The Cure song “Friday, I’m in Love” has it that on Wednesdays you can be grey, break my heart, have a heart attack, or stay in bed, but no such problems for Beijing in its Olympic year.
On Wednesdays in Beijing, you can take part in the Olympics in your own way by climbing the stairs. Yesterday, a Tuesday, this banner went up in the bottom of my office building to remind people of the government initiative. The characters proclaim, “Climb the stairs Wednesday, be one with the Olympics.”
I wish I had my camera on me today, because in honour of the occasion, one of the security guards in my building was wearing a dashing red and gold sash emblazoned with “Climb the Stairs Wednesday, be one with the Olympics.” Next Wednesday, I’ll definitely be armed and ready!
This post from the tbjblog written by one of my co-workers mentions the other special days in Beijing, like “Queueing on the 11th” and “Give Up Your Seat on the 22nd.”
A subway sign encouraging people to queue on the 11th. The white characters on the top say, “I queue, I let people go first, I am happy.”
