吐痰,插队: Chinese Habits

UIBE, 27C, light showers

Today, in the small on campus supermarket, a man cleared his throat loudly and spat on the floor. No shame. Yesterday, I was waiting to cross the road, and another man did exactly the same thing. Our teachers tell us that, thanks to some 政治性标语 government campaigning, fewer and fewer people spit nowadays. I would hate to think what it was like beforehand; without fail, every time I leave my dorm, I see someone spitting.

A couple of days ago, as I queued to order food at a restaurant counter, three people no less barged their way to the front and ordered before myself and the other two patient customers. Our teachers say that more and more Chinese people are learning to 排队 queue. Again, I wonder how life was in 20^th century China.

Of course, every country has its own cultural norms, and they should be respected. However, there are some daily habits that even the Chinese government acknowledges are 坏习惯 bad habits that should be eradicated – combating spitting and teaching people to queue are just two of a plethora of issues. On these issues alone, China still has a long way to go, but it is at least the government is trying.

An example of the signs the government has employed to discourage spitting. The habit continues, though.