Social graces

China’s Xinhua news agency carried an article on how travel agencies were providing mainland travellers tips on social graces when traveling abroad.

Zhang Xiao, about to embark on his week-long May Day holiday to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, receive dsuch a “tip card”. It had tips on why “bad social graces” like spitting, slurping food and jumping queues won’t be tolerated by those in other countries.

"I've read the tips on the card carefully. We are representing the image of China when travelling abroad, it's our responsibility to improve our manners," Xinhua news agency quoting Zhang as saying.

As Chinese outbound tourism grows by leaps and bounds, so have complaints about how they behave when traveling abroad.

The article spoke about how hotel staff in Singapore were upset with Chinese tourists spitting in their rooms and smoking in bed.

The hotels have had to shampoo the carpet after and replace bed linen after a Chinese tour group passed through, it said.

Tourism bureaus in areas such as Anhui, Sichuan and Chongqing require travel agencies to ensure their clients “travel with manners”.

Table manners also came under fire. It said in some places in the West, eating with an open mouth “instant turn off”.

It’s quite hilarious to read about such incidents and to label everyone from the mainland as such. Of course, back home these so-called bad manners are considered normal. It would take a long time before Chinese travellers realise that these may be misconstrued as being rude.

But before you cast the first stone, think if the well-healed traveller is more well-informed. You only need to look at a bookstore shelf to see the number of books that will teach you the etiquette of your intended destination country when traveling abroad. There are countless books on the series Culture Shock intended for Western (and non-Western) travellers. Even in business situations, there are articles which tell you everything from the way you hand over your business card to someone you’ve met and why you shouldn’t touch someone’s head in some Asian countries.

These may be meant for the socially graceful traveller wanting to avoid embarrassment.But what about those who insist on going topless in some beaches in Asia, clearly taboo in those countries? (even with clear signboards saying so); or those who make an issue if they alcohol is not permitted in countries they travel to; to arguing with and shouting at a timid waiter or hotel staff just because they don’t speak English fluently - the list goes on.

A Chinese mainlander eating in a French restaurant in Paris has every right to ask for a pair of chopsticks if he can’t handle western utensils if a Western tourist is gladly handed over a fork and knife if he can’t handle those slippery noodles at a traditional Chinese restaurant in Beijing.

Why the double standard? They’ll learn later that eating with the proper utensils is part of appreciating and learning about that culture.

And in any case, if Zhang Xiao would have noticed when he was here in Singapore, many Singaporeans still don’t queue up to get into the subway trains, shoving their way without first letting those getting out have their way.

And if he had gone to a buffet, he would have wondered why Singaporeans are such a hungry lot, piling their plates with food.

Time to amend those “tip cards”.