The dire manners and “uncivilized behavior” of some Chinese tourists abroad are harming the country’s image, said a top official, who lamented their poor “quality and breeding,” according to state-run media.
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (汪洋) singled out for condemnation “talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and willfully carving characters on items in scenic zones.”
Such “uncivilized behaviors” were “often criticized by the media, and have damaged the image of Chinese people and caused a vicious impact,” he said.
“Improving the civilized quality of the citizens and building a good image of Chinese tourists are the obligations of governments at all levels, and relevant agencies and companies,” said Wang, a former party chief of Guangdong Province, which borders Hong Kong.
Authorities should “guide tourists to conscientiously abide by public order and social ethics, respect local religious beliefs and customs, mind their speech and behavior ... and protect the environment,” he said.
A Chinese mother who asked her son to relieve himself in a bottle in a crowded Hong Kong restaurant sparked an outpouring of online anger in February, with some locals deriding mainlanders as “locusts.”
Travel authorities in Jiangsu Province earlier this year urged travelers to “take less cash, never show off money or valuables” after 23 Chinese were robbed in Paris.
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