Annual mechanized cleaning project of Beijing's Tian'anmen Square was officially launched Thursday. It was learned from the cleaners that there were more chewing gum stains on the square than previous years and many tourists littered.

Mr. Wang, a cleaner in blue uniform, revealed that he started working on the square from 8:30 AM without a break at noon but only removed 1,000-odd chewing gum stains. Over 40 people in the cleaning team could just clean an area of 200 square meters a day. The cleaners first erode the chewing gum stains with a special type of agent and afterwards eradicate the stain bit by bit with shovel and brush. It takes about one and a half minutes to remove one stain.

The cleaners would clean up the chewing gum stains with their hands in the day and eliminate the spots of gasoline, juice, lunch boxes and oil with machines at night. After the square is close at 10:30 tonight, the cleaners will first spray a type of agent prepared beforehand. Then 30 cleaning vehicles will be divided into three groups and move forward in a solid line. The cleaning project will commence from the northern square and then proceed on the central square, southern square and finally the Jinshui Bridge, taking about five days.

It was also noticed that the cleaners changed turf for the lawn on both sides of the square with cold-resistant turf newly introduced from Canada and the United States. With such turf, the Tian'anmen Square may welcome tourists with a "green" appearance for the first time in winter.

A cleaner working there joyfully said that after such a large scale project of cleaning and turfing, Tian'anmen Square will take on a new look.

(Chinanews.cn October 22, 2005)