Shanghai may add swearing in public to new law banning anti-social behaviour

SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Watch your language. This is Shanghai. China's financial centre is considering a law against using swear words in public, a sign of just how far the city has moved from its profane 19th century dockside origins.

Newspapers and a government spokesman said the ban could be included in a law targeting spitting, littering, smoking, jaywalking and other behaviour deemed disruptive or anti-social.

The law, now being considered by the city council, needs to address swearing because it could also cause simple arguments to escalate into violence, city government adviser Luo Huarong told the Shanghai Morning Post.

"It's not certain whether this can pass or how we would punish people who use bad language even if it is passed," said a spokesman for the city government's Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction, who like many Chinese bureaucrats refused to give his name.

In recent years, Shanghai has sought to boost the quality of life and shake a reputation for rude behaviour among residents.

© The Canadian Press, 2007