Travel

Locked: What's wrong with Chinese tourists?

  • Last Updated:
  • Jul 13th, 2015 11:30 pm
Tags:
None
Banned
Apr 23, 2015
994 posts
163 upvotes
Toronto, ON

What's wrong with Chinese tourists?

I have never been to China so I could just be unaware of the customs there, but what is wrong with Chinese tourists? I have spoken to friends of mine who travel a lot and they have also noticed the same awful behaviours:

1. Zero manners for other people, especially hospitality staff. They treat hospitality staff like they are their personal slaves.
2. Zero respect for the environment. Throwing trash all over the place, spitting all over the place, throwing their cigarettes onto other people as they are walking, etc.
3. No respect for line ups. If they come in groups, they will just ignore the neat line-ups that other people have formed and will just bunch up at the front and try to get in first.
4. Touching works of art. This one is so unbelievable to me.
5. Taking photos of other people with no permission.
6. Children relieving themselves in parks, etc.

I feel like the stereotype of the terrible american tourist is being replaced with the 10X more awful Chinese tourist.
12 replies
Deal Guru
Mar 14, 2005
13811 posts
2516 upvotes
Local teenagers do this! Add swearing! Must be bad parenting in both cases.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Sep 8, 2007
10978 posts
14474 upvotes
Way Out of GTA
One of my buddies is Chinese and I asked him why do other Chinese look down on mainlanders... And it has to do with much of what you describe. I wasn't aware of this and hadn't seen it myself but apparently this behaviour exists.

Having manners, courtesy, right and wrong is out of favour these days. So if you can't beat them join them? Save a lot of time finding a washroom.
Banned
Feb 23, 2004
7940 posts
3542 upvotes
When I went to China, there were many people taking photos of me, and it was extremely obvious.
Deal Addict
Sep 23, 2008
1581 posts
511 upvotes
Balduno wrote: When I went to China, there were many people taking photos of me, and it was extremely obvious.
Are you tall and white? I knew a really tall blond white girl who went to china and she had to learn to say no in Chinese as people were grabbing her to take pics.
Deal Addict
Mar 7, 2010
2849 posts
502 upvotes
Mississauga
i am chinese and i am also angry sometimes with mainland ppl
here is what i recently experience....
this lady who went to a show and took out her IPAD and recorded the whole show. it is not even a phone but an IPAD, HOLY COW....
blocked the whole view cuz of the ipad size and think the show its hers...
Banned
Apr 23, 2015
994 posts
163 upvotes
Toronto, ON
killer007 wrote: i am chinese and i am also angry sometimes with mainland ppl
here is what i recently experience....
this lady who went to a show and took out her IPAD and recorded the whole show. it is not even a phone but an IPAD, HOLY COW....
blocked the whole view cuz of the ipad size and think the show its hers...
Is it just a matter of letting loose while on vacation and not caring about others? I can't imagine that they behave that way back in their home towns.

What's shameful is that a lot of people are now lumping Japanese, Korean, and HK people into the same group. They're really ruining it for anyone who even looks remotely asian.
Jr. Member
Dec 14, 2009
111 posts
34 upvotes
HumansOfToronto wrote: Is it just a matter of letting loose while on vacation and not caring about others? I can't imagine that they behave that way back in their home towns.

What's shameful is that a lot of people are now lumping Japanese, Korean, and HK people into the same group. They're really ruining it for anyone who even looks remotely asian.
Aren't you doing the same by saying that Chinese tourist all behave the same way?
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 14, 2006
1290 posts
707 upvotes
GTA
HumansOfToronto wrote: Is it just a matter of letting loose while on vacation and not caring about others? I can't imagine that they behave that way back in their home towns.

