Beijing Manners

China's main English language newspaper, the China Daily published a story last week on the urgent attention that the city government and Olympic Organizing Committee are paying to the manners (or lack thereof) of Beijingers.  Here's how the article starts out:

In addition to grand concrete venues for the 29th Olympic Games, Beijing is busy with an immaterial project -- to trim its residents' behavior for the event. The time left for possible improvement seems not enough, though there are still more than two years before the event comes. A recent survey report showed that booing and even using dirty words by audiences to show their discontent with the performance of players is one of the most irritating bad manners that tarnishes the image of the capital. Beijing audiences are notorious for such impolite expressions of disappointment and dissatisfaction at sports games. Other bad habits listed in the report include spitting, littering, violation of traffic regulations, and jostling passengers on buses. City managers worry these uncivil behaviors will also bring shame to the capital or even to the nation if exposed to foreigners in 2008.

Go here to read the entire article.

Let me just say this....I share the concern.