Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Watch This Crowded Beijing Subway Hell And Never Complain About The Bedford L Again
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 23, 2013
Modified Jul 23, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 23, 2013
Modified Jul 23, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
You know how certain NYC subway platforms get rather uncomfortably crowded during rush hour and sometimes can't even squeeze onto the train when it finally pulls in? Well boo fucking hoo—after watching this insane video of a sickeningly mobbed subway platform in Beijing, it's become abundantly clear that our beleaguered MTA is actually a privileged paragon of luxury urban transportation:
The video is believed to have been taken at Xi'erqi station, which connects Line 13 and the Changping Line on the Beijing Subway in China. Funny enough, this is a new station that opened three years ago to "ease transfer between the two lines." The Beijing subway system, which opened in 1969, is the second-longest subway system in the world next to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. It has an average weekday ridership of 8.539 million, compared to 5.4 million on the MTA, which is just the seventh busiest rapid transit rail system in the world. Of course, we're number one in fun:
"China is explained for you in this one video," the blog Beijing Cream explains. "Want to know why this country is the way it is? People. Many of them. Why is the pollution so bad? Too many people. Why are people pushy? Too many people. Why is there no soft power? The government censors too much shit and suppresses expression because they’re afraid of the people — the people of which there are too goddamn many."
Good thing more urban commuters are on the way!
Tagged
beijing
china
overcrowding
subway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .