Hubin Qingyu

4 min read

When visitors first come to China，they hear all kinds of advice to deal with what can seem to them like chaos.Fortunately，by and large，this doesn’t apply to Hangzhou.In Hangzhou，people always have the right-of-way，commuters line up for the subway，and a helping hand is never punished-thanks in no small part to the Hangzhou Civilized Behaviors Promotion Rules，implemented in March 2016 and aimed at providing a proper code of conduct for life on planet Hangzhou.

You’llalways find cars ready to stop to let you by at crosswalks.In fact，local drivers will tell you that they’ve been in the habit of doing so for years，according to a ZhejiangDaily report in 2007.Those who travel extensively in China will note the care they find on the streets of this quaint eastern city.

This sort of etiquette extends to those on two wheels as well.To ease trafficcongestion and encourage environmentally-friendly transportation，the Hangzhou government invested 180 million RMB into building a public bicycle system which has over 3，500 service spots and 84，000 bicycles operating around the city.All you need to get one is to swipe your transportation card-at the very reasonable rate.Hangzhou boasts one of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world.

But，what is biking if the environment is lacking？Conservation is close to the hearts of the people of Hangzhou.The city，for example，has 470 rivers，and in early 2013，according to the Hangzhou Municipal Government，113 of them were heavily polluted because of illegal sewage discharge.Just two years later，70 of them have been restored.Even the newspapers play a role in keeping Hangzhou clean.The local bestselling newspaper Qianjiang Evening Post has an online tip-off platform where photos of sanitary misconduct are posted for public knowledge.

And，of course，there is a place for public participation in the sphere of Hangzhou civility.In Shangcheng District，the most populated of all eight districts，there is an office named“Hubin Qingyu”（”Sunny and Rainy Hubin”），meaning“lakeside barometer”.

Established in 2010，the office has collected hundreds and thousands of public opinions to make the city better.According to the Zhe jiang Online News，the city’s petition ratelowered nearly 50 percent one year after its establishment，forming a bridge between the citizens of Hangzhou and the local government.This office is a constant source of wisdom；after all，who has better ideas regarding Hangzhou’s environment than those who live here and rely on its beauty to make a living？

In that spirit，the treasures of the city’s natural landscape，historical sites，and cultural relics are beloved amongst the people who call Hangzhou home.Most of the citys older architectural achievements have maintained their original looks；for example，on Beishan and Nanshan roads，visitors will see old villas and houses owned by officials or wealthy families in the past-perhaps warped into shops and galleries-still with their original architectural features in place，consolidated but unchanged by the ages.Another example is that of the gate to Qiushui Villa，owned by a famous newspaper tycoon in the late Republic era and now part of a hotel；it was painted yellow in late March of 2016，causing a bit of an outcry among fans of both history and architecture.Funnily enough，it used to be yellow.But，folks weren’t having it.After much deliberation，the gate was painted grey so that it kept the look and feel of ancient architecture.

Such fiery public spirit for the city’s beauty is common in this city.Visitors are quick to notice the strong sense of responsibility that local people hold.The volunteers in West Lake service spots provide free maps and tea，route guides，travel tips，and even take time out to help tourists design their tours while in Hangzhou.In 2010，fewer than ten people formed a small volunteer group and set up a booth by the lakeside. Today, the booths have spread all around the West Lake and now over 50,000 people have volunteered in these “West Lake Smile Booths”.

Quite apart from being helpful, these volunteers act as a sort of ad hoc petty police for the tourist sites throughout Hangzhou, reminding visitors to throw away their rubbish inthe proper areas and not to damage the environment and public facilities. The volunteers bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge, which they share with Hangzhou’s casual visitors. Seventy-six-year-old Yang Chunbin, for example, makes handmade kites and is always happy to introduce these age-old techniques to interested passersby.

There is much one might brag about their city-that it’s big, that it’s modern, that it’s convenient-but, Hangzhou takes pride in the care and selflessness its citizens put into making Hangzhou a truly civilized city.