It seems to me that the amount of fighting in the streets has increased in Suzhou since I came here six years ago. I’m not talking about street gangs that swagger down sidewalks knocking down old ladies and kicking pekingese dogs in the arse. Instead, I’m talking about a subjective increase in the number of scuffles myself and my friends have been noticing in Suzhou and even in Shanghai.

It’s pretty much accepted that Northern Chinese are hot-tempered and will fight at the drop of a hat. Indeed, I remember the first time I ever went to Beijing nine years ago that within the first half-day there I saw two fellows brawling in the street after a fender-bender between their cars. My favorite Beijing fight, though, was the two middle-aged women in the parking lot of a Starbucks hammering away at one tall, thick-set Chinese man who had no qualms shoving them back.

The Yangtze River Delta region, though, has the reputation of Chinese merely shouting and gesticulating at each other for a bit, then going on their relieved way. For instance, two weeks ago within a span of half hour I saw two groups in arguments within spitting distance of the same Bank of China: one seemed to involve a car parking where it shouldn’t have been and the other an electric bicycle where it shouldn’t have been. I don’t know how either ended because I tend to lose interest within a couple minutes of all the barking.

A week later one of the partners in my company told me his wife just the day before had been standing in line at the very same Bank of China in our office building. A middle-aged Chinese woman swept into the bank and barged into the front of the line ahead of another middle-aged Chinese woman. The woman in the line objected to the intrusion, especially as she was next up to the cashiers window. The barger over-ruled the woman’s complaints by claiming rather loudly that she had a lot of money in the bank and should be first. The bargee was not impressed and subsequently pushed the barger out of the line. Alas, the barger’s nails were long and sharp, and she took them to the face of the hapless bank patron who had shoved her. A scuffle ensued, during which the bank guards watched on with utter astonishment. Not until the women were screeching and pulling at one another’s hair did the guards think to intercede.

After the guards had taken the lady-of-the-talons away the bargee called her husband on her mobile phone. He had been waiting outside for her in their car. When the husband entered the bank and saw his wife’s disheveled hair and clawed face, he quickly realized service in the bank was not as advertised and began berating the guards. When he more fully understood the situation and saw the culprit behind the large glass pane being serviced by bank employees, he took it upon himself to get at the woman. The guards insisted he desist. He beat the guards. I’m sure the whole thing was caught on closed caption cameras and was shown on the Suzhou local news that night, but I did not see the report.

Days later a friend took a walk down Dong Huan Lu, which separates Suzhou Industrial Park from downtown Suzhou, around Modern Avenue. In one two-hour walk she saw two fights on the sidewalk, the most amusing of which was between four Chinese women in their twenties. One of the women had been a patron of their hair parlor and was not happy with the result. She refused to pay and stormed out of the establishment with her girlfriend, who had been waiting for her and who supported her friend’s decision that the result was more than simply a bad hair day.

And it’s not just Suzhou I see this phenomenon: entering the American Citizens Services Center on Nanjing West Road just last week I watched as a balding public worker in a bright yellow jumpsuit head-butted a clearly obnoxious citizen – while the police were attempting to intercede in the argument. Baldy’s co-worker followed up with a quick shove to the citizen’s chest. The policeman on the beat was useless, eventually realized as much, and called for back-up.

Of course, this is all very subjective, this observation of the increasing volume and frequency of fights on the streets, but I have been considering just why I and others with whom I’m acquainted have been seeing what we’ve been seeing. One reason could be the increasing stress residents may be feeling with the breakneck pace at which Chinese are trying to make money – or just trying to survive. Another reason could be that increasing migration throughout China has brought more northern Chinese into Southern Jiangsu and Shanghai – that would include people from Northern Jiangsu, which is much more culturally attenuated to Shandong province with its hard-drinking, hard-talking world view than its cousin south of the Yangtze River.

Whatever the reason, trust that street life in the Yangtze River Delta will become more colorful. And don’t forget to duck!