THE DAY OF THE QUEUE

Chinese people are not inhibited at all when it comes to pushing and trampling so they can move foward and check out anything they want to see. That´s why things as standing in line or waiting for their turn do not fit in their common habits. But, like they say: "when in Rome, do as the romans do". So after being pushed and shoved a few times, you quickly learn to do the same and find your way among the masses using elbows and shoulders to make room.

Because of this interesting cultural trace and thinking about the upcoming Olympics, China recently launched "The day of the queue", on the 11th of every month. On that day, people are reminded that they should be civilized when standing in any line and respect people in front of them. The chosen day has a pretty simple explanation: the number "11" looks like 2 people standing in line, one behind the other, like it´s supposed to be.

This iniciative officially started in February, so recently we had the second one. I haven´t felt much of a difference, but I haven´t had much experience with lines here either. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to do if chinese people want to impress the foreigners next year. At least, they are trying: spitting fines, guidelines for good behaviour and now "The day of the queue"....

Time will tell if these proyects are enough to change a nation´s life style.