保护环境B

保护环境B

Keep Square Clean, Tidy

On Sunday, still on display on Tian' anmen Square were dozens of

floats that were paraded along Chang' an Avenue during the National

Day celebrations. Thousands of people strolled on the narrow lanes be-

tween the floats that fragmented the square, busily taking photos. Not

far from the noisy crowds, yellow leaves fell nonchalantly from locust

trees along the driveway, sending out the first signals of the coming

autumn. But even if all the leaves fall, they still cannot cover the

brown and black spots on the whitish stones in the huge square.

Such stains of chewing gum, stale oil or some worse blemish have

remained a constant pain for city cleaners since the square 'was re-

opened a few months ago after renovations to celebrate the 50th anni-

versary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Few renovation project planners likely foresee this discouraging

outcome. Originally, they merely intended to give the city a face-

lift. The square was indeed impeccable when new: The-white terrazzo

surface not only looks clean but it was made with materials that help

prevent it from becoming slippery.

However, as time goes by, the virtue becomes the vice: the sur-

face attracts and accentuates dirt. As a result, China' s most high -

profile site has to suffer the indignity of being paraded daily before the

public in a humiliation state.

While the tourists who litter should bear the bulk of the blame,

the renovation designers should also have learned something: including

the square's sanitary maintenance issue into their consideration.