[lgvln]

Well said. I think this describes the phenomenon perfectly. It’s not complete anarchy, everything goes sort of situation. There is a set of hidden rules that most people abide by.

A contrast with a typical Western setting is it doesn’t tend to gravitate towards violence (in my experience). Whereas, a confrontation could easily lead to a violent situation in most Western countries.

[strayamaaate]

That’s a good point, which I should’ve mentioned as it goes hand in hand with the topic.

Despite how intense some situations can get in China, I’ve rarely ever felt physically threatened. It’s culturally abnormal to resort to violence.

Yes there’s a few nutjobs out there (sword-guy in Sanlitun), but on the whole it’s pretty incredible that such a big city, and country is relatively speaking, so peaceful.