In fact I have said this before that I adhere to the principle that
'when in Beijing do as Chinese do'. I therefore will have no problems
trying out new behavior, like spitting, picking my nose etc, yelling,
doing graffiti etc, when I'm in China. See, I'm not a snobbish kinda
guy!! However I would not want Chinese tourists to do that when they
travel abroad. And they should taste local food, not 'bring their rice
cookers with them into hotel rooms'. I apply the principle. The entire
idea of travelling is to do as the locals do.
Just to repost this yet one more time, this comes in handy when
travelling in China. You need to be armed verbally!!
http://www.insultmonger.com/swearing/mandarin.htm
PaPaPeng wrote:
> This article will warm the hearts of China Bashers. But I agree that
> such behavoir should be punished. My solution will be uniformed park
> warderns who have prepacked clean-up kits available. Anyone caught in
> an act for vandalism - graffitti or spitting - will have to buy a
> clean-up kit at some punitive price (that will cover the pay of the
> warden) and use it immediately to clean up the mess. Hit them in the
> pocket, in their "face " (shame) and correct the vandalism at the same
> time.
>
>
> Chinese travelers' uncivil liberties
> By Candy Zeng
> October 5, 2006
> Chinese travelers' uncivil liberties
> By Candy Zeng
>
>
> (snip)
> It was a prelude to a national program to improve Chinese tourists'
> behavior. The program was jointly unveiled on September 1 by the
> National Tourism Administration and Central Commission for Guiding
> Ethical and Cultural Progress, an ad hoc organ of the central
> government overseeing the establishment of new ethical standards.
>
> The circular criticized some Chinese tourists for their poor sense of
> courtesy and tendency to pay little attention to sanitation and
> environmental protection, particularly when making trips to foreign
> countries. It said poor manners had aroused concern and criticism at
> home and abroad to an extent that they were "affecting China's
> international image".
>
> The most common forms of "bad behavior" among Chinese tourists, such
> as inscribing their names on walls or pillars, spitting, talking
> loudly and randomly littering, are frequently seen in tourist spots
> favored by Chinese holidaymakers.
>
> In Beijing's Tuanjiehu Lake Park, bridges and trees are covered with
> scratches of people's names and love messages sometimes written in
> white correction fluid. Such random calligraphy increased after the
> park was opened to the public for free on July 1, said park management
> staff.
>
> And Tuanjiehu Lake Park is by no means an isolated case. All parks in
> Beijing, free admission or not, experience such deprecations imposed
> by careless travelers. At the Summer Palace, tourists were found
> lining up to climb over a guard rail to take snapshots of one another
> with a bronze kirin, even though there was a sign indicating that the
> historical cultural relic should be protected and taken good care of.
>
> (snip)