What's shameful is that a lot of people are now lumping Japanese, Korean, and HK people into the same group. They're really ruining it for anyone who even looks remotely asian.
The sad thing is I think they do, \_(' ' /)_/
Deal Addict
Aug 27, 2011
3048 posts
322 upvotes
Toronto
HumansOfToronto wrote: I have never been to China so I could just be unaware of the customs there, but what is wrong with Chinese tourists? I have spoken to friends of mine who travel a lot and they have also noticed the same awful behaviours:

1. Zero manners for other people, especially hospitality staff. They treat hospitality staff like they are their personal slaves.
2. Zero respect for the environment. Throwing trash all over the place, spitting all over the place, throwing their cigarettes onto other people as they are walking, etc.
3. No respect for line ups. If they come in groups, they will just ignore the neat line-ups that other people have formed and will just bunch up at the front and try to get in first.
4. Touching works of art. This one is so unbelievable to me.
5. Taking photos of other people with no permission.
6. Children relieving themselves in parks, etc.

I feel like the stereotype of the terrible american tourist is being replaced with the 10X more awful Chinese tourist.
As someone from Hong Kong and pretty knowledgable of the situation, it all comes down to this: China now has a massive middle class that only one generation ago were subsistence farmers who had to fight and claw over one another for the meagre existence during the vestiges of the Cultural Revolution. Because of this, you have a bunch of adults that are only one or two decades from literally crapping on the side of the road and fighting for survival. Hence the relieving themselves anywhere, lack of manners, not wanting to wait in line. Those things didn't exist in China a generation ago, unfortunately.

It's not an excuse, but that's what the truth is.
Deal Fanatic
Oct 7, 2007
9404 posts
5374 upvotes
HumansOfToronto wrote: I have never been to China so I could just be unaware of the customs there, but what is wrong with Chinese tourists? I have spoken to friends of mine who travel a lot and they have also noticed the same awful behaviours:

1. Zero manners for other people, especially hospitality staff. They treat hospitality staff like they are their personal slaves.
2. Zero respect for the environment. Throwing trash all over the place, spitting all over the place, throwing their cigarettes onto other people as they are walking, etc.
3. No respect for line ups. If they come in groups, they will just ignore the neat line-ups that other people have formed and will just bunch up at the front and try to get in first.
4. Touching works of art. This one is so unbelievable to me.
5. Taking photos of other people with no permission.
6. Children relieving themselves in parks, etc.

I feel like the stereotype of the terrible american tourist is being replaced with the 10X more awful Chinese tourist.
A lot of these experiences are common to Vancouver. I believe what is happening is that the rudeness is actually spreading (i.e. people with manners are getting so annoyed at those without that they have given up trying to be nice and just take their frustration out on whomever whenever). I noticed this rudeness almost immediately when coming to Vancouver in the early 1990's and while I have kind of gotten used to it, it is kind of treat when I go on vacation because right away I notice the lackness of the same level of rudeness. Sometimes I think if I lead by example (e.g. holding the door open for others even if they do not for me, and saying please and thank you that maybe it will rub off). Not sure what else we can do to make a difference for the better.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Dec 3, 2004
10943 posts
430 upvotes
Markham/Mississauga
joepoonie wrote: As someone from Hong Kong and pretty knowledgable of the situation, it all comes down to this: China now has a massive middle class that only one generation ago were subsistence farmers who had to fight and claw over one another for the meagre existence during the vestiges of the Cultural Revolution. Because of this, you have a bunch of adults that are only one or two decades from literally crapping on the side of the road and fighting for survival. Hence the relieving themselves anywhere, lack of manners, not wanting to wait in line. Those things didn't exist in China a generation ago, unfortunately.

It's not an excuse, but that's what the truth is.
This is very true.

It's what happens you have country farmers who have been isolated to small towns and villages all their lives and introduce them to huge cities. They aren't aware of what's "normal" about us, just as we aren't aware of what's "normal" to them, such as the things mentioned in this thread.

To an extent, some of it is evident in Richmond Hill/Markham in the GTA. For example, I've held doors for a lot of people in these areas and rarely get a thank you or an acknowledgement. I would say it's 9/10 I am ignored when I hold doors for others.
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
No good will come of this thread. There are rude people everywhere, don't make generalizations. Locked

Top