For many Chinese who were shocked to see the devastation inflicted by the 9.0 earthquake, powerful tsunami and radiation leaks in Japan, the spirit displayed by the Japanese during the past 10 days has been simply stunning.

Since the first day after the quake, photos and reports about the calm, civility and orderliness of the Japanese people in the disaster-hit region have been widely circulated in the Chinese media.

One photo shows how people line up in front of public phone booths in good order, while another zooms in on the composure of crowds waiting in a subway station where service was temporarily suspended. Still another catches the moment of two Japanese women bowing deeply to international rescuers as they rushed to help others.

One story written by a Chinese student in Japan tells how the teacher asked every student to seek shelter under their desks while he himself stood in the center of the classroom, exposed to the risk of collapsing ceilings.

Another story repeats the theme of deference for the recent actions by the Japanese. After hundreds of people left the middle of the roads where they took refuge for hours after the violent tremor, no litter was found on the ground. Years ago, there wasn't any garbage in a fully packed Japanese stadium after an intense World Cup soccer match.

Many Chinese are also in awe of Japan's strict construction codes. Most school buildings have withstood the strong quake and have become shelters for displaced survivors, a big contrast to the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 when hundreds of school buildings collapsed within seconds, killing tens of thousands of students.

The most moving of all is the selfless Fukushima 50, the group of Japanese workers battling the nuclear disaster at the power plant, who decided to sacrifice their lives in the fight to prevent a meltdown.

It would not be true to say that the Fukushima 50 have had no anxiety in their hearts during the crisis. Each of the workers has displayed civility and discipline, which was cultivated since they were children and has enabled them to display grace under pressure.

There are good reasons for Chinese to feel impressed by what the Japanese have exhibited.

Many Chinese cities are still fighting an incessant battle against jaywalking, littering and spitting in public. Garbage at bus stops, train stations, theaters and stadiums is often an eyesore if not cleaned up by a large team of sanitation workers. Many people still like to push around on sidewalks, in shops and on buses.

Some of my high school classmates who are now living overseas talked in a recent gathering about how they are amazed to find better living standards on the mainland, but still dismayed at the excessive material worship and a deficit of civility, courtesy and morality in society.

While China formally took over as the world's second largest economy last year, Japanese have demonstrated during the crisis that China still has much to do to catch up with Japan and move toward a harmonious society.

For decades, the pursuit of GDP growth has been the main and only goal in modernization. Everything has been measured by monetary terms. There has been much attention on teaching students about science and technology, yet very little on the education of the liberal arts and humanities. Campaigns on the so-called ethical and cultural progress have largely turned into lip service.

What the Japanese have displayed during the current crisis has revealed another crisis we have ignored for too long. It is a more daunting task than fighting inflation, property prices and income gaps.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. He can be reached at chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn