travel

No nose-picking: China chides its 'unruly' tourists

25 Comments

Chinese tourists should not pick their noses in public, pee in pools or steal airplane life jackets, China's image-conscious authorities have warned in a handbook in their latest effort to counter unruly behavior.

The National Tourism Administration publicized its 64-page Guidebook for Civilized Tourism -- with illustrations to accompany its list of dos and don'ts -- on its website ahead of a "Golden Week" public holiday that started on Oct 1.

As Chinese tourists increasingly travel abroad, they have developed a stereotype of "uncivilized behavior", which Vice Premier Wang Yang said in May had "damaged the image of the Chinese people".

Several countries, including debt-laden European nations, have eased visa restrictions to attract increasingly affluent Chinese tourists, but reports have also emerged of complaints about etiquette.

A mainland Chinese woman who in February had her son relieve himself in a bottle in a crowded Hong Kong restaurant sparked an outpouring of anger online, with some locals deriding mainlanders as "locusts".

The government has previously issued pithy guidelines telling tourists how to behave, but the latest booklet elaborated in great detail.

It warned travelers not to pick their noses in public, to keep their nose-hair neatly trimmed and, if they had to pick their teeth, never to use their fingers.

It also urged them not to occupy public toilets for long periods of time or leave footprints on the toilet seat. Nor should they pee in swimming pools.

Travelers should not drink soup straight from the bowl or make slurping sounds when eating noodles, it warned.

And after taking a flight they must leave the life jackets underneath their seats, the rulebook said, explaining that "if a dangerous situation arises then someone else will not have a life jacket".

A tour guide named Zhang who was in Hong Kong said his company had given him a copy of the rules at the start of the seven-day October holiday.

Before this he said they had distributed a much briefer set of guidelines -- which fit on a single sheet of paper.

"I feel things need to be improved," he said, standing in the city square packed with mainland tourists. "If we bring chaos to other places, it's our image -- the Chinese image -- that suffers."

The handbook also dispensed country-specific advice: Chinese visitors to Germany should only snap their fingers to beckon dogs, not humans.

Women in Spain should always wear earrings in public -- or else be considered effectively naked.

And diners in Japan were instructed not to play with their clothes or hair during a meal.

A 33-year-old tourist, also named Zhang, visiting Hong Kong from central Anhui province complained that the guidelines were too many and too specific.

"You cannot possibly look through all of the rules before you go traveling. Also the rules are different in different places," he said. "I think it's not very feasible."

© (C) 2013 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

25 Comments
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"steal airplane life jackets"

That's low.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

“You cannot possibly look through all of the rules before you go traveling. Also the rules are different in different places,” he said. “I think it’s not very feasible.”

Don't travel then?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The handbook also dispensed country-specific advice: Chinese visitors to Germany should only snap their fingers to beckon dogs, not humans.

... umm, don't do this in ANY European country... unless you're ordering a knuckle sandwich or want your food with a free side-order of phlegm.

Women in Spain should always wear earrings in public—or else be considered effectively naked.

... eh? I've visited Spain and never heard of this, so I pinged a Spanish friend on facebook quickly. This isn't true. It is true that adult women in Spain normally wear earrings and it might strike some people as a bit odd to see a woman without them, but there's no sexual association, just a "Oh, that foreigner isn't wearing earrings" type of thing.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Chinese tourists should not pick their noses in public, pee in pools or steal airplane life jackets...

They have to remind them NOT to do these? You mean this is what they normally get up to? Blimey!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Good grief! Don't leave footprints on toilet seats? How about "toilet seats are for sitting, not standing"?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

hilarious. I have read articles like this for a few years now. A little bit of lacking social progression. AND KEEP YOUR DMN FEET OFF THE TOILET SEATS!!! THESE ARE NOT HOLES IN THE GROUND OR TOFFS. Do not spit on floors of restaurants, hack up your snort loudlig while dinning with others etc etc etc.... If the govt. Would teach ethics in schools besides the continual brainwashing tactic of hate and deceit promotes by the leaders, Chinese society may just progress some. This is all about CCP rule and isolation tactics of keeping the people their servants. Little puppets of their profits, as they see their torturous leaders.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

“You cannot possibly look through all of the rules before you go traveling. Also the rules are different in different places,” he said. “I think it’s not very feasible.”

It's pretty much common sense, there buddy.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

tyvtgo1US Oct. 08, 2013 - 08:06AM JST So, besides the manners and social habits and non-existant social behaviors brought about by totalitarian isolation and deception, there is this same society ignorant to their own past

Japanese men are not much different. You ever notice that after drinking binge, many salarymen in Japan piss all over on the sidewalk and buildings. They also fart on the train. This is accepted in Japan.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

tyvtgo1US:

All manners were thrown out of the window when communism spread throughout China. Manners were deemed bourgeoisie.

But how does one explain grown men in Japan taking a slash on the streets? I've seen one too many, especially on busy streets where no one bats an eyelid. And don't get me started on making so much noise when eating noodles. Wasn't that mentioned in the 64-page booklet?

