Topic: Special trains for ‘rude’ Chinese (Read 1881 times)

That is interesting as most Australians would not (so would you consider most Australians to be rude?).

I think this all depends on how respectful someone is. I live in the UK and its not customary or expected but most people (including me) at least offer or ask if they should take their shoes off. I'd rather keep them on if they're not dirty personally but I always ask.

One point I'd like to make that might surprise some westerners is that Chinese think it is extremely rude to not take off your shoes when walking into someone's home (and would never do that themselves - so you always see indoor sandals or the like at the entrance to any typical Chinese home).

Yet many westerners will come into a Chinese home and just "walk in with their shoes on".

So things that people think are disgusting or inappropriate do vary from country and country.

I'll just also state that whilst living in China I do regularly see people spit on the pavement (often after "hocking" it up and then usually done by stopping and spitting on the ground immediately in front of them between their legs) and even worse I have seen some people (generally elderly people) even spit on the floor in a bus or train (although I've only ever seen very uneducated countryside people do that - you won't see anyone well-dressed doing that).

This does tend to vary from city to city and without a doubt you'll see this mostly in the very polluted cities of China (and having lived in Beijing for some years I can actually understand it as very polluted air does tend to make you want to spit out the extra mucous that arises from the dust and other particulates). Unfortunately it tends to become a "habit" so even when placed in a pristine environment some may still feel the need to spit.

Spitting itself - if done in say a drain or a bin (or better yet in a toilet) is not so offensive to myself (without the hocking) - but I do think that spitting on the ground where someone is likely to be walking on is a bit disgusting (and of course is much worse if done in a vehicle or an indoor place). Note that the pamphlets that I had mentioned that tourist agencies generally show to potential tourists do tell Chinese that spitting is considered very bad in other countries (unfortunately I guess some just don't care or didn't bother reading the pamphlet or it is just a habit that they are not even really aware of).

All tourists tend to take a lot of photographs so I don't think that is anything special to the Chinese (actually I thought Japanese tourists were more famous for the amount of photos they take).

The toilet seat thing is a little more complicated than you may at first think - as many Chinese consider "sit on" toilets to be unhygienic (and squat toilets are more the norm throughout mainland China), however, if there is plenty of toilet paper available then often they'll just cover the top of the toilet with paper to sit on. Once again I am fairy sure that the tourist advisory pamphlets do mention this one as well (and I've even seen Chinese movies that make it very clear that this behaviour is not appreciated).

Often people just think tourists are rude because they just don't like foreigners so everything they do annoys them.


Where abouts? In Thailand perhaps?

If you look at what China was like in under Chairman Mao it was a lot more similar to what Russia was under Stalin (and although the term "socialist" is probably preferred you could use "communist" for that era if you like).

They basically didn't even have banks or cash, most of the people were forced to work on collective farms and nearly everyone with any degree or education was denigrated if not put in jail or executed (this peaked during the Cultural Revolution but there had been other harsh treatment of educated people well before then).

After Deng took over he (re-)introduced capitalism to China (famously calling it "Communism with Chinese traits" or something like that) and that actually changed everything for the Chinese (who had been basically ruined and were starving after the disaster of the Cultural Revolution).

So when China was socialist/communist there were no "five star hotels" or anything like what there is today. Also there are plenty of 60yo Chinese around you can ask all about what it was like when they were children (and you won't find many of them saying that it was a great time).

I'm also from a former "communist" country, and actually we had first class tickets, two, three four and five star hotels . Even it was possible to play golf and do such "bourgeois" stuff if someone paid some extra for that .

Indeed - the problem is mostly due to uneducated people suddenly having enough money to travel (and nothing to do with the type of government and in fact if China really was "communist" then such people would never be affording overseas trips).

Uneducated people are generally the ruder people in most countries as typically better manners are consistent with a better education (if no-one teaches you what is rude or what isn't then how are you going to understand that you are being perceived as being rude). Certainly I've met plenty of very well behaved Chinese and for the most part they are the far better educated. Mind you I've also met some very nice "countryside" Chinese as well - so one should be careful not to blindly stereotype.

