Keep Square Clean, Tidy
On Sunday, still on display on Tian' anmen Square were dozens of
floats that were paraded along Chang' an Avenue during the National
Day celebrations. Thousands of people strolled on the narrow lanes be-
tween the floats that fragmented the square, busily taking photos. Not
far from the noisy crowds, yellow leaves fell nonchalantly from locust
trees along the driveway, sending out the first signals of the coming
autumn. But even if all the leaves fall, they still cannot cover the
brown and black spots on the whitish stones in the huge square.
Such stains of chewing gum, stale oil or some worse blemish have
remained a constant pain for city cleaners since the square 'was re-
opened a few months ago after renovations to celebrate the 50th anni-
versary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Few renovation project planners likely foresee this discouraging
outcome. Originally, they merely intended to give the city a face-
lift. The square was indeed impeccable when new: The-white terrazzo
surface not only looks clean but it was made with materials that help
prevent it from becoming slippery.
However, as time goes by, the virtue becomes the vice: the sur-
face attracts and accentuates dirt. As a result, China' s most high -
profile site has to suffer the indignity of being paraded daily before the
public in a humiliation state.
While the tourists who litter should bear the bulk of the blame,
the renovation designers should also have learned something: including
the square's sanitary maintenance issue into their consideration.
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