seneca (expat in China)
When I first came to China, spitting was done on a national scale. Nearly everyone spat in front of them on public ways. I remember walking down the corridor of a Golmud hotel, seeing red spittoons in front of every guestroom.
That was then; today I am heartened to say you don't see it any more. I don't think Chinese spit in public more often than Westerners do - so much for progress. Hats off!
Ditto for smoking: In my memories of train and bus travel, cigarette smoke was the biggest spoiler of my enjoyment. You couldn't hope to inhale smoke-free air in a sleeper car anywhere in China. See how things have changed since the end of the 1990s: smoking is banned on trains and buses (it is rarely done).
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The photo shows a colored x-ray of a frog amongst water lilies. Photograph by Arie Van't Riet [Photo/CFP] |
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The original piece:http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1006258