Law and Superficial Social Norms: Beijing Olympic Games 2008; Shanghai WorldExpo 2010

Greetings from Shanghai, China.  The city is the fastest growing in the world -  science fiction-like landscapes of high rises, shopping malls, and  foreign-designed tower blocks springing up daily.  Shanghai has the highest per capita income in China and it is good to see the emergence of a middle class, even if it is still a tiny percentage of the overall Chinese population. Among the many, many fascinating things that are happening here is anticipation for the Beijing Olympics 2008 and the Shanghai WorldExpo 2010. The Chinese government has launched a campaign "calling for increased levels of culture and civilization." Some of the habits that public officials are set to break are spitting, cussing, taking off shirts, rolling up trousers and wearing Western-like pajamas in the street. For example, law officials recently announced that spitting in the streets will carry a  fine of up to 50 yuan.  The cities have also sought to enroll the media and celebs in these efforts have devised reward incentives and slogans for city districts.

Another grand experiment in anticipation for the Olympics is clearing up the air to allow fireworks to be seen in the city skyline.  For a few months, Beijing has toyed with the idea of making it rain just before setting off the fireworks. But turns out, becoming a rainmaker is harder than it seems. So instead, they have announced that next week, for 4 full days, no traffic will be allowed in the city except ambulances and public transportation. The plan is to test the airs after those four days and see whether that is enough to temporarily clear up some polution, enough for the days of the Olympics' openning shows.

Shanghai has been used in many films now as the landscape of the far future. The preparations for the two international events offer a glimpse of what the most populated country in the world will look like in the near future, but the efforts to change street norms do not conceal continuing differences and challenges.  These are fascinating developments and I would recommend a visit here to all.