Editor,

My name is Joshua, from Ghana. I am currently studying Chinese at Shaanxi Normal University. As a regular reader of China Daily, I have decided to make a few points.

The habit of spitting in public places is disgusting. Although I have grown to love China over the years, one thing I still find difficult to deal with is spitting whether it's on buses, in restaurants or on the street.

In my opinion, the worst culprits of this are men who smoke.

I know China has a good reputation in terms of medicine, but some people still do all they can to bring about outbreaks of diseases. TB and other airborne diseases are easily passed to others because of such behaviour. I would like to see the launch of a national campaign against such acts, and I will strive to curb such behaviour at my university.

I think it is vital to stamp out this sort of bad behaviour before it even starts. Therefore, such a campaign ought to target children between, say, the ages of three and seven. I am sure that will help.

Joshua, Shaanxi Province.

Moral decline

Editor,

The article "Paparazzi set poor example" (May 17) made some very good points. I agree with Liu Shinan's assessment that the media is contributing to the moral decline of society by pandering to the lowest level of readers. Any benefits from this approach are certain to be short-term, while also being a long-term cost to society. In the future, people will have to deal with greater social problems that will cost far more than the profits being made today.

S. Anthony Ilacqua, via e-mail

Drying laundry

Editor,

I very much enjoyed reading the article "Spotlight on the real China is not offensive" (May 20). Being a Westerner living in Beijing, I cannot comment on some of the points you made, but I certainly agree that drying laundry outside is not something to be ashamed of. After all, this can be witnessed in many parts of the world. When I lived in the United States, I was certainly not the only person hanging laundry out to dry in my backyard. Anyway, dryers are nothing more than a waste of energy.

Jurg Ott, Beijing

Get reading

Editor,

I was impressed by the article "Pick up the habit of reading books" (April 26).

I think the only thing I can do is read more books and influence the people around me. I truly believe that there are still many people who are fond of reading and derive great pleasure from it.

China is now developing at an extremely rapid pace. We can expect much from this, but at the same time, we cannot deny that there are some drawbacks resulting from this.

I am now 19 years old. I only recently became a serious reader, and feel sorry about all of the time I previously wasted. In books, I have found a new world a world of conscience and self-esteem.

Kent, via e-mail

Big-box stores

Editor,

The last sentence in your article "Are big-box stores truly a blessing (May 26)" is true, it is a matter of lifestyle and the people should decide.

However, despite being a defender of people's choices, I often wonder if the retail protection mode used by Germany is not superior to the open market of the United States. With the rare exception of New York, Boston and San Francisco, American cities are dead. The charm of shopping is gone. Of course, I sense that the lower a person is in the economic scale, the more he or she would welcome the American model, since it increases purchasing power.

Fernando Bensuaski, Shanghai

Care for the unlucky

Editor,

Li Xing's article "Don't forget all people are born equal (May 25)" did strike a chord with me. I am delighted to see that people who enjoy a life of ease and comfort are still concerned about the destiny of society's most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Dramatic changes have been taking place since the start of China's reform and opening drive. On the whole, people' lives have improved markedly. However, the rift between the poor and rich has widened to an unprecedented extent. I deplore the fact that poor people can hardly make ends meet, while wealthy people squander their money. Meanwhile, sympathy is a quality exhibited by very few rich people.

I was very aspiring and ambitious when I was at university. However, after entering society, I felt weak and incapable: My dreams couldn't be realized. As a result, I have became very pragmatic.

But I always dream that I can educate everyone to the point that they realize they are the masters of their own destiny, that their lives are not dictated by others.

Chen Xiaguang, Guangdong Province

Editor,

I was deeply touched by Li Xing's article concerning students with disabilities (May 25). I want to express my respect to Ms Li for her great work.

Disabled people in China still have a long way to go before they achieve equal rights. I consider such equality to be the hallmark of a civilized and harmonious society. More reporters need to devote themselves to this area. Thanks for your article, as it offered me much food for thought about disabled people.

Eric Huang, via e-mail

(China Daily 05/31/2006 page4)