The Software Upgrade in Chinese Civic Behaviour

 In the provided sources, "software" is defined as civic behaviour, or what is domestically referred to in China as "civilisational levels" (wénmíng shuǐpíng). The evolution of this software is framed as a significant upgrade that has occurred alongside the country's massive "hardware" (infrastructure and building) improvements over the last two decades.

The Evolution from "Village" Norms to Urban Etiquette

In the early 2000s, Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, were described as having "much of the village about them". Civic behaviour during this era was characterized by several "lacunae" in social etiquette:

• Public Habits: Casual spitting, littering, and disorderly queuing were common.
• Social Interactions: Scant awareness of others’ personal or aural space, manifested through loud phone conversations and "Beijing-style name-calling".
• Physical Deportment: Locals often hitched vests over their bellies in warm weather, and children frequently wore kaidangku (open-crotch pants) for convenience.
• Sanitation: Public toilets were often unclean, and users frequently squatted on top of Western-style toilet seats.

By 2026, the sources describe a marked transformation. Observations at places like the Fragrant Hills in Beijing show improved crowd management and relative order despite massive tourist numbers. Public spaces have become "spick and span" with no litter in sight, and toilet seats are generally free of footprints, indicating a shift from squatting to sitting.

Drivers of the "Software Upgrade"

The sources identify several key factors that have propelled this evolution:

• Economic Growth: As per capita income in Beijing rose from approximately USD 2,600 in 2005 to USD 13,000 in 2025, the population moved from "survival norms" toward "bourgeois self-regulation". Higher incomes have fostered a middle class with reputational stakes who care about refinement and social scrutiny.
• Settled Urbanisation: The process of moving from rural to urban areas has transitioned into a "settling into" of urban norms, moving past the phase where the "village lingers in the city".
• Hardware Influencing Software: The physical environment itself shapes behaviour; for instance, targeted afforestation (adding 2.19 million mu of green space) and the provision of ample dustbins and clean waterways encourage more respectful use of public space.
• Increased Surveillance: The "panopticon" of pervasive surveillance cameras—estimated at 370 per 1,000 people in large cities—creates a sense of being constantly observed. This results in self-policing and reduces "behavioural slippage" into old habits like spitting or littering.

"Upgrade with Chinese Characteristics"

Despite these changes, the sources clarify that the evolution is an "upgrade with Chinese characteristics," rather than a total transformation into a nation of "synchronised swimmers". Some traditional behaviours persist:

• Taoist Spirit: The "way of the Tao" remains alive in the intuitive and sometimes rule-bending habits of bicyclists who ignore one-way roads or zebra crossings.
• Informality: "Pajama couture" is still seen in older neighbourhoods, and "nappers" can still be found on display beds in IKEA.

Ultimately, the Chinese are described as "natural loophole-finders" who exist in a constant state of tension between individualistic, jugaad-oriented instincts and the order-seeking, paternalistic dictates of the state.

The sources identify the "software upgrade" in Chinese civic behaviour—domestically referred to as "civilisational levels" (wénmíng shuǐpíng)—as a complex transformation driven by a combination of economic, social, environmental, and technological factors.

The primary drivers of this change include:

1. Economic Growth and "Bourgeois Self-Regulation"

The dramatic increase in wealth over two decades has significantly altered the public psyche.

• Income Increase: In Beijing, per capita income rose from approximately USD 2,600 in 2005 to USD 13,000 in 2025.
• Shift in Values: This fivefold increase facilitated a shift from "survival norms"—where people focus on getting by in a "dog-eat-dog world"—to "bourgeois self-regulation".
• Reputational Stakes: A new middle class has emerged with "reputational stakes," leading individuals to care more about refinement and the social scrutiny of others.

2. Settled Urbanisation

The sources describe a "temporally compressed process of urbanisation" that has moved beyond mere physical migration.

• Completion of Transition: While early 2000s Beijing was an "agglomeration of urban villages" where the "village lingered in the city," the current era marks a "settling into of urban norms".
• Abstract Civic Space: Interactions have evolved from being based on personal reciprocity to being governed by abstract concepts of civic space.

3. Hardware Shaping Software

The physical environment is presented as a direct determinant of behavior, where "upgraded hardware has also boosted the software".

• Infrastructure Design: The presence of ample dustbins, clean waterways, and broad roads naturally encourages more respectful and considered behavior.
• Targeted Afforestation: The massive addition of greenery—2.19 million mu of green space and 103 million trees between 2012 and the early 2020s—has changed the "look and feel" of the city, promoting less littering and better public conduct.

4. The "Panopticon" of Surveillance

Technological monitoring acts as a powerful deterrent against "behavioural slippage".

• Pervasive Monitoring: Large Chinese cities now have approximately 370 cameras per 1,000 people, many of which were installed during the pandemic and never removed.
• Self-Policing: Because every infraction is potentially recorded, citizens anticipate being observed, which creates a sense of "someone is always watching". This ensures that even if surveillance didn't create the behavior, it prevents people from reverting to "bad but easy habits" like spitting.

5. Paternalistic State Directives

The government has played an active role in engineering behavior through specific indices and public messaging.

• Civilisation-Evaluation Index: Authorities historically used a ranking system for neighbourhoods, rewarding traits like shared housework and book collections while penalising "black marks" like spitting or raising livestock at home.
• Rule-Announcing: Public spaces, such as the Fragrant Hills, use loudspeakers for "strident rule-announcing" to manage massive crowds and maintain order.

Despite these drivers, the sources note that this remains an "upgrade with Chinese characteristics". The "Taoist spirit" persists in a constant tension with "Confucian bodies," meaning that while people are more disciplined, they remain "natural loophole-finders" who occasionally indulge in "rule-bending" or "pajama couture".

Despite the significant "software upgrade" in civic behavior, the sources emphasize that China has not become a "nation-sized team of synchronised swimmers". Several persistent characteristics remain deeply ingrained in the social fabric, leading the author to describe the transformation as an "upgrade with Chinese characteristics".

Key persistent characteristics include:

• Ongoing Public Habits: While reduced, behaviors such as spitting, "chaos-shuffling," and rule-bending still occur frequently enough to remain recognizable to those familiar with older iterations of Chinese cities.
• "Pajama Couture": In older hutong neighborhoods, wearing pajamas as public attire remains a "haute fashion" staple.
• IKEA Napping: A specific tradition from the mid-2000s that persists is the sight of local residents napping on display beds in flagship stores like IKEA.
• The "Taoist Spirit" of Bicyclists: The behavior of Beijing cyclists is cited as proof that a rebellious, intuitive spirit remains "alive and kicking". These cyclists often operate with a logic that ignores "trifles" like zebra crossings, one-way roads, and even security cameras.
• "Natural Loophole-Finders": The sources conclude that the Chinese are fundamentally "natural loophole-finders" rather than strict rule-followers. They are described as being in a constant state of tension between their "individualistic, jugaad-oriented instincts" and the paternalistic, order-seeking demands of the state.

Ultimately, while surveillance and wealth have disciplined public deportment, these persistent traits suggest a population that remains "Taoists trapped in Confucian bodies," balancing personal convenience and intuition against a cultural conditioning toward obedienc