The people of Beijing have been asked to rid themselves of bad
habits and clean up their language as part of improving the city's
environment ahead of next year's Olympic Games.
Addressing the "ceremony of mobilization and pledging of the
people from all circles for Olympic one-year countdown", Beijing
Olympic chief Liu Qi stressed it was up to individuals to ensure
the city was ready to host the Games in a year and two weeks'
time.
"Every citizen should behave in a civilized manner, cast away
ugly habits, clean up their language, clean the environment and
clean the air," Liu, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee
for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), said on Wednesday.
"We should push the environmental campaign and effectively solve
the problem of spitting and littering. Every citizen should
voluntarily keep the city clean, acting by themselves from now on
to clean and beautify our home."
Potential Blights
Spitting, littering and the unwillingness of many Chinese to
stand in line have been identified as potential blights on the
city's image as it prepares to welcome the world next year.
Liu said security was vital to hosting a good Games and measures
should be taken to avoid protests or confrontations with the city
authorities.
"We must guarantee a safe and stable Beijing society ... and
construct an impregnable fortress to ensure safety and stability,"
he said.
"We must solve the internal conflicts of people well, take
various solutions, try to solve them at the grass roots."
Liu, who is also head of the Beijing Communist Party, was the
key speaker at the ceremony in the north of the city held at an
exhibition hall hung with red banners with Olympic slogans daubed
on them.
An official led a sing-along of patriotic songs before Liu stood
to issue his rallying call to the assembled soldiers, nurses,
policemen and women, workers, volunteers, representatives of ethnic
minorities and party cadres.
"At the one year countdown I, representing BOCOG and the city
government and Municipal Party, am calling on all Beijing citizens,
young and old, city or village dwellers, no matter what their job
or where they come from, to take action at once."
(China Daily July 26, 2007)
