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German man beaten up in McDonald’s for confronting queue jumper

Posted: 10/31/2013 7:00 am

A German man was beaten up after confronting a queue jumper in a McDonald’s in Guangzhou in the small hours of August 24, Huadu District Prosecutor’s Office has been told.

The incident took place in the McDonald’s in the Vanguard supermarket complex on Yunshan Boulevard in Huadu. When the German confronted a Mr. Huang about cutting in line, Huang allegedly spat on the floor. The German then called over a waiter to clean it up.

After finishing his meal, the German stepped out of the McDonald’s and was set upon by Huang and three of his associates. Another German man was injured after stepping in to mediate. Both were taken to hospital but their injuries turned out to be minor.

Huang and his three associates were arrested in Qishan Village on Sept. 13, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.

Uncivilised behaviour such as that shown by Huang is being targeted under Shenzhen’s civility laws that were introduced this year. But in most of the country it is still up to members of the public to keep each other in line. This is not the first time a foreigner has got himself beaten up for taking exception to the unruly behaviour of Chinese locals.

Haohao

Shenzhen may crack down on smoking, littering, and other bad behaviour

Posted: 08/16/2012 1:20 pm

Shenzhen is looking closely at introducing new laws to crack down on bad behaviour.

The China Daily notes the city conducted a poll earlier this year asking residents which behaviours they found to be the worst.  The top 10 includes the usual suspects: spitting, cutting in line, littering, and setting up street stalls.

So should these behaviours be punished?  A second opinion poll of 103,000 Shenzhen residents found 80% believe those who commit bad behaviour should be “severely” punished.  Thirty-four percent of those surveyed felt an RMB200 fine would be most appropriate, with 45% saying the fine should be between RMB50 and RMB200.

The city is drafting a law based on the results of the surveys, with the question now being who should be responsible for enforcement: the chengguan or the police?

Dai Guangyu, deputy head of the committee for education, science, culture and public health ofthe Shenzhen People’s Congress Standing Committee, said that in Japan and Singapore, thepolice are the main enforcement bodies for bad behavior in public.

Dai said the result of this opinion poll will come out in two or three days.

Li Xiaofang, a public relations manager in the city, believes the police should take care ofenforcing the regulations.

“I think the police are more able to enforce the law. Compared with chengguan (urban management officers), the police are tougher,” she said.

Zhao Hong, a media employee, thinks it should be the chengguan’s job.

“Chengguan should be the enforcement body since bad behaviors like spitting and throwing garbage on the street belong to urban management.”

There would be some debate as to the perceived leniency of chengguan, that’s for sure.

One wonders why things like spitting and cutting in line are so common if so many people in Shenzhen oppose them.  Perhaps it’s a case of “if you can do it, so can I.”

Haohao

Shenzhen government proposes punishing “uncivilized” behaviour

Posted: 07/4/2012 7:00 am

Despite China’s 5,000 years of civilization, authorities in Shenzhen have decided that the public need yet more civilizing, according to local television. On June 1, members of the city’s Standing Committee met to discuss introducing punishments for 49 types of uncivilized behaviour, such as spitting, littering and smoking in public places.

Until July 6, citizens will be invited to give suggestions about what types of behaviour should be punished, and what appropriate punishments would be, Chinese-language media have reported.

The measures may be introduced throughout the country, and as always, Shenzhen is the guinea pig. There will be three polls before any laws are introduced. The first, which ends June 6, is aimed at receiving suggestions about which types of behaviour should be targeted, such as improper disposal of chewing gum, and throwing litter from vehicles or buildings. Forty-nine is the magic number, so there is plenty of room for people to have their pet peeves tackled.

Those of us who have a lot of experience in China know that tackling uncivilized behaviour here is a herculean task. On July 1, a man in Shandong Province embarrassed his fellow bus passengers when he castigated a migrant worker for smelling bad. Subways are also host to all kinds of inappropriate behaviour.

After last year’s earthquake in Japan, many Chinese observed the civility of the Japanese people and asked themselves why Chinese could not be that way.

So, which ill-mannered things would you want put a stop to?

Haohao
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