Traditional saying, "a distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor", doesn't seem to apply to today's society. According to a China Youth Daily survey, 40.6 percent of the 4,509 respondents said they didn't know their neighbors well, and 12.7 percent said they didn't even know who their next door neighbor was. But it's still premature to say neighborly relations have lost their importance, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

Whether a relationship is close or distant depends on contacts and interaction. With the increasing pace of life in today's society, people are under greater work pressure, rushing to work early and returning home late. That leaves them almost no time to communicate with neighbors. Compared with several decades ago, the situation has indeed worsened.

But the fact is, neither neighbors have become indifferent nor have neighborhood relations become cold. It's urbanization that has changed our lifestyle and habits. People actually recall the past because they long for the close neighborhood relations, and warm and hearty communication.

The rise of the Internet is another important reason why people's habits have changed. Many people think a click of the mouse can solve almost any problem and thus prefer staying home to going out and meeting or mixing with people in the neighborhood. It has to some extent weakened neighborhood relations.

The modern way of life is an inevitable social development. Therefore, we should attach greater importance to providing corresponding public service for changed neighborhood relations.

(China Daily 11/25/2011 page9)