Tiantongyuan was not originally planned to be a station on Line 5 of the Beijing subway system. Two years into construction work on the line, the government boldly changed the route to include the Tiantongyuan stop.

Although some expressed doubts at first, it is now clear that the decision was a smart one. Of all the 23 stops on Line 5, Tiantongyuan is the busiest. More importantly, local residents feel that their opinions and voices are valued.

It all began with an online discussion. Someone said Tiantongyuan should be a stop on Line 5, and a few people agreed and started to spread the word. Thousands of phone calls, letters, and e-mails came, then the government decided to listen, and now Beijing has the Tiantongyuan station.

An editorial from the Beijing News says we have much to learn from this case. The first lesson is that participation counts. If we want to see the results we desire, people need to make things happen, rather than wait for things to happen. If everyone thought The construction work began two years ago, there's no way the government will add a stop now, and no one had actually bothered to do anything, we couldn't have the Tiantongyuan station today.

The article says the second lesson is that public opinions do matter. The decision to add Tiantongyuan as a stop cost more than 70 million yuan, or nearly 10 million US dollar, but it was money well spent. This sends the message that the government values public opinion, and in return, the public will show more respect and support for the government.