Martial law
(Police car: Shanghai, China)
I did mention once how much I like the China police cars – they’re evocative of a smart 1980s cop show vehicle. I’d like to cast Jackie Chan (well, can you blame me? That man gets everywhere and still somehow retains a lovable air) and perhaps the incredibly mobile Sammo Hung from ‘Martial Law’. The cars are low and speedy looking, not like their UK counterparts. They remind me much more of wider, slicker American cars, but perhaps I’m being seduced by the familiar colours.
Something I have noticed in Suzhou is that there is rarely the sound of a siren in my hearing – I’m not desperately near a hospital or in the centre of town, but I recall that in the UK it is quite usual to hear a distant siren in the course of a day outside. Perhaps this says more about the crime level of Glasgow versus Suzhou, but I think it has more to do with the lax attitude of some members of the Police force here.
The close up of the badge on the left enables you to see it with some clarity. The five yellow stars have been whipped from the blood red Chinese flag and seek to offset the luscious, plump, yellow mountains straddled by the Great Wall. In comparison to the stuffy, coat of arms favoured by UK Police, it is much more simple and striking. I think it’s a fantastic emblem and it makes me want to star in this (imaginary) TV show alongside two of my Asian heroes, perhaps accompanying them on cases as a hapless western journalist in a foreign country.
