Sitting in The Emergency Row

As most everybody knows, the leg room in an airplane doesn’t really exist. Some financial guy decided over the best intentions of the Industrial Engineer that if they reduce the legroom by 3 inches, then 2 extra rows of seats could be added to the plane and this therefore, increases the possible revenue stream.
The same exists in China. Except that since the average Chinese is already smaller than the average the American, it can be even tighter.
So, when checking in for Chinese flights, I always remind the ticket agent of the fact that I am tall and have long legs and to please provide me a seat in an emergency row, or at a bulkhead, or wherever there is an configuration that will allow me even a couple more inches of leg room. It never works. Chinese flights are always 100% full (they will cancel partially full planes and combine to make this happen) and so it always seems that the good seats are taken and I have to cram into a regular seat.
Last night, as we arrive into China, we discovered that we could actually get an Emergency Row seat. I admit I was surprised because not only has it not worked in the past, but because I don’t speak Chinese and really couldn’t follow instructions in the event of an actual emergency.
But I smiled and took the seat.
As is part of the normal routine, before takeoff the flight attendant stops at our row and runs through a standard speech informing us we are in an Emergency Row and verifies we are OK with this and then runs through the usual description of how to operate the door, etc. She of course is doing this in Chinese and the guy next to me is answering “yes, yes, yes” to all of her instructions. I am smiling and nodding my head because I know what she is saying and was trying to indicate that I understand the responsibilities (trying to avoid her deciding I shouldn’t sit there and then wanting to swap me with someone else).
As soon as she finished, she apparently asked my seat mate if he understood the instructions and he answered “yes”, so I said yes, also.
At which point she smiled at me, wagged her finger, and in her best Chinglish said “You no touch door.”
Yes Ma’am.
All those around us who understood English had a good laugh.

Anyway, I am back in Xiangtan for a month and we arrived safely last night and I didn’t have to follow any especial instructions about the Emergency Exit Door.