Many might be surprised to know that when mainland Chinese go to travel agencies (at least in the bigger cities) they are often given pamphlets asking them to "not behave badly" that have been created by the government (so the government is clearly aware and trying to address this problem).

Also "drunken Aussies" abroad in Bali or Thailand (and even in mainland China) can be even more annoying.

Yup, it is the culture of the place. Has nothing to do with communism / capitalism.
Wealth doesn't make them rude, wealth just makes them mobile and exposes their rudeness to different parts of the world.

For sure I didn't say it is 100% capitalist - and indeed the stock market is not something I would even bother with here.

It is the silly myth that it is "communist" that annoys me as really there is very little here that would strike you as being that (apart from perhaps the stock market but really that is just the SOE's and they don't work in a way that benefits anyone but those in power).

The entire "point" of Carl Marx's idea was to benefit "the people" (by their own efforts) - but there is nothing you can find here that actually does that at all (seriously not one thing - so to call China "communist" would be to call Carl Marx a guy who's vision was to actually screw everyone for everything and give them nothing).

For example I have experienced problems at hospitals where someone who has a seriously high BP is not treated until they do "pointless tests" in order to charge you more money (endangering the patient's life just to get some more funds). Now does that strike you as being something that Carl Marx would have ever supported (if so then I guess you have never read any of his literature - which is something that I actually did)?

Basically westerners who talk about the "evils of communism" have never read Carl Marx and have no idea about how governments like the Chinese one work (they just picked up from CNN or the like that "communism" is bad and don't even bother to try and research about how a county's political system actually works).

I am living in South-east Asia, and my bank allows me to purchase physical gold through my savings account. No KYC crap needed. And talking about China, it is not a 100% capitalist country. For example, people are free to trade in equities. But every now and then, the central government imposes restrictions, which makes conducting share trading very difficult.

Clearly you haven't read that yourself as you'd realise that Chinese have "private property" (and please stop being so arrogant - am pretty sure you are probably a lot younger than me and have a lot less life experience).

You do know that you can buy gold at any Chinese bank (and does your bank provide you with a gold buying service?).

Hey dont get me wrong, it's a nice place with nice buildings, and really good culture and enviroment, but I just think there are still a few ideological terms that are badly defined here.

You should check out here the definition, to understand what I`m saying here:
http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/communism

Clearly - you don't know China and are just talking rubbish (and Stalin was about as far away from the ideas of Carl Marx as you could possibly get).

The vast majority of people have to work for a wage just like in the west so your idea of modern China is rather a fantasy.

Also when the natives don't call themselves communist you should probably listen to them (but it seems that you just listen to western propaganda instead).

It's not a few perks that distunguish communism from capitalism. So you think that a few train tickets, and VIP accounts are the difference?

Looks like you never picked up an economics book in your life.

It might not be 100% hardcore Stalin style, but it sure has enough remnants of communism left , to be still called communist.

Again - China is not a "communist country" and if you believe that then you are a "brainwashed westerner".

What else can I say - I live in China and I know!
(you obviously have never lived in China)

They have "first class tickets" here - now what kind of communist country would have that?

Everywhere you can pay more to get "better service" such as "five star hotels" - again - what communist country would have that?

Jesus - even at the banks you can have a VIP account so you don't need to wait so long in a queue (they don't even have that in Australia so basically that makes Australia look more communist than China).

I disagree there, wealth makes people happy and free, wich boosts their mood and become friendly.

I`ve been to rich people for dinner and they are the kindest people of them all. I went to a friends house for dinner and their parents were always bickering over basic stuff.

If you dont believe just go into a ghetto and ask for a cup of sugar from your neighbors, they will not welcome you very friendly.


Communism is not just economic theory, it creates a social/cultural enviroment.

Since every person is equalized, people cant get