The Right Side of the Law

Scots of a "certain age" will remember Eric Caldow, captain of Glasgow Rangers Football Club. I recall team photos of him sitting bolt upright, hands on knees with silverware at his feet. Recently at the photo exhibition I sat next the deputy mayor in just such a pose. Bobby Orr style for North American ears. Well not only that but I also was part and parcel of a banner presentation the other day. It was like winning a championship. Here is why. My adventure to Beijing in which I did everything from ticket buying to train travel on my own, went well. That is until within 400 metres of home. I got a taxi from the station and was able to direct the driver to my unlit street but did not know how to get him to advance. I was sitting behind so hand gestures were no good. He dropped me at the far end. No problem until I realized the rolled up painting I had bought in Beijing was on the back seat of the car and he had driven off. Next morning I attempted to go to taxi lost and found (it does not exist) and unwittingly found myself at the police station, Traffic Division. They were all in civil clothes. Only one uniform appeared after I had spoken to a good dozen people. My little five minute inquiry of non-existent taxi lost and found snowballed into a major operation for the Lao Wai, foreigner. I feared my family might get in some trouble since I was asked many questions and had to produce residence permit, passport etc. Most was good humoured and only at one point did it feel like a grilling. To cut a longer story short, many policemen did not sleep well that night. They moved heaven and earth and stopped taxis all over the city (there are 4,000). Next day around noon the call came through (my homestay host father was at the police station himself, not in trouble but for a discussion), the painting had been found. It is tradition for a banner to be presented to the police in exceptional cases. We ordered one for a presentation to be made next morning. A car was sent for us and five or six photograpjhers were present. The banner was exchanged. Guess what, the colours are in those of my Scottish team Motherwell! I made this point and got a good laugh from the senoir officer, who is a football fan. It was certainly a banner day.