On a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Singapore last month, a
perspiring passenger from mainland China sneezed and wheezed nonstop. Despite
coaxing from passengers and crew, the man did not cover his mouth, sending
fellow travelers scurrying for face masks to protect themselves from
germs. A new set of guidelines by China National Tourism Administration, issued late
last month ahead of the key Golden Week vacation period that kicked off on Oct.
1 National Day, aims to set such tourists
right. Among the admonitions contained in the 64-page animated handbook: Don't
sneeze in front of others. Ditto for picking noses and
teeth. While the booklet contains suggestions for Chinese when traveling at home,
the main target is to improve the lamentably poor reputation of Chinese tourists
abroad. In May, Vice Premier Wang Yang stressed the need for Chinese tourists to
behave better while traveling overseas so as to protect China's image
abroad. Last year more than 83 million Chinese traveled overseas, up 18% from the
previous year according to the Chinese Tourism Academy. While Hong Kong and
Macau have long been favorite destinations, travel tastes are evolving, with
more Chinese venturing farther afield, including to Southeast
Asia. But even as they venture farther, the Chinese continue to pack bad habits in
their carry-ons. From defacing ancient Egyptian temples to exploding in epic airport meltdowns
to letting children defecate in the middle of airports, Chinese tourists have
earned a bad rap. There is little to suggest anything has changed in recent months. As China
completes day three of its Golden Week holiday period, images of Chinese
tourists behaving badly are already doing the rounds online. China Central
Television piled on with Thursday night's national news broadcast, showing shots
of tourist graffiti on bamboo trees and the walls of a
temple. But now armed with the latest 'guidebook' to travel etiquette, Chinese
travelers should, in theory at least, have no excuse for boorish
behavior. If they adhere to the guidelines, expect to hear more Chinese sprinkling
their conversations with niceties such as 'Morning' and 'Sorry' overseas. After
all, 'it's international practice,' the booklet
says. Similarly, when using the restroom, Chinese are asked not to linger too long
in the stalls. 'Don't leave footprints on the toilet; don't forget to flush the
toilet after use,' the manual
implores. Snapping a holiday shot? Then be considerate -- don't fight with others when
you want to take pictures, and don't force other people to take pictures with
you, the booklet adds. When flying, the guidelines advise travelers not to take life vests away from
airplanes, as one Chinese man did
recently. For years, overseas travel by Chinese was heavily restricted and it wasn't
until 1997 that Chinese people began to venture abroad purely for tourism. With
such a short history of globetrotting, it's not surprising that many Chinese
commit faux pas on their foreign
voyages. Yet that's not to say the Chinese are the world's worst tourists. As one
recent survey suggests, the Russians, the Brits and--you guessed it--the
Americans take uncouthness to even higher levels when rambling through foreign
lands. Chinese tourists are also urged to be respectful of local customs wherever
they travel. In the United Kingdom, for example, it's not polite to ask people: 'Where are
you going?' or 'Have you eaten?' the book
says. When in Spain, ladies should wear earrings when they go out--anything less is
akin to being naked, the guidelines say--one piece of advice that one Weibo user
found a bit
spurious. Another Weibo user wrote that he found some of the travel tips plain weird--a
claim some guidelines make difficult to
refute: 'Wherever you dive in the ocean, don't catch and take away any marine life,'
and take care not to 'dry your handkerchief and underwear on the
lampshade.' |
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