Celebrating Good Public Order
On the eleventh of every month, something very magical happens in Beijing. Order descends upon the city for this blessed twenty-four hour time period of National Queue Day. Men stop fiercely elbowing their way to buy subway tickets, and it's actually possible to exit a subway car without having to battle the incoming onslaught of new passengers. Don't believe me? - believe NY Times:
"Last week, the city [Beijing] commemorated “Queuing Day,” an event held on the 11th of every month because the date symbolizes an orderly line. Volunteers wearing satin Queuing Day sashes shooed rush-hour commuters into lines at busy subway stations, while hospital administrators and a few city officials handed out long-stemmed roses to patients who stood in line to pay their bills or pick up medicines. Local news media swarmed the event."
Yes, this really does happen. It's a day to celebrate proper queueing techniques and it's a day that's been long overdue for quite sometime here. I can't even begin to recount the supermarkets "lines," airport "lines," and ticket "lines" I've been in where I had to endure pushes, shoves, blatant line jumping, elbows, and breathing on the back of my neck as impatient fellow patrons attempted to edge their way forward.
For any Miss Manners enthusiasts, I'll include the link below as the rest of the article discusses a few more Beijing manners problems, all of which are quite interesting and by all means very true.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/world/asia/17manners.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=d9b58e74515ea703&ex=1176955200
I hesitate to include the entire article as it makes the city sound like an awful, dirty, spit-lined, disorganized place. We "china enthusiasts" try to see these things as charming bits of Chinese character rather than repulsive habits. After you visit, I'll invite you to make your own judgement.
"Last week, the city [Beijing] commemorated “Queuing Day,” an event held on the 11th of every month because the date symbolizes an orderly line. Volunteers wearing satin Queuing Day sashes shooed rush-hour commuters into lines at busy subway stations, while hospital administrators and a few city officials handed out long-stemmed roses to patients who stood in line to pay their bills or pick up medicines. Local news media swarmed the event."
Yes, this really does happen. It's a day to celebrate proper queueing techniques and it's a day that's been long overdue for quite sometime here. I can't even begin to recount the supermarkets "lines," airport "lines," and ticket "lines" I've been in where I had to endure pushes, shoves, blatant line jumping, elbows, and breathing on the back of my neck as impatient fellow patrons attempted to edge their way forward.
For any Miss Manners enthusiasts, I'll include the link below as the rest of the article discusses a few more Beijing manners problems, all of which are quite interesting and by all means very true.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/world/asia/17manners.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=d9b58e74515ea703&ex=1176955200
I hesitate to include the entire article as it makes the city sound like an awful, dirty, spit-lined, disorganized place. We "china enthusiasts" try to see these things as charming bits of Chinese character rather than repulsive habits. After you visit, I'll invite you to make your own judgement.
posted by CC at
12:42 PM
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