Just an ordinary lunch time and I went to a nearby restaurant. However, this time I was met by a sight which brought a warm feeling to my heart and a big smile to my face － about ten people waiting patiently in line to be served.

In the last few years while I've noticed there are more and more places in Hangzhou where people queue, there are still a few places where people still don’t like to line up. One of the worst places is the post office. Last week I wanted to send a greetings card to a friend back home. As there was a person being served I waited behind him but as I was waiting somebody just walked up to the counter, handed over their letter, and was served before me.

I started to think more about this after hearing about Beijing's plans to make the 11th of each month a 'Queuing Day' to raise more public awareness. It sounds like a great idea with volunteers and different districts having slogans.

Hangzhou is already a top tourist destination and is holding more international events, such as the World Leisure Expo and this year the Women's World Cup so a similar campaign would further improve the city's image. It's not only something for foreigners as talking to my Chinese friends and neighbors most would prefer to queue and dislike queue-jumpers. One simple step would be to get shops and places like the post office to ensure customers are served in the order that they were waiting.

Besides, queuing isn't boring. Instead, it’s a good time to chat to the person next to you, about the weather, the football results or whatever the latest news is.

By Arthur J from England

Source: City Express

Editor: Guo Changdong