Upon arrival in China, I immediately knew the Chinese were different from Westerners. After a few weeks, I learned that many of the Chinese have no idea that their habits are very different from other nations (like most of us, we think what we do is "normal.") And after a few months, I began wondering what it would be like for a Chinese person to visit a Western country and not know that their habits are so very different. So I had an idea, wouldn’t it be clever (and kind of funny) to write a list of tips for Chinese people should they ever travel abroad?
I ran this idea past a couple of colleagues who told me, not only is this a great idea, but someone has already beaten me to it. Who you ask? Who could have already thought that the Chinese might need a little travel advice? Well, none other than... THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT themselves!
About 2 years ago, in an article entitled, “The Uncivilized Behavior of Chinese Tourists Abroad Shocks the Upper Levels of Government," the Chinese Central Government's Civilization Bureau published 15 suggestions on how to improve the behavior of Chinese tourists venturing abroad. I’ve included the list below.
1. Do not spit in public
2. Do not litter in public places
3. Line up, don’t jump to the front of the queues at public venues
4. Do not take pictures when a sign says “no pictures”
5. Do not talk in loud voices
6. Do not polish your shoes with bed linens or the hotel towels
7. Do not smoke in non-smoking areas
8. Wear proper clothes
9. Do not strip down to your waist (for men) when it’s hot
10. Do not wear pajamas in supermarkets or on the street
11. Do not remove shoes and socks when walking around airport terminals
12. Men, observe the “ladies first” rule
13. Flush after using the toilet
14. Do not block other pedestrians by walking side by side by side on sidewalks
15. Do not force Westerners to pose for pictures
A few notes:
#1: Chinese people (mainly men) spit everywhere (both indoors (including on the floor of the J&J offices) and out).
#3: Lines don’t mean a thing here. People cut, people push, people crowd the front… if you want something, you’ve gotta get right in there: cut, push, and crowd right back. Its hard to feel comfortable with this at first, but I caught on surprisingly quickly.
#5: Oooooh man, the Chinese people can be so loud sometimes! Out of nowhere, it’s like a grenade dropping – BOOM!! Mr. Gu, are you angry? No, I just tell my wife that I be home for dinner at 7.
#9: Its summer now, so it’s hot. Very hot. Hot like I’m standing behind a running bus, hot. And when its hot, the men strip. Men are walking all around (indoors and out) with their shirts off, their shirts lifted up and around their shoulders, their shirts folded up. The women keep their clothes on, they just shadow themselves with umbrellas. Maybe the umbrella idea is too dainty for these men. But when I’m walking around the supermarket, I think I’d prefer for the men to try the umbrella idea and to put their shirt back on. On the plus side, however, not too much body hair on these men…
#10: I was told it is a sign of leisure to wear your pajamas. It indicates that you have a day off of work or that you are on vacation. So, typically on these days, you will see Chinese people, in all types of venues (shops, streets, etc.) wearing their pajamas. And I’m talking the big, patterned print, long pants/button up shirt pajamas.
#11: Seems like the whole take your shoes off through security and put them back on afterwards concept, hasn’t quite caught on here. When waiting for an airplane, it’s common for Chinese people to take off their shoes and socks. Why? I haven't found out the answer yet…
The rest, I think, are self-explanatory.
As for the order these are written in, I don’t know if they are prioritized. I sure hope not, because I think #13 should move a little closer to the top. But hey, that’s just one Westerner’s opinion.
#5: Oooooh man, the Chinese people can be so loud sometimes! Out of nowhere, it’s like a grenade dropping – BOOM!! Mr. Gu, are you angry? No, I just tell my wife that I be home for dinner at 7.
#9: Its summer now, so it’s hot. Very hot. Hot like I’m standing behind a running bus, hot. And when its hot, the men strip. Men are walking all around (indoors and out) with their shirts off, their shirts lifted up and around their shoulders, their shirts folded up. The women keep their clothes on, they just shadow themselves with umbrellas. Maybe the umbrella idea is too dainty for these men. But when I’m walking around the supermarket, I think I’d prefer for the men to try the umbrella idea and to put their shirt back on. On the plus side, however, not too much body hair on these men…
#10: I was told it is a sign of leisure to wear your pajamas. It indicates that you have a day off of work or that you are on vacation. So, typically on these days, you will see Chinese people, in all types of venues (shops, streets, etc.) wearing their pajamas. And I’m talking the big, patterned print, long pants/button up shirt pajamas.
#11: Seems like the whole take your shoes off through security and put them back on afterwards concept, hasn’t quite caught on here. When waiting for an airplane, it’s common for Chinese people to take off their shoes and socks. Why? I haven't found out the answer yet…
The rest, I think, are self-explanatory.
As for the order these are written in, I don’t know if they are prioritized. I sure hope not, because I think #13 should move a little closer to the top. But hey, that’s just one Westerner’s opinion.
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