There's a reason why the 'No Pissing' sign on Diamond Head in Hawaii was written in Japanese only.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Lol, well I have not been to Japan yet to experience that happening but Taiwan and Japan will be my next overseas adventures, so I will be checking that out. Now I will have a cause. Lol

1 ( +2 / -1 )

A mainland Chinese woman who in February had her son relieve himself in a bottle in a crowded Hong Kong restaurant

During my HongKong visit 3 months back, I was surprised when I saw one Boy with his Mother in a crowded Metro train using bottle. When I checked with my friends in HK they said you need to see something much horrible...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

While it could equally go for a few western countries my single biggest real life issue with our mainland Chinese friends, is that there is no need to shout or speak so loudly especially when in enclosed spaces such as trains or planes.

Spitting, relieving yourself in public, playing with your nose all the time, etc.. wow.. sounds like a bird flu epidemic invitation... though as pointed out pretty accurately describes a readily seen amount of Japanese men over 50-ish after a few drinks too.

I was quite shocked however going through San Fran customs/immigration the other day at the Chinese Tourists arguing and being aggressive and sneaky about their amount of carry on duty free and how it was packed etc, then pushing back through the line to other group members after being told repeatedly not to...

Overall, I think the best advice is, be aware of your surroundings, follow the rules and considerate of other people.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I thought things such as not picking your nose was something your mother taught you as part of the upbringing. Not something adults should be needed to be told by their government...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Travelers should not drink soup straight from the bowl or make slurping sounds when eating noodles, it warned."

Some people are actually offended by this? Sheesh...

"Women in Spain should always wear earrings in public—or else be considered effectively naked."

Really! Sounds like they arrest earringless women in Spain for being naked!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Travelers should not drink soup straight from the bowl or make slurping sounds when eating noodles, it warned.

That sounds Japanese.

And after taking a flight they must leave the life jackets underneath their seats, the rulebook said, explaining that “if a dangerous situation arises then someone else will not have a life jacket”.

What would someone want with a life jacket? Geez!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I hope they included

"Keep your shirt on when dining in a restaurant"

and

"Don't thrown bones, etc. from your meal on the restaurant floor."

Spent a month in Fushun, China... what a different world.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It's rather alarming that they would include some common sense things like NOT relieving yourself in public.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You know it's THAT bad when there's a sign outside the Louvre in Paris written in CHINESE ONLY saying it's forbidden to defecate on the surrounding grounds.

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/are-chinese-tourists-the-worst-tourists-in-the-world

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Recently my Mother and Father, in their 60's, took a cruise from Singapore to Shanghai. They are pretty open minded and friendly people - not quick to judge or condemn.

And in the course of them describing their trip I asked them if they would do another cruise. Their response was "Yes, but not in that part of the world again."

When questioned why, they went on to explain that the bahaviour of the Chinese passengers was absolutely atrocious - they were appalled by what they saw. To the extent that they would try to avoid Chinese tourists at all costs in the future.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

genjuro:

You know it's THAT bad when there's a sign outside the Louvre in Paris written in CHINESE ONLY saying it's forbidden to defecate on the surrounding grounds

I think there were similar signs (not sure whether official or put up by local citizens) saying the same thing in Hong Kong - and these signs were written in simplified Chinese only, not traditional Chinese as used by the locals. I'm afraid Hong Kong has endured a lot - not that all mainland tourists behave badly, but the bad ones really do make a lasting impression and test the patience of the locals.

Having said that, there is (or was) a sign in Japanese only, on Diamond Head in Hawaii asking people not to urinate. Last time I wrote this, my post was deleted. Sorry, but the Chinese aren't the only offenders.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They forgot one important rule: Do not let your children shit or urine in shopping mall outside toilets, subway trains, restaurants, roadside, planes outside toilets. It seems that these newly rich Chinese tourist are traveling all over Asia and doing the dirty deeds of their children at their convenience everywhere.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And how about learning to stand in checkout lines and wait your turn............

And how about learning the words "excuse me", "please" and "thank you"...........

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I do make fun of this, but actually no one should blame the people because of the isolation as an entire nation for so many years while the rest of the civil world progressed and expanded socially, even though before China's isolation, still the developed and then at that time the other developing countries were practicing the social etiquette of not only the basics described here, but again as I said, it is not the fault of the people, but of the totalitarian regime in place and the isolation in which they were forced to stay and live, just like today in Tibet and the forced rule there, where China is trying to extinguish Tibetan culture just as when the communists took control of China and tried to destroy Chinese culture, which I still can not actually understand such a crime against Chinese society and even harder to understand is, the people today not saying enough of the communists that had made past generation's life so hard and parents and grand parents of today's generation just incredabley dire and painful, just for power and control. So, besides the manners and social habits and non-existant social behaviors brought about by totalitarian isolation and deception, there is this same society ignorant to their own past and history at no fault of their own but by those still in power over them that are still using these same tactics on Chinese society, yet for their own hold on power over the people and still at the expense of keeping ignorance within society for the good of only the repressive leadership. Totalitarian tactic is to blame, not the people....but the people should take the blame if they continue to support those that still today use censorship and deception to hold control over them and then keep supporting their own suppression with out opposition to it.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Wonder if the rule book has a section on teaching the ways of LINING UP. Something with pictures and practical advice such as "do not jump ahead of people lining up" and "the correct position for joining an existing line is at the back"

Perhaps a general rule like "Do not be selfish. You and your family are not the only ones on this earth"

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I know a Russian flight attendant whose flights often have Chinese tourists and she tells some disgusting stories about how after most flights they have to remove shopping bags full of human waste. Some of these Chinese passengers relieve themselves in said shopping bags, knot them up and leave them on the floor leaving a leaking,steamy mess for the crew to clean up.

Animals!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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