The 12306 conundrum
- By Liu Yan
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E-mail CRI, December 16, 2015
I can't even buy a train ticket if I don't know "chrysanthemum" is the Chinese slang term for "anus"? For a country that takes so much pride in the concept and culture of "harmony", this surely isn't "harmonious" in the least bit…
Now, do you still think I'm being too harsh? 12306 is a joke, pure and simple. Or to borrow the youngsters' lingo nowadays, an EPIC FAIL!
According to Beijing Youth Daily, 12306.cn has a total of 336,980 questions for ticket buyers to "enjoy", and the chance of anyone correctly answering all the questions thrown at them is only eight percent. If you happen to be in this group, feel proud of yourself. Feel very proud. Clearly, you could give any Jeopardy!/Who Wants to Be a Millionaire winner a run for their money.
And for non-genius common folks who make up the remaining 92 percent of ticket buyers, the minute you give a wrong answer, you have to start all over again. Don't be surprised if an entire morning or afternoon passes, and you are still stuck on answering those stupid questions. It certainly feels like 12306 is determined to make the experience an utter nightmare so that you will never attempt to buy train tickets online again.
The latest development is that 12306 has come forward and acknowledged that some questions are too difficult and some images are too blurry. Ticket buyers can rest assured that problematic questions and images will be deleted from their pool very soon.
While I'm glad the website is making some sort of effort, I have to say it's not enough. Why not listen to the customers and get rid of this ridiculous verification-by-pictures shtick altogether? Why not hire some competent people to come up with a system that can let users easily buy tickets AND prevent scalpers from unscrupulous behavior?
I know that's easier said than done, but I steadfastly refuse to believe that no one in our vast country can pull it off. Just find the right people to do the job. Or if necessary, get some inspiration from the imminent 2nd World Internet Conference. With the pooled wisdom of 1,200 sharpest minds from all around the world, someone is bound to solve the 12306 conundrum. After all, it is supposed to be "An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by All", remember?
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