Organizers strive for a 'civilized' sheen

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Xe Jing is feeling nervous. "The Olympics is approaching, everyone is getting more nervous," says the 30-something Beijing cab driver. Xe has been driving around the city's streets for years. But lately, cab drivers such as Xe have been picking up some unwelcome passengers -- work colleagues sent to check on them.

"They [officers of the cab company] do undercover checks waving us down like normal customers," explains Xe. "If the cab is not up to standard, a fine of 200 yuan will be levied against us."

For an idea of what these "inspectors" are looking for, you need look no further than cabbies' glove boxes. Glued on them are reminders of the kinds of standards Beijing's cab drivers are expected to uphold: "Brush your teeth often. Bathe regularly. Change your clothes". The idea: to eliminate any foul-smelling cabs -- and cabbies -- by the time foreign tourists flood in next year for the Games.

"This is all part of being wen ming," Xe says.

"Wen Ming," the Chinese term for being civilized, has not only made inroads into Beijing's community of cab drivers -- it has taken an omnipresent form throughout the capital.

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to navigate the city without spotting government-backed posters, banners or giant billboards advertising the message of a "Civilized Olympics" across its major intersections and metro stations. In restaurants across the city, erratic English translations of restaurant menus are being straightened out. Police officers are being issued manuals on how to provide their services politely.

Around the city's myriad of parks, "civilized" activities such as dancing are held every night to encourage citizens to join in the "Olympic spirit." And when they're not dancing, the public is being asked to line up as part of the city's monthly "Queuing day campaign."

The Beijing government's purpose is simple -- to revamp potentially embarrassing public behavior -- and no stones are being left unturned. According to the central government's Capital Spiritual Civilization Office, which is overseeing the civilizing campaign, this year is the "crucial" year to overhaul what it perceives as bad public manners. And a year is enough time, it believes, to ready the locals for world audiences next year.

China's efforts to overhaul public manners in time for the Olympics are by no means unique. According to Kit Lam, a sociology professor at Hong Kong's Chinese University, many developing nations of non-Anglo-Saxon origin have felt the urge to engage in massive public manners campaign in the past. The reason for doing so is clear, he says: "The fear of losing face."

"When South Korea hosted the Olympics in 1988, the government actually imposed a blanket ban to sell and eat dog meat," Lam says. "It is a very popular cuisine, especially for Korean men, but the government forbade it for the reason that eating dogs may seem barbaric to foreigners."

The problem, however, Lam says, is in how new manners are introduced.

"Changes to public manners should not be enforced from the top-down," Lam argues. "But rather it entails a fundamental change within the mindset of the people -- a bottom up phenomenon.

"If it is solely a form of political slogan, it will only make the population feel sick and tired."

On the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympics' (BOCOG's) Web site, president Lui Qi makes the central government position clear: "The hosting of the 2008 Olympics has been the dream of a century for the whole Chinese population. It is our responsibility to deliver a first-class and unique Olympics," Liu is quoted as saying on the Web site.

"It is crucial that the public should strive to desert all uncivilized behavior, and work vigorously toward creating a civilized and harmonious society to host a successful Olympic games."

"The government is putting in so much money and effort to elevate the inner quality of its citizens," she says. "We see those slogans about being civilized everywhere but there does not seem to [be] any substance behind the words".

Beijing's efforts may provide a "civilized" sheen during the Games, but Lam doubts the campaign will result in any long-lasting changes. While many Chinese view hosting the Olympics with a pride, for the majority, the impact wen ming advertisements on their behavior will be fleeting at best.

"It is impossible to change manners in a year. The whole populace must reach the critical point that the majority will adhere to good mannerisms," Lam says. "Look at Europe, it did not become civilized overnight. It actually takes a whole society to progress.

"The South Koreans went back to eating dog meat after the Olympics finished and the tourists returned home," he says. "Long-term public manner changes takes time, not immediate policies." E-mail to a friend