“Now there are cars mixed in with that mess.”
there were a few cars AND trucks in 1981 too ... we were there at the invitation of the PRC gov and traveled by gov-supplied chauffeured automobiles and interpreters at all times ... the drivers were all literally professionals and it always amazed us that we saw no accidents as the few cars somehow managed to penetrate and navigate the rivers of bicycles ...
I was there in 1991 to install software at the new Shanghai airport. We were also amazed at the choreography of the Chinese road system. Accidents do happen, and they are spectacular with plenty of collateral damage. How they drive so well in those conditions is a mystery.