Have a 'real' holiday

The upcoming International May Day holiday is around the corner and many Shanghainese are in full-swing preparing for trips away.

The week-long holiday, known as "Golden Week", was initiated in 1999 as Chinese people in growing numbers chose to travel during the holiday and revenue from tourism, catering and related sectors was rising.

However, last year, under the shadow of SARS the week-long holiday was cancelled which has led everybody to be anxious about the arrival of the vacation this year.

But what is a "real" holiday for people now? Most will opt for travelling, especially now that restrictions on individual visitors going to Hong Kong and Macao have been eased. Indeed, as the new regulations went into effect, with citizens galore wanting to go, the catering industry and the airlines will rake it in.

But if you'd really like to enrich and enjoy yourself you should not follow in the footsteps of those who want to stroll for a whole day and eat rich and scrumptious meals and live in luxurious hotels on their trips. Such a journey just squanders your money, has no meaning and yields no benefit despite an enormous investment.

From my point of view, the government and travel agencies around the country should jointly sponsor a lot of interesting, exciting and unforgettable activities. Take the capital city, Beijing, as an example: the local municipal government and Olympic Games Organizing Committee have launched "Olympics Cultural Week" to promote the "spirit of the Olympia" to stimulate the masses to participate in the pageant and build confidence for holding the 2008 Olympic Games in the capital city. This will not only broaden visitors' vision but also revitalize their vigour for the coming workdays as the Chinese saying goes: "Gain two ends at once."

Zhang Hui

Hurrah for new

traffic rules

Recent statistics show at least 300 people die in traffic accidents every day in China, putting the country at the top of the world's road death toll listing.

The figure is growing by 10 per cent every year and things are no better in Shanghai. That is the situation which has led to the introduction of a new set of traffic regulations which come into effect from May 1. The new rules highlight, among other things, heavy penalties for those who don't behave themselves on the road. This is absolutely necessary.

People tend to heap most of the blame on motorists for traffic disasters. To my knowledge, however, things are not that simple. As a Shanghai resident I think I can say authoritively that pedestrians and cyclists must be held responsible for most traffic accidents. And I am no exception.

Old habits die hard. and I believe the heavy fines imposed can eventually turn out to be a blessing in disguise in two ways. They will not only help check those careless rule breakers and ease traffic in the interest of every individual but also drive all of us, even in a passive way, to become more responsible and lovely Shanghainese.

It is never too late to learn.

Xu Shengsheng

Bull in dairy

Ms Huang describes her difficulty finding an emergency dental clinic at night ("Teething troubles in the big city", April 22-28). It seems as if the hospital employees know nothing about other health care facilities in Shanghai.

This shows a lack of communication in the health care industry. (Had Ms Huang read the hospital listings in the Star, she would have gone immediately to the Number 9 Hospital.)

However, the same lack of communication can be demonstrated in a much smaller facility, namely the Shanghai Star. Li Jian reports that 70,000 cows are presently in the Shanghai area. (Soon to be reduced to 70,000!) On the next page, Shaq Lee reports that there are 90,000 of the beasts lactating in the same area.

Enough of bovine banalities. Onto the traffic regulations. Could you please print a synopsis of the new traffic laws for the illiterate. Do the laws address only the amount of the fine or do they also address the behaviour of drivers, bikers and pedestrians?

And, finally, I like the new "community" column in the classified section.

John Ingersoll