China should win respect with Expo

OVER the years, as its economy has boomed,China has quickly become much morepowerful. Now it has greater and greater sayin international affairs. However, generally speaking,China is just like a nouveau riche in many foreigneyes. It has yet to earn the respect it deserves. Thereare many reasons. For example, its political system isnot democratic, and it has very different values. Suchfactors are often rehearsed. We are not going todiscuss these big issues. It is clear from the chaos thathas been seen at World Expo 2010 since its trial runbegan that management is poor in China andmainlanders are of low quality. One may feel ashamedof it. China and Chinese people are still far from worthyof respect.

The aspect of World Expo 2010 that has givenpeople the deepest impression since it opened threedays ago is the scene of visitors rushing into the parkat 9 am. Large numbers of them dash into it. They thenpush at volunteers who hand out passes to the Chinapavilion. To get those passes, visitors, male or female,young or old, push and shove and hurl abuse at oneanother with stupefying ferocity. This is the waycitizens of the rising China behave. Foreign reportersand their Hong Kong counterparts have covered suchscenes for three days. Some Hong Kong reportershave noticed foreign reporters would smile at thechaos in sight. We may say their reports of mainlandvisitors fighting one another for passes would certainlydamage the Chinese nation's image.

Shanghai is a leading mainland city. Those whorun the Expo are no doubt the cream of mainlandofficialdom. Why have they no idea that tickets shouldbe queued for? Why have they allowed visitors to fightfor passes in uproar? That is very baffling indeed. Theorganisers must try to improve the situation as soon aspossible lest "ugly Chinese" should continue todisgrace themselves in front of the world.

Mainlanders would jump the queue or flout socialethics in other ways. Many have experienced theirrudeness. Mainland Expo visitors' behaviour, whichreporters have seen over the past few days, wouldimprove neither their own image nor the nation's. Forexample, many spots in the park have become theirresting places. Our reporters have seen them sit on theground as they please or just take off their shoes andlie on the ground using Expo maps as their mats. Theyjust do as they please regardless of what others maythink. Their behaviour is so unsightly and so impolitethat one hardly know how to begin to describe it.

This is the first time China has hosted a worldexpo. It is not possible to improve mainlanders'behaviour instantly so that they would be polite Expovisitors, nor is it realistic to try to do so. However, theorganisers should have regarded it as a challenge todeal with such visitors. They now have a goodopportunity to render the nation meritorious service.They must know very well how civil mainland peopleare and how things stand on the mainland. If theymake such satisfactory arrangements that visitors willsubconsciously behave themselves, Chinese people'snew mentality will present itself to the world. WorldExpo 2010 will last 180 more days. It is hoped that theorganisers will try hard with the public's support so thatthe Chinese people can by means of World Expo 2020change the world's established conceptions of themand win the respect they have longed for.

借世博會贏取尊重上海當局尚待努力

這些年隨著經濟騰飛，中國綜合國力迅速提升，在國際間話語權與日俱增，但是總的而言，中國在不少外國人眼中只是一個暴發戶，未能得到應有的尊重。個中原因很多，政治體制不夠民主、價值觀迥異等耳熟能詳，我們今日不探討這些大道理，只是由上海世博會試運行到正式開園所見種種亂象，中國的管理水平和國民質素之低落，使人感到「與有恥焉」。中國離值得尊重的大國、中國人離值得尊重之路，還很遙遠。

上海世博會開園3 日以來，最使人印象深刻者，是每日上午9 時遊人進場時的場面，但見大批遊人同時間狂奔，然後圍著派發中國館入場票的工作人員哄搶門票；遊人不分男女老嫩、相互叱罵、推撞、搶奪大混戰，戰況之激烈，使人看得目瞪口呆。這就是正在崛起的中國國民的表現。許多外國記者和香港記者一起採訪這一幕，由於昨日已經是第3 日混戰了，有香港記者注意到外國記者對眼前戰況 「咪咪嘴」訕笑。我們可以這樣說，透過外國記者報道搶門票這一幕，肯定挫損了中國和中國人的形象。

上海是內地的先進城市，管理世博的肯定是精英一族，他們怎麼連排隊派門票的概念也沒有，偏要製造哄搶場面，實在使人百思不得其解。管理當局必須儘快改善情況，不要讓「丑陋的中國人」繼續在世人面前丟架。

內地民衆插隊爭先，缺乏公德心等劣行，許多人都領教過，連日來記者在世博園區所見，民衆的行徑肯定未能為自己和中國的形象加分。例如，園區內許多空間都成為遊人的休憩處，記者所見，他們不管三七二十一，隨意席地而坐、鋪開園區地圖脫去鞋子就睡覺，不管觀瞻，不理儀態，一副我行我素的所為，使人不知道從何說起。

中國首次辦世博，要中國民衆一下子提升質素，做到「文明觀博」，不切實際也不可能，但是這樣的遊人質素，對於管理當局來說是挑戰、也是立功的大好機會。因為中國民衆的質素和「國情」，當局應該知之甚詳，以妥善的安排引導遊人，讓遊人不知不覺中守秩序、守規矩，果能如此，則中國和中國人的新精神面貌，就會呈現在世人面前。世博展期還有180 日，希望在管理當局努力、民衆配合下，中國和中國人透過世博扭轉世人的既定認知，贏得大家所渴求的尊重。

Glossary

nouveau riche /nu:v ʊ 'ri:ʃ/a person who has recently acquired wealth.abuse

insulting language.stupefy /'stju:pI faI/stun with astonishment.