 The Chinese government has recently set a temperature limit for all public buildings at no less than 26 degrees Celsius in the summertime. Furthermore, to complement the regulation, civil servants are required to wear only a shirt or T-shirt to the office instead of a suit.
These regulations highlight the Chinese government's positive attitude towards energy saving. But the prescriptive summertime dress code for civil servants is arousing concern from some media sources.
The China Youth Daily has put forward its own reasons behind the dress code regulation. It says on one hand, in the view of some officials, imposed standards for clothing can go well with their dignified status. On the other, public offices give them better access to comforts like air-conditioning. Thick suits fit in well with the consistently-cool working environment. As they take this for granted, they forgot the importance of saving energy.
The opinion of Xinhua Net states that to save energy and dress properly should have been a voluntary and civic minded act by civil servants not an imposed one. Furthermore, they feel common people are more concerned over what civil servants do than what they wear. Addressing insignificant issues like dress codes is considered a waste of time. However, since the regulation has been issued, citizens will be eagerly watching to see whether or not it will be enforced to the full.
The Qilu Evening Paper gives positive comments on the regulation. With this concrete top-down move, the government has shown great foresight in establishing an environmentally-friendly and sustainable society. If the government sets the example by slightly raising office temperatures, average citizens will be happy to follow suit and electricity will be hugely saved nationwide. The article also cites the similar practice by the Japanese government. This summer, the Japanese government officesĄŻ temperature will be kept at no less than 28 degrees Celsius. On TV, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was seen to be tuning down a light bulb with a casual T-shirt and a pair of sandals on.
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