学礼仪 迎奥运

From pollution to terrorism, the list of worries Beijing officials have to contend with is substantial, with fashion now apparently one of them.

Beijing officials have distributed 4.3 million copies of an etiquette book outlining rules on good manners and foreign customs, including rules about what not to wear. The guide is part of an effort by various departments within China's government to clean the city up in preparation for the at least 400,000 foreign visitors who are expected descend on its capital for the Olympic Games, which start Aug. 8.

Among the no-no's: more than three color shades in an outfit, white socks with black shoes, and pajamas and slippers in public.

'No matter what, never wear too many colors . . . especially during formal occasions,' the book said. 'When you wear [formal shoes], be sure to wear socks in good condition . . . socks should be a dark color -- never match black leather shoes with white socks.'

'Older women should choose shoes with heels that aren't too high,' it said.

The book, published by the Beijing Municipal Government's Capital Ethic Development Office, is part of the department's effort to make Beijing more 'civilized,' officials said.

Along the same lines, Beijing authorities announced earlier this year that they would step up efforts to fine people who spit in public as much as 50 yuan ($7.33).

Other guidelines range from the obvious to overly specific. Public displays of affection aren't acceptable, for example. In a section about escalators and elevators, the book said people should place their hands on escalator railings to avoid falling. It then addresses a pet peeve of many in Beijing: 'When entering an elevator . . . let people walk out before you enter,' it said. It goes on to say riders should look only straight ahead and never stare at other passengers.

It also warns readers of the 'Eight Things Not to Ask' foreigners, including their age, marital status, income, or religious and political beliefs.

The guidelines appear somewhat stringent by many standards. When asked about the three-color rule, Lea Li, contributing editor to Vogue China, said, 'Lots of great designer brands use more than three colors on one shoe . . . it's not about calculation, it's aesthetics.'

Beijing fashion has come a long way since she got her degree in fashion design 15 years ago, Ms. Li said. 'The most famous foreign brand in China was Pierre Cardin,' she said. 'People didn't have models to copy at the time . . . they just copied hair styles from Hong Kong TV shows or movies.'

'People pay more attention to their style . . . the number [who do] is increasing rapidly,' Ms. Li said.

It remains to be seen how Beijing residents will take to the guidelines, though one Beijing student whose high school distributed the book said she thought it inconsequential, stowed it away and hasn't seen it since.

Some quipped that someone should forward the memo to all the foreigners arriving in sweat pants and flip flops.

从污染到恐怖主义，北京官员需要应对的问题不胜枚举，而现在似乎又多了文明礼仪这一项。

北京官员发放了430万册《文明礼仪普及读本》，介绍文明举止和外国习俗，其中包括衣着方面的禁忌。预计将有至少40万外国游客来北京观看8月8日开始的奥运会，中国政府各部门为此采取了多项措施改善北京面貌，准备迎接届时来京的外国游客，发放《文明礼仪普及读本》就是其中一项举措。

衣着禁忌包括：全套服装的颜色超过三种，穿白色袜子搭配黑鞋，在公共场所穿睡衣和拖鞋。

《文明礼仪普及读本》中指出，无论如何衣服的颜色不要太多. . .尤其是在正式场合；穿着正式鞋子时，一定要搭配一双好袜子. . .袜子应该是深色的──绝对不要穿黑皮鞋配白袜子。

书中还写道：年龄稍大的女性应该选择鞋跟不要太高的鞋。

这个小册子由北京市政府首都精神文明办公室出版。官员们说，这是该部门为提高首都文明程度做出的举措之一。

除此之外，北京有关部门今年早些时候还宣布，将加大对在公共场所随地吐痰的惩罚力度，罚款至多人民币50元（合7.33美元）。

规定囊括了从显而易见的事实到过于细节化的各类问题。举例来讲，在公共场所过于亲昵是不当的。在关于自动扶梯和电梯礼仪的章节里，小册子指出乘客应该扶住自动扶梯的扶手以免跌到。书中还对很多人抱怨的一个问题提出了建议：乘电梯时，要先出后进；在电梯里，应该目视前方，不要盯住别人看。

这本小册子还告诉读者对外国游客要“八不问”，包括不问年龄、婚姻状况、收入、宗教和政治信仰。

以很多标准来看，这个小册子的要求似乎有些严格。Vogue China的特约编辑Lea Li在被问及衣着颜色不超过三种的要求时说，很多伟大的设计师品牌在鞋子上使用的颜色就超过了三种. . .这不是数学问题，而是美学问题。

Lea Li谈到，自她15年前获得时装设计学位以来，北京的时尚气氛已经有了很大提升；当时中国最有名的外国品牌是皮尔卡丹(Pierre Cardin)，那个时候人们没有可以效仿的样式，他们只是模仿香港影视剧中的发型。

她说，现在人们更多关注起自己的风格，这样的人正迅速增多。

北京老百姓将如何看待这些指南仍有待观察，不过一位北京高中生在学校发放了这个小册子后说，她觉得这书不合理，放起来之后就再也没看过。

一些人嘲弄说，应该把这个小册子转发给所有穿着运动裤和人字拖来北京的外国人。 （实习编辑：顾萍）