Cultural differences cause Chinese 'misbehavior' abroad (2)

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Cultural differences cause Chinese 'misbehavior' abroad (2)

(China.org.cn) 14:40, August 23, 2013

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Firstly, cultural preparation before the trip is necessary.

In order to respect another culture, you have to understand it first. Careful research into the culture of the destination country before traveling overseas is indispensable. In the 1990s, South Korea suggested that people have lessons in the target culture before traveling abroad when they were concerned about the negative image of the country spread by a surge in tourists traveling abroad.

If you are better prepared culturally, behavior violating local customs and unnecessary disputes caused by cultural differences can be avoided. With more background information, your tourist experience will also be richer and your trip will be more enjoyable and meaningful.

Secondly, better communication is crucial.

Good communication is the best way to solve problems when traveling, while bad communication often leads to disputes, or even legal matters. You may encounter unexpected cultural problems in a strange country. Don't rush to make judgments, quarrel or fight with the local people. Stay calm and try to find ways to communicate with them. It is likely that misunderstandings and problems can be solved easily through communication.

A simple example -- if you do not know whether you should give the waiter a tip, why not ask him about the local custom? If you don't speak English or the local language, turn to a guide for help.

Thirdly, respect should be mutual.

It is neither necessary nor fair to over-interpret the misbehavior of Chinese tourists, as the majority of them behave well. On the other hand, there are tourists from any country who may behave badly. A number of foreign visitors scrawl on bricks at the Great Wall!

The world should adopt a more tolerant attitude towards Chinese tourists and offer them a service in line with their culture. For example, provide hot water for them (I myself once suffered evil eyes when I politely asked for hot water in a European country!) After all, respect is mutual.

Lastly, more time is needed.

After more than 30 years of rapid economic and social development, more and more Chinese people opt to travel abroad. But for most Chinese tourists, it is the first time they have left China. They know little about foreign culture, therefore culture shocks and a certain amount of misbehavior are unavoidable.

As Mr. Chen, a manager of a tourist agency based in Paris, pointed out on China Daily, "Traveling is a process of personal enrichment and education. Travel habits and consumer behavior will gradually change as outbound tourism develops." As overseas trips become more common for Chinese people, cultural differences will be bridged and the misbehavior will disappear.

The author is a doctoral candidate at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University.