Queuing Lessons Needed
Did you see that on Sunday, Beijing observed its’ first “Queuing Day?” It will be observed every 11th of the month, to emphasize improving lining up to wait for buses, tickets, or whatever the queue. They are trying to improve the etiquette around Beijing, prior to the world descending on the city for the 2008 Olympics.
The Chinese need some help on this little simple act of politeness. Go almost anyplace, and it seems more like a mob scene than anything organized. I have basically learned you don’t get anything unless you act like everyone else and just push your way to the front or speak up to get an attendant’s attention. Take McDonald’s: I’ve many a time been to the front of a line, to just have person after person push in front of me. And no one seems to mind. The attendants just help the person that speaks loudest and is pushiest.
Bill Bryson wrote that the French were really great at lining up in a straight line for buses, but that whenever a bus arrived, they just broke rank and all hell broke loose for whoever could fight to the front. In China they don’t even start with a line. It’s just a free-for-all for most anything.
When McDonald’s opened a drive-through service window, it was a joke. They drive like they walk here and everyone just breaks in lines and around you any chance they can. McDonald’s had to block anyone from being able to break in front after the ordering station, so cars remained in proper sequence.
Beijing may be getting better now with the “Queuing Day” efforts. I just hope they bring the queuing lessons on down here to Dongguan someday soon!
Labels: Beijing, China, etiquette, Olympics, queuing
