The load towered over innocent residents passing by on bicycles and electric scooters. Chinese folks usually remain unfazed by dangerous situations on the road, but some looked surprised and annoyed at this monster. The carton juts out on every side, held together only by its own weight and a few flimsy ropes.
The truck was likely on its way to a recycle facility. Recycling is a serious business in China with fine-mazed networks going from household to factory. Tricycle flatbeds pick up carton at the building level, then transport it to larger facilities, where workers load it onto small trucks. From there, it moves to the next facility, where it is transferred to big trucks like this Dongfeng.
Imagine just half of that carton dropping on a tiny tricycle taxi. It would be flat. In central Beijing, authorities have now forbidden these kinds of taxis, but they remain very common outside the Fifth Ring Road. Most are electric nowadays.