What could be more Beijing than the terrible crowds during the peak hours on weekday mornings? Who would ever deal with that drama if they didn't have to? Well, basketball star Stephon Marbury, that's who. In an attempt to earn his bona fides as a real Beijinger, Marbury plunged into the tide of people on Subway Line 1, aiming to experience the everyday life of real Beijingers.
Thirty-four-year-old Marbury is new in town, having just started his one-year contract with the Beijing Ducks in October. Previously he played for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and later the Foshan Dralions. Now with the Beijing Ducks, the point guard trains at Shougang Stadium in Shijingshan district in west Beijing, and he's determined to take the Beijing subway to work because a friend bet he couldn't do it.
According to the terms of the bet, if Marbury can take the Beijing subway to work for three days in a row, the millionaire will be a whopping 100 yuan ($15.68) richer.
Having recently moved from a luxury room at the Grand Hyatt Beijing to an apartment around Wangfujing Street, "Starbury" is attempting to embrace life in Beijing.
Today's the second day of the subway trials of Marbury. Wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap and a sweater with the Chinese characters for China (purchased in Sanlitun), he arrived at the B Entrance of Wangfujing station at 7:15 am. He says he's not worried much about the crowds, as he often took the packed subway in New York when he was young.
But he soon encounters trouble. The ticket machine rejects his 20-yuan bill! Marbury looks around and asks for help from uniformed subway employees, but none of them understand English. Finally, he's rescued by a Chinese girl who suggests that he try using a 10-yuan bill instead.
Five minutes later he was in the packed coach of a train heading for Bajiao Station.
"It is more crowded than yesterday," he murmured, standing among the city's folks.
Like most of the commuters, Marbury wears earphones during the commute and plays with a mobile phone, sending emails and texts to friends informing them his latest news. He also logged into his Facebook account through his Black Berry, which he brought to China from the US.
He was intercepted twice by Chinese fans who wanted to take pictures with him, and the gentleman generously agreed.
At last, he arrived at his destination, the stadium before 9 am, ready to start training (though he said he felt like he'd already warmed up on the train).
On the first day of the subway test, he overshot and got to the court an hour before training. Today, he was very nearly late. Curse you, vagaries of the Beijing subway.
The friend who placed the bet, a sports journalist named Wang Meng, seems prepared to lose his 100 yuan.
"Mr Marbury is a rather proud person of strong curiosity, he would never allow himself to become a loser," Wang told the Beijing Morning Post newspaper.