China PR Crisis: 9-day Epic Traffic Jam Might Last for a Month

The overwhelming traffic jam in China now in its 9th day might mean bad PR for China’s heads of roads and infrastructure, showcasing their very real overpopulation problem. Yet it also provides quite an insight (and a few business and marketing lessons to be learned) into the entrepreneurship skills of the Chinese.

Heibei Province now hosts cars caught in a traffic jam which is impressive even for China: it spans over 100 kilometers, with thousands of cars and trucks stuck on the interstate heading towards Beijing. The epic jam started on August 14th and officials state it is going to last for up to a month as they have trouble clearing the road.

The original traffic jam was caused by roadside construction work and was rapidly boosted by numerous minor accidents and vehicles breaking down during their long wait. Yet the bleak perspective construction workers and Chinese infrastructure representatives are facing with thousands and thousands of people stuck in their cars for what looks like it’s going to be a month, the local residents discovered a new target market and seized it.

Food, drinks and other goods are being smartly traded to anyone and everyone caught in this probably record traffic jam in China. And as the rules of offer and demand dictate, the prices are going higher each day. Several truck drivers have complained about the price of instant noodles being four times higher in the 9th day compared to the first of the traffic jam. This is indeed an important lesson on not wasting time discovering new audiences, even if they are brought to you by unlikely circumstances and seizing the opportunity.