Fly in the hand is worth more than 2 on the wall

Chinese city pays cash for dead flies

By staff writers

July 12, 2007 08:41am

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CHINA's recent obsession with public hygiene has reached new levels with a city setting a bounty on dead flies.

Officials in Luoyang, a city of 1.55 million people, paid more than $125 for about 2000 dead flies during the campaign launch on July 1, Xinhau news agency said.

Each fly is worth about seven cents.

The payment scheme is the first of its kind in Luoyang, which is striving to earn the title of "state-level hygienic city".

"I and colleagues believe it is the best way to push residents to do more for their living environment,' office chief Hu Guisheng said.