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Speaking up for civility

By Edward Mills (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-06 08:08

A disclaimer: this is not to suggest that all Chinese have bad manners. Similarly, Westerners certainly don't always possess flawless etiquette.

Nonetheless, one of the first things that strike a newcomer to Beijing is the social conduct that seems to pass as acceptable. Certain habits and elements of "anti-social behavior" are obvious from the outset and worth mentioning. These habits confuse tourists and grate on the social consciousness of discourtesy-weary expatriates.

While most try hard to ignore these things, it is difficult to find a Westerner who lacks long list of irritations to share when pushed on the subject.

Whether it be people randomly stopping in the middle of a busy street to answer their phone giving no consideration to others, or the rush instead of a queuing system (particularly nonsensical at the airport departure gate, where seats are allocated precisely), you can be sure that many things get on a man's nerves between his apartment door and his workplace.

Expatriates aren't the only ones dismayed by this behavior, of course. Many Chinese also express disdain at their fellow citizens' actions. Stepping around animal feces and bustling across crowded pedestrian crossings, a look conveying disappointment to disgust can be observed when a fellow citizen hocks up their phlegm and deposits it on the pavement nearby.

Surveys have shown that pet waste, spitting and littering are among the most unwelcome intrusions into the daily lives of Beijingers. Unfortunately, they are not close to being eliminated.

Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the government implemented several strategies to raise the standard of etiquette among local citizens, dubbed a "campaign of civilization improvement".

There's evidence it impacted societal norms, with the "civic index" increasing on an annual basis in the run-up to the event. It's hard to tell exactly how you can create a figure for general decorum improvement, but regardless, it increased from a very precise 65.21 in 2005 to a specific 73.38 in 2007.

The figures leave one wondering what that index would register today and whether the slogan "It's civilized to queue, it's glorious to be polite" still rings true.

It's no slight to Beijing or its people to complain and demand improvement. The dialogue illustrates a maturing society.

Let's take the UK as an example: the abhorrent state of affairs that permits public drunkenness and lewd behavior, coupled with the rise of "chav culture" and people who treat anti-social behavior as a badge of honor, shows that the UK also requires significant work on public standards of decency. This is freely admitted by its citizens who, for the most part, strive toward societal harmony.

Indeed, it is a certainty that other Western nations have similar problems too, so it would be wrong for some to see calls for improvements in Beijing as a deluded case of the "civilized" West chastising the "unsophisticated" Chinese. Rather, consider it a combined effort to raise standards to the level that we all find satisfactory.

It could be said that a great deal of unpleasant etiquette will be eliminated or at least lessened as the city's infrastructure improves.

The subway is developing at a rapid pace and the road system is being improved. These changes could significantly impact the driving mentality and the people who are packed like sardines on the subway at peak hours.

Pushing on the train and cutting up on the roads are naturally committed by only a small proportion of commuters, but small things can provide immense relief once removed.

Perhaps one of the reasons that bad manners refuse to disappear to the sidelines in Beijing is the non-confrontational nature of most residents.

Quite often things will frustrate, irritate and annoy Chinese people, but they do not speak out against it and rather tolerate it in a discontented silence.

It's possible that in public, Beijingers will withdraw from their main senses to an inner sanctum of the mind, which allows them to go about their day without perceiving ignorance from others, while conversely permitting the bad behavior to continue.

To most Chinese, if it doesn't directly impact their physical well-being, then it's not worth paying attention to.

If it does, is it worth speaking out against? Usually the answer here is a resounding "no".

But with the air quality becoming cleaner and efforts to keep residential areas clean and tidy, it can only be a matter of time before more people take exception to others' bad manners. Then, finally, change will be accelerated.

After all, who listens to expatriates grumbling behind closed doors?