Shabby behaviour at Hong Kong Disneyland
Fei LiChina Daily  Updated: 2005-09-17 07:43

Spitting, talking loudly and littering are singled out by the media and tour guides as the three most frequent misdemeanours by Chinese tourists abroad.

Those reprehensible acts, though committed by a small bunch of people, have seriously tainted the image of Chinese and the nation as a whole.

As a country long reputed for its courtesy and etiquette, some of our compatriot's disgraceful deeds abroad will undoubtedly do our nation a disservice.

Compared with just a few years ago, more and more people can now afford outbound tours.

A total of 28.85 million Chinese took trips abroad last year, a whopping 43 per cent jump from 2003, although this accounts for only 2 per cent of the country's total population.

With the country becoming more affluent, overseas travel will not remain, as at present, a privileged luxury for a small number of people.

And with the expected number of Chinese travelling abroad increasing dramatically, this issue of manners should be dealt with properly and promptly.

As public awareness about manners improves and attention paid to their conduct grows, Chinese visitors' behaviour will improve markedly.

But as the latest episode in Hong Kong Disneyland shows, some less conscious people still need to mind their manners and curb their diehard bad habits. At the same time, it is a reminder that public campaigns to educate people about good manners is still required.

As our pockets swell, one hopes our behaviour as tourists will also improve.

(China Daily 09/17/2005 page4)

Close