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No short skirts, no rolled-up shirts and no bad breath. Those are just some of the friendly but firm advice offered to Beijing's inhabitants prior to Friday's Olympic opening ceremony. A pamphlet has been distributed to four million of the city's households by a government body known as the Commission for the Spiritual Reconstruction of the Capital, and the 36 points of dispensed advice range from fashion to hygiene tips.
During the Olympics the Chinese male habit of going shopping unshaved and still wearing slippers and pyjamas will be frowned upon, as will lack of brushed teeth and the consumption of too much garlic. Furthermore many Chinese men's traditional way of coping with too much heat – rolling the shirt up over the stomach to allow the free flow of air – is also not wanted in the capital's polished streets.
For women hefty-coloured nail polish, leather skirts and the wearing of clothing combinations of more than two colours are no longer considered comme il faut – and clashing colours are especially frowned upon. And for those with chubby ankles, socks are now officially recommended – as long as they are not white ones worn in dark shoes!
Handshakes shouldn't last more than three seconds, feet should always be positioned in a loose V formation and one of the folk habits that have been a real hair-puller for the authorities for a long time – harking and spitting in the streets – will be punished with large fines.
Whether or not the people of Beijing will actually comply to the 36 pieces of advice remains to be seen, but the outlook does seem grim: Harking and spitting has been officially banned for a number of years now, but the saliva still keeps on pounding the sidewalks of China.
Full story in Danish
News category: China
Published on this site: Aug. 2, 2008
Source:dr.dk/nyheder
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