A Clean Sweep

You would think that with the spitting and the young children going to the bathroom on the street (see earlier posts on spitting and toilet habits)that China's streets and sidewalks would be filthy. Not so! They are all quite clean. The reason is that every inch of street, every inch of sidewalk has a sweeper assigned to it. They are out there sweeping every day. This includes freeways. The image I will always carry in my mind are the freeway sweepers mildly walking down the freeway sweeping the road while cars, trucks, semis, motorcycles go whizzing by them.

I am fascinated by the brooms as well. Most look handmade, and they vary greatly. Some are made of sticks; some of "straw," and some street sweepers even use what I would describe as feather dusters!

My fascination with the brooms took an early unexpected turn. I bought a new broom and hung it as a decoration in our apartment on the wall. Every Chinese person who enters our apartment looks at the broom hanging there and giggles. (Of course, I'd do the same in America if someone hung a broom on their wall.)

The most courageous will ask, Weishenme? "Why have you hung this broom on the wall?" I answer that when I bought it, it had been newly made out of hay, and I loved the smell and the folk-art look of it. Hanging it on the wall made our whole apartment smell wonderful (to me, the old farm girl). From their funny looks at me, I don't think my explanation went over. (Connie)