What’s trendy now in Shanghai?

Learning how to behave appropriate, i.e. etiquette education. In a recent effort to promote mass awareness to public rudeness, city government stir up a wave of “million families learning etiquette”.

It may sound long over due to urban Chinese, as in a recent bus ride in Beijing, a senior citizen, also a lung cancer patient, begged a crowd of fellow riders, mostly university students for a seat. With the repetitive requires from a ticket attendant and the senior’s begging, finally he got a seat so he could have an easy trip home after a medical checkup.

Even for every one, either a laowai or Chinese, who has been in China for a day or two, will tell you how rude people are, the push for the etiquette education in Shanghai didn’t meet no obstacles.

The recent “million families learning etiquette” is specially promoted around March 8th, international women’s day. And a recent survey said, 44% women showed strong desire to learn it as a way to improve public appearance. I wonder where is the other half sky? Who should blame for the bad reputation?