YU Hai, a professor in the Sociology Department of Fudan University:

Shanghai isn't a friendly city, not at all. I can give you a fresh example: I was riding my bicycle a few days ago. When I stopped at an intersection because it was showing a red light, another cyclist rushed past me and across the intersection bumping into me. He didn't say sorry or even stop to look back at me.

Many local residents, who are known as "xiao shi min" (little potato residents), have little awareness about rules.

Some local people only show politeness and a warm heart in front of relatives and friends. But to strangers, they change their attitude easily.

To my point of view, such bad habits originate in the Chinese traditional moral system. According to it, people should show their love for relatives - which is natural - and to neighbours and others. But the reality is that people only show it to their close relatives.

Hua Jian, deputy director of the Shanghai Research Centre of the Shanghai Academy of Social Science:

I think friendly means trust between different people. But the trust of local people is not very high. Trading on credit in China accounts for only 1 per cent of the world total.

But Shanghai, to me, is the city with the best credit in the country. It treats people in a fair and open way according to international practice. That's why more businessmen are gathering in the Yangtze Delta from home and abroad.

Some figures may show the city's credit: the GDP of the Yangtze Delta - whose centre is Shanghai - accounts for about 20 per cent of China's total. In foreign currency it accounts for 36 per cent of the total. If Shanghai were not friendly, no one would come.

Though most provincial people complain that the Shanghainese are not friendly to them. I think the trend is more and more for local people to accept and respect those from other places.

(Star News)