China is taking its Olympic hosting duties very seriously. It's trying to improve its image with a new crackdown on some of those bad habits that may be hard to break like spitting, slurping and, yes, even nose-picking. The government has hired its own version of Miss Manners to try to bring etiquette to the masses. And "civility officers" have been dispatched to keep an eye on things on public transportation. Officials say ... improvement has been slow but steady ... and there's still room for growth before the Games come to Beijing next year.

 

(China Daily March 15, 2007)