Was the Chinese government successful in getting the residents of Beijing to stop spitting on the sidewalks?

Question

BBC's reporting on the attempt to implement programs to stop residents of Beijing from spitting on the sidewalks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4762436.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6927361.stm

Anybody who has walked through Beijing knows that the residents spit on the sidewalks and streets quite a lot. Was the Chinese government's attempt to stop Beijingers from spitting on the sidewalks successful? Or was this a wasted effort?

Answer 1

I know they were told not to spit on the sidewalks. Hopefully it was successful.

Answer 2

Hard for chinese people to kick a bad habit. it might be a bit better in larger cities to correct but it other small cities and provinces i dont think so, still plenty remains to be uneducated.......

Answer 3

I am sure it is not a wasted effort. Like all national education programs, it will take more time. Since China can beat USA in the Olympics Gold Medals tally, I do not see why they cannot kick a bad habit.