Comment

Rule breakers snap society

By Daniel Garst (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-21 07:58

Beijing, Athens and Rome have much in common. All have lots of history and remain the political and cultural centers of their countries.

Unfortunately, China's capital shares a less savory feature with its present-day Greek and Italian sister cities, namely the disregard the locals display toward rules governing day-to-day conduct.

Many in the West see China as a tightly controlled and disciplined country. Expatriates who've lived here for many years know better.

We know that when left to their own devices, the Chinese can be a fairly anarchic lot and often behave like the Greeks and Italians, who are notorious for flouting laws and regulations.

Beijingers share this Chinese character trait and it is often displayed in the capital's parks. For example, during the last National Day holiday, I took advantage of the glorious fall weather to visit the Olympic Forest Park just north of the Bird's Nest.

The large grassy area bordering the southern shore of the park's main lake had a big "don't tread on the grass" sign. The locals cheerfully ignored it and strolled about or sat down to relax on the lovely natural carpet.

Fortunately, the grass was still green and lush; it was also largely free of the litter often strewn about Beijing's streets. In this instance, the blatant disregard of park rules hadn't diminished the park's beauty.

Alas, the same cannot be said for the behavior of local visitors to Zhongshan Park during its annual Spring Tulip Festival. I go there every spring to admire these gorgeous red, white, gold and pink flowers.

And every time, I see the tulip beds being trampled by people posing within them to be photographed.

It seems that nothing is allowed to stand in the way of a good photo opportunity. Never mind that the delicate flowers are knocked down and the beds are scarred by trails, all of which makes them less attractive for other visitors.

This behavior is not limited to any one particular group of local people. Young couples, parents and their children, and older folks all can be seen defacing the tulip beds.

By contrast, I have yet to see a single laowai posing for photos amid the flowers.

This year I visited Zhongshan relatively late, on account of both the bad April weather and being very busy. The trails in the tulip beds were especially ugly and even some of the peonies - China's national flower - had been knocked about.

At one point, I noticed an older couple, having their young grandchild pose for a photograph among the peonies. The flowers had been taped off with a "don't cross" sign (similar posts bordering the tulip beds were also ignored).

Exasperated by this behavior, I pointed to the sign and asked them, in my very imperfect Chinese, "Can you read this? It's very clear!"

The older couple just chuckled. But this behavior is no laughing matter and its consequences extend beyond the trashing of local parks.

Motorists flagrantly disregard driving regulations, which makes Beijing's roads much more dangerous than ones in big cities in Japan and the West.

Tax evasion by small shopkeepers causes the municipal government to push for more mega-malls with big foreign chain stores. While their merchandise is too expensive for most local people to purchase, they generate tax revenue.

This preference also contributes to the ongoing destruction of the capital's historic neighborhoods.

Individual Beijingers may see their disregard for rules and regulations as being just a minor malfeasance. But collectively this behavior has serious consequences and diminishes the quality of life here for all of us.