apparently, around chinese new year, the country folk living in Beijing try to up their pickpocketing intake so they'll have more money to bring home for the fam. an admirable ambition, no doubt, but considering that i have already donated 1 phone, 1 ipod mini, and over 100 american dollars to the 农村人 cause, i've been watching my bag extra closely.
another interesting aspect of this mass exodus of the country folk is that there is a dearth of available cabs. seriously, you wouldn't think it would make a noticeable difference, but the other day we waited outside for 20 minutes before we got a cab. and it was cooold.