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分享一篇文章： Shanghai is cracking down on its most tenacious fashion trend. In preparation for the 2010 World Expo, the municipal government has launched a campaign to eradicate running red lights and wearing pajamas in public. For those of you who have not been wowed by the most cosmopolitan of Chinese cities, Shanghai is known for, among other things, its middle-aged women who saunter onto the street in their sleepwear. Some even venture as far as the subway or the shopping mall. As the slogan, "Do not go outdoors in pajamas, be a civilized person for the Expo," demonstrates, this tradition does not dovetail with the ideal projection of an international metropolis. Trouble is, not every Shanghainese believes the practice is uncivilized. There has been sporadic pressure urging locals to abandon the habit, but it refuses to die. Only this time the drum is beating faster because, as one granny put it, "We're so close to the Expo site foreigners may drop by and we've got to put on our best." So, it's not really about whether we like it, but rather about whether we are liked. Again, it's the quintessential concept of "face" and "saving face". Not many Chinese are shocked to see a street full of pajama-wearing pedestrians, but if international visitors feel squeamish about it we should stop doing it. Or so the implied rationale for the crackdown goes. I used to feel wearing pajamas on the streets was inappropriate, but when I dig deeper I can trace it to what an American friend told me: To wear pajamas in public is like going naked. Before that, I didn't even notice it. Pajamas were not something I saw often when I was growing up (where I come from, we sleep in our underwear). | 
