In 2011, WBEZ followed professional queuer Li Qicai in Shanghai. He waited at a hospital to collect traditional Chinese medicine for a client and then moved to the payment queue. The customer could remain elsewhere until needed, paying Li for the hours spent advancing through the process.
A hospital visit involves more than treatment: registration, medicine and payment can each have an order of their own. A stand-in connects those stages with personal time. The client needs medicine, but what is bought and sold is the time that would otherwise be consumed by the line.