Hit litterbugs with fines, not insults

A lack of civility in urban China is a subtle testament to a much deeper rift in behavioral patterns that result from social divide.

A few days ago, staff of the Beijing Metro ruffled feathers when they called some passengers "locusts". A photo posted on the subway's micro blog showed an almost vacant subway carriage littered with paper and other waste. "This is Line 10 in the trail of 'locusts'," it said, sarcastically, adding that "Beijing does not welcome those who willfully spoil its environment."

The remark was widely considered discriminatory. And the company removed it, saying it was the act of a few editors and implied that it was not properly authorized.