Taxi Driver Catches Thieves

Here's another story that I've read out and filmed loud in an effort to improve my spoken Chinese. If you can't see the video, it's here.

The article is here.

It's not the same as the version that I was reading from but is close enough.

Basically, the story is this:

A taxi driver, while waiting for the next shift to show up, witnesses a robbery. He cunningly drives away, in the direction the thieves were running. Sure enough, they flag him down and jump in. They state their destination as the international cinema. He attempts to make a u-turn, but the thieves stop him, wanting to get as far away from the scene of the crime as possible.

The taxi driver maintains his cool, asking "So, you're seeing a movie at this hour?" One of the thieves, obviously shaken, stutters "um... yes....". The driver has a stunningly bold idea; he finds his phone, and dials "110", the number for the police. "Hey buddy," he says. "I was waiting for you but two customers came, so I'm on a job. I'm at the corner of (something-something) and (something-something) at the moment, can you come here instead? Thanks."

The thieves in the backseat catch on that he wasn't talking to the next shift, but the police. "Can you stop, I need to buy some cigarettes" says one thief. Instead, the driver locks the doors and floors the car. After a lot of screaming and shouting, and attempts to break the windows, the driver is forced to stop. The thieves escape. He gives chase, screaming for help all the while. The thieves are eventually apprehended by passers by, other drivers, and three (yes, three!) police cars that turn up.

The translation really doesn't do the article justice. It is portrayed as such a dramatic story in the original Chinese; the crafty taxi driver comes up with a brilliant scheme to catch the wicked thieves... I've just stated the facts in my translation.

I wonder if anyone unfamiliar with mainland Chinese newspapers finds the original article interesting; I'm always struck by how the Chinese newspapers try to stay aloof, and use chengyu as much as they can. Newspapers that originate outside mainland China use much simpler language, and try to appeal to the masses more. I remember learning in high school that newspapers in Australia try to write at a level that can be understood by a high school student; in China there isn't this philosophy of simple reporting.