Beijingers still had to work on improving their behavior in order to hold successful Games

Beijingers still had to work on improving their behavior in order to hold successful Games. China had only recently overcome basic issues like food shortages, and many people across the nation were only beginning to consider how to live healthier lives and be more civilized. Beijing has already implemented a series of measures to improve its residents' behavior ahead of next year's Summer Games, including campaigns cracking down on spitting, littering, queue-jumping and smoking in public.

The capital announced plans to start clearing beggars and other uncivilized elements from major underground rail stations. Efforts to clean up the capital's image have gone so far as to ban male taxi drivers from shaving their heads and growing beards, while women cab drivers are prohibited from sporting hairstyles that are "too fancy".