China: Part Two (Glorious Hyperbole)

     During my five-week stay in Chengdu, I became more and more enamored of the public signposts (at least, those that had been translated into English). In fact, as I began to "collect" images of such signposts in my digital camera, I realized that they represented an important aspect of Chinsese culture: the love of hyperbole (or what we might call "flowery language").

  The public notice that I have attached to the top of this page ("Chengdu Municipal Rules Pertaining to Civilized Tour") could be found in most touristy parts of town. Its apparent purpose is "to build a civilized and harmonious tour environment" by outlining the rules that will guide local citizen and foreign tourist alike to enlightenment as they participate in their tour. Besides the obvious mandates such as "Don't talk too loudly" or "Don't spit," there are less-than-obvious pieces of advice such as "Respect other people's rights" and "Think decent and respectful thoughts."

     At first, I found these instructions to be rather quaint and amusing in their odd, eccentric way.  But slowly it dawned on me that these notices were taken seriously. Moreover, they actually seemed to work!!  For example, the tourist spot where I took the picture above was refreshingly free of hawkers, peddlers, picpockets, or beggars. Shopkeepers were not aggressive or pushy; in fact, they were downright cordial. Yes, I would even go so far as to say that wherever I saw such notices, there did, indeed, exist "a civilized and harmonious tour environment."

     Of course, some of these idealistic notices verge on the absurd........... 

   ........ since when did a satisfying parking job result in a feeling of bliss and nirvana?

     Likewise, I'm not sure about this suggestion........

  Needless to say, this can only be found in the men's restrooms.

     At other times, the notices seem like cheap propaganda.  Here, for example, is a billboard advertising a new highrise apartment complex that was in the process of being constructed on the south side of town.     

Believe me, if you had seen the building where "C-Park" was located, your imagination would not have been wrapped up quite as easily as the billboard suggests.

     Despite these minor misgivings, I remain a big fan of Chinese hyperbole.  I like the romanticized grandeur and lofty aspirations of it. As I said in the introduction, I think it speaks to a strong strain of idealistic thinking that has flowered throughout thousands of years of Chinese civilization. And yes, I even like it when something goes badly wrong in translation.......  

Somehow, I can't imagine a similar notice on the White House front lawn.