The Beijing Spiritual Civilization Committee has launched yet another campaign to improve the manners of Beijingers in the run-up to the Olympics. The target this time is "queue-jumping," which is an interesting term in itself, because it implies that there might be an actual queue to jump, something that is usually NOT the case. This all-wise committee has now decided that the solution is to designate the 11th of every month Stand-Orderly-in-Line Day. Or, in Chinese pai-dui li-rang. On that day, the neighborhood grannies ("Marxist Mamas") will be deputized, don their little red arm-bands and fan out to remind (cajole, harrangue) people to stand in line. They decided that the 11th was a good date, since the number 11 is like two individuals standing in line. It might help people remember!
While the state media is hailing this as a move of unparalleled brilliance, Beijing "netizens" are not so impressed. An on-line survey revealed that most people think the habit of queue-jumping is too ingrained. It's a sign of how much things have changed here--public opinion polling of government campaigns.
You can go here to read the Xinhua article, and see some photos of happy Beijingers standing in line (hint--the photos are staged!)
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