Must we cause fires in memory of the dead?

I have some suggestions on public administration affairs such as tomb sweeping and traffic management.

During the last Tomb Sweeping Festival, some 73 hill-fires were reported, which tested our firefighters to the limit.

Do we have to regulate this bad practice of burning things in memory of the dead? Are we waiting for more people to die?

Even if, by chance, there are no major fires during the festival, must we further pollute the air with smoke?

My second point is, if there is a traffic jam ahead, passengers on buses should be allowed to de-board wherever the bus is stuck, instead of stopping at the bus stop, which could be just 50 yards away.

We can also arrange five or six taxis to drive into the specific waiting zone and pick up a bunch of passengers together instead of driving in and out one by one. In this way the waiting time will be effectively shortened and the smoke emission that we have been trying so hard to avoid will also be reduced.

Chu CT

Via e-mail

Don't bother about social status or what others think

Comment on the article Educationally mismatched but amorously sound (China Daily Website,April 22)

The Chinese emphasize too much on status and positions. Having a diploma does not make somebody superior to others who are not well educated, or vice versa.

When it comes to marriage, there are too many other factors that should be considered other than social status, such as personality.

Chinese care about status because they always worry about what other people will think. As more and more people travel and study aboard, they will have a broader vision of the world, and hopefully the significance of status will become a less important factor.

Tony

On China Daily Website

Soon, there will be a shortage of women in China

Comment on the article Woman abducts baby to fool, keep sweetheart (China Daily Website, April 20)

The story clearly shows that the traditional false conception of treating women as inferior to men still exists in China today. This "son preference" tendency will become a major problem in China.

Nowadays, most demographers believe that the population gap between men and women will continue to stretch. Experts estimate that the population of men will be 15 percent more than that of women in China in the near future. The reason is just one: selective abortions, especially in the countryside.

Obviously, there will be fewer women for men to marry.

Imagine a day in China when one out of every seven men cannot find a woman to marry. This will affect the poor in the countryside more than urban citizens.

Chinese people should change this negative attitude toward the girl child.

Pascal

On China Daily Website

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send mail to Letters to the Editor, China Daily, 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029 China. Send faxes to (86-10) 6491-8377. Send e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 04/24/2009 page9)