You see this disgusting habit around many places in China. Zoo's, countryside river banks...The new Disney park in shanghai got trashed when it opened this year. People peeing by the sidewalk, kids running riot in restricted ares, litter, and slothing around on the paving as they ate, shouted and spat.

And I really thought that by now some of the small rivers running through Kunming would have been cleaned up by now but unfortunately, still smell a rotten stench after all these years. A total disappointment considering the resources available.

Even when there's a wastebasket a few inches away they will still throw it on the floor. Unbelievable!

Here we go again. Before p22 is full someone will accuse someone of being Matt.

All children (including mine) are taught to NOT litter in school - but as soon as they're out that gate - they revert to their lazy animal behavior.

The littering is an act of rebellion and disrespect to the establishment, such as tagging and graffiti in the west.

My kids - generally the same - the desire for attention through slothful behavior.

On that note, please remember that China is still a developing nation, despite the outward appearances of an industrialized nation - the culture still hasn't caught up.

The government still has a lot of work ahead - but their primary focus hasn't been anti-littering campaigns (hosting the Olympics aside), but poverty alleviation and elimination.

I doubt we'll see improved behavior on the litter issue in our lifetimes, but we can hope and do our part.

I hate folk littering too but, from what I've seen, even litter put into bins gets dragged out again by those folk searching for bottles and other recyclables. And in something of a defense, in the city at least, the streets are cleaned really well overnight. So any litter during the day does tend to disappear (which may be partly why people don't care too much about dropping it?). No excuse for spitting though!

Littering, yes. I see more people using the bins than once did. In China I don't think it's ab act if disrespect or rebellion, but the continuation of a cultural item that's been around for a long time and is now slowing being practiced less than before. As for China being a developing nation whose culture hasn't 'caught up' - I don't know what it might mean for anti-littering behavior to 'catch up' to industrialization, but the cultural behavior that hasn't caught up is the one that uses industrial development production for things like war.

"where there's muck, there's brass"

www.ejinsight.com/[...]

2 years ago when I was in Lijiang with some friends we visited Qing Xi Park (Reservoir). The signs are clearly posted stating that this is drinking water but there was a guy taking a bath with soap and shampoo in the drinking water. I took a picture of him and that exact moment he reaches down and soaps and scrubs his gonads. We immediately called 12345 and within minutes a guard came and made him leave.

They even have signs in Chinglish:

Source water protection area.

Start from myself to protect the water source.

They just don't care. It's the same with signs that are big and clear that says "No Smoking". They think it's a suggestion. Assholes! The problem is the enforcement.

@ Liumingke: Who are 'they'?