Friday Funny: Local Laws Gone Wild

In Huangping, China, schoolchildren are required to salute passing cars in an effort to reduce traffic accidents. This rule is just one of many bizarre local ordinances in China, where the power of local bureaucrats can sometimes get out of hand.

1 minute read

October 30, 2009, 2:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


In another part of the country, residents are required to buy a locally produced cigarette brand exclusively to boost the economy.

"This is hardly the only nation where local bureaucrats sometimes run a bit too free. But in China, where many local officials are less than well trained and only the party can eject them from office, local governments' dubious edicts are common enough that skewering them has become a favorite pastime of China's Web users. Even the state-run media join in, although they rarely report who was behind the rules or suggest that they indicate a lack of competence to govern."

Sunday, October 25, 2009 in The New York Times

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