. Flag fall is a third of Beijing’s prices. Plus Delhi drivers don’t (usually) smell of garlic and baijiu, spit out the window, or pretend not to understand your Mandarin. They all speak English.

Verdict: Draw, but surprisingly, Delhi shades it.

Buses

The days of people hanging off the roofs of Delhi’s buses are long gone. New, clean green energy buses – all are powered on LNG – may not have the bendy appeal of Beijing’s concertina monstrosities, but they’re a damn sight cleaner.

Verdict: On the green aspect alone, Delhi

Metro

Beijing’s modern metro is relatively new, and huge – it has 198 stations, 14 lines, and covers 336 kilometers. The Delhi Metro, which opened last year, has 139 stations, seven lines and covers 183 kilometers, but is still building. So Beijing by far is the biggest, and it needs to be – if you’ve ever tried riding it at rush hour you’ll know what I mean. Much of Delhi’s metro goes over ground, and snakes above the main road arteries. Both are excellent, although Delhi’s is less crowded, and a quarter of the price. Similar in terms of service and trains, there’s little to choose. Still, for the size and effectiveness, Beijing’s network is hard to beat.

Verdict: Beijing

Toll roads

Both cities operate main arteries in and out of the main city and through a succession of Ring Roads, although Delhi is still in the process of building its outer rings. But as a consequence of the huge construction and local residents’ relocation costs, both on some routes charge tolls. The only surprise is they almost look the same in terms of sheer size. Beijing’s standard RMB10 toll charge (US$1.5) is undermined by Delhi’s Rs.21, (US$0.50), making Delhi’s ring roads far better value.

Verdict: Delhi

Inner city traffic

Much of Beijing’s great road infrastructure has been undone because the government encouraged too many citizens to buy too many cars. Beijing’s traffic is simply a nightmare. Delhi then is in the odd – but probably short lived position – of having inner city road infrastructure to a stage in advance of the mass consumption of private cars. Delhi’s traffic can get busy, but nowhere near the atrocious jams that Beijing suffers. Incidentally, the overpass in the Delhi picture is the city’s Metro system.

Verdict: Delhi

Animal obstacles

One thing you do get in Delhi are sacred cows. They all belong to someone, and the fact they spend their day nonchalantly chewing up the middle section between highways is a sign of how far suburban Delhi has encroached into rural areas. Nonetheless, they are sacred to Hindus, and it’s an imprisonable offense to kill one. Consequently, traffic slows down to a crawl when these things show up. They’re on the wane now, as the government seeks to discourage the habit of letting cattle out into city areas, but for the time being they are still around in some places.

Verdict: Beijing. The sacred cows are a pain in the neck.

Gas stations

Both China and India are big oil producing countries, and they both produce and refine their own gas. Delhi though is moving away from petrol, and is encouraging the use of more diesel and LNG. All public transport in Delhi city must be LNG. To do this, the government has invested huge amounts of money to get the fuel easily to the consumer, and gas stations are in abundance. Whereas in Beijing, finding a gas station can be a pain. Price? Similar for petrol, but Delhi subsidizes diesel, LNG and hybrids, making it much more a driver’s city.

Verdict: Delhi on both ease of finding stations and pump prices

Official cars

We’ve all heard the metallic growl of a large official black Beijing sedan weaving through traffic telling mere mortals to get out of the way, and we’ve all seen those government offices full of black Audis, Mercedes and Pajeros. Woe betide you if you cross one of those guys. In India, the official government car is still the Hindustan Ambassador, a relic from the 1940’s Morris Oxford design of colonial Britain. Top price? About US$15,000 for a top end model. Now engagingly retro, they remain a stalwart vehicle across the country. In democratic India, being seen largeing it up in a Mercedes and blowing the horn to get your constituents out of the road would be political suicide.

Verdict: Delhi. The car is now cool, and the politicians more humble.

View from the seat of government

In Beijing, the Great Hall of the People looks out onto Tiananmen Square. Sure, it’s big, but its infested with PSB and extremely, well, grey and oblong. If it wasn’t for the Forbidden City at one end it’d be very dull indeed. In Delhi, Parliament House looks all the way down a massive avenue, in true Mughal style flanked by gardens, lakes and fountains. You can picnic there while debating the latest politics. Built by Edward Lutyens to show off the grandeur of the British Empire, it’s both bigger than Tiananmen and far more aesthetically pleasing. Not a bad view if you’re heading to work as a minister.

Verdict: Delhi

Arriving in style

The role of the doorman at a grand hotel in a capital city should never be underestimated. The best evoke a combination of grandeur, elegance, politeness and are fountains of knowledge about everything one could possible want to know about their city. The very best of the best are the Sikhs. Tall, and with magnificent turbans sometimes approaching close to seven feet, and usually embroidered with luxurious handlebar mustaches, Sikh doormen are the epitome of arriving in style. Delhi does have an advantage here over Beijing, as the Punjab, where Sikhs originate from, is a few hundred kilometers west of the city.

However, for years they were a feature at the best hotels in China too. The Communist Party put paid to all that, and post-revolutionary China they were all sent away, many to Hong Kong or Singapore. Beijing had its Sikh doormen, but decided to let them all go. The arrival at Beijing hotels has never been as Orientally opulent since, and the local knowledge of Chinese concierges about their own city is perfunctory at best. It didn’t have to be this way, and Beijing lacks in style as a result.

Verdict: Delhi

Public parks

One of the great urban tragedies to have befallen Beijing is the terrible state of its public parks. Either dingy and dusty (Ritan) or commercially exploited (Chaoyang) they have largely ceased to be the green lungs that each city needs. Property developers even today snatch bits on the edges and develop park view apartments, the grass is worn, and the bird and plant life minimal. Even when it isn’t, the Chinese scientific progress over Mother Nature dictates piped revolutionary songs are dispersed, drowning out any sounds of nature. But then again, this is from a Party who asked families to beat sparrows to death because they ate too much grain (they did, and the explosion of insects that resulted destroyed the crops even worse than before). There’s little of interest nowadays to see (with the exception of the Summer Palace and behind Tiananmen) and many ancient structures have been torn down. In their place – plastic kiddie rides. Delhi has an abundance of parks, lush, green and full of bird life from toucans to kingfishers, and a vast array of ancient, 12th Century buildings. They are a joy.

Verdict: Delhi, by a country mile.

Grand total: Beijing: 2, Delhi: 10
It’s a surprising result, but anyone who has been to both capitals will recognize the differences. There’s one other major issue between them – Delhi doesn’t suffer from the dreadful polluting smog that Beijing does. But one thing is for sure, in terms of infrastructure some of these photos may have taken readers by surprise. Indian cities are catching up with China, and in many cases, surpassing them in terms of freedoms of choice, quality of life, and environment.

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