Domestic Affairs

The legacy of Games – lining up

By Zhang Jin (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-08-09 15:58

On Aug 8, or the second anniversary of the opening of the Beijing Olympics, I went to a friend's home by subway. Traveling in Beijing is an annoying experience, as always, even though it was Sunday, when traffic is supposed to be less stressful. But Beijing's subway Line 1 saw no decrease in the number of passengers.

Fortunately, most of the commuters were queuing in lines at the platform and there was no pushing.

That reminded me of a joyful experience in May 2008, when I came back to Beijing from Hong Kong, where I had been for four years. As I stepped out of the Beijing railway station, I was surprised to see people queue in lines at nearby bus stops. Later I knew it was the result of a year-long campaign launched by the local government to enhance local people's civic awareness ahead of the Games. Thousands of volunteers were deployed to guide people to regain the old tradition.

Two years on, to my surprise again, the line-up habit remains, although pushing and stampede were reported occasionally during rush hours.

If there is some legacy the spectacular sports gala has left for us, I would like to say the habit of lining up is certainly the one.