Heavenly Small Things, the title of a book, might seem at first a contradiction. But it is actually not.

In the traditional Chinese perception of nature, nothing is bigger or more important than heaven. For example, the expression tianda de shi (something as big as heaven) is often used to describe something of top concern.

So heavenly small things implies that unimportant things require as much attention as bigger concerns.

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It may sound odd, but while one small thing might not make much of a difference on its own, the accumulation of many small things can make a big difference.

For instance wasting a bucket of water is probably a small matter for an individual, but if each of the 1.3 billion residents in this country wastes a bucket of water a day it is a very serious concern.

Clearly, a lack of attention to small matters can have serious consequences. The many small things in people's everyday lives, which many people and even governments believe they can ignore, can actually make a huge difference if they are given enough attention.

With high rises mushrooming in cities, the use of elevators is a daily activity for millions of residents. It seems an activity too commonplace to think about. But developing the habit of pressing the right button can save electricity and the time of both the person pressing the button and others.

I have noticed that the majority of residents in the apartment building I live in will press the buttons of both elevators at the same time regardless of which one will arrive first. They obviously consider it the most convenient and expedient way to get to the floor they want. But this frequently means that one of the elevators will move without any passengers, which wastes electricity and extends the waiting time of other users.

Once entering the elevator, most people are too impatient to wait for the doors to close automatically and will press the button to close the doors. This, according to experts, shortens the lifespan of elevators.

I don't know how much electricity an elevator uses to travel from the bottom floor to the top floor of the 24-story building I live in. Yet, I believe, at least one third of the electricity used by elevators could be saved if the majority of users exercised a little patience.

Actually, it does not need much thought to realize that pressing the right button will save time and make both elevators work more efficiently for all. The more an elevator travels up or down empty, the more time is wasted for those waiting.

This is just one of the many examples of how a lack of attention to small things contributes to big problems. As a matter of fact, much more work needs to be done by governments at all levels to pay due attention to small things in the management of cities as the country undergoes its rapid urbanization.

Such things as saving water, environmentally friendly waste disposal and the efficient use of public transport require attention to details both in the design of the system and the public involvement in their implementation.

Efficient, orderly and happy urban life depends not on clusters of high buildings and wider streets but on attention to small details, which will then make life better for all.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. E-mail: zhuyuan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/27/2011 page8)