Getting a Chinese Visa

Also brought to you by the Communist Party of China

China's bureaucracy exudes a terrifyingly efficient coldness from the get-go.    

I sort of dread the idea of going into any country's consulate, to do anything.  It's like going to the DMV, except a little bit more annoying and the stakes can be higher.  Things that come to mind are bureaucracy, long lines and weird hours.

China is no ordinary country though.  The minute you step through the door, something is wrong.  And by wrong, I mean right.  There are separate queues for separate issues.  There's even a numbering system so you can just take your number and patiently wait the grueling 5 minutes it takes for them to process the twenty people ahead of you in line.

The woman looked at my visa application, nodded, and said one word: "tomorrow."  Really?  That easy?  When I came back the next day my visa was ready.  The guy took my credit card, charged it without saying a word, and waved me on.  The entire process took about 30 seconds.

Swiss efficiency in a developing country with over one billion people.  That made me pause and think for a bit.

Go forward!  In an organized and efficient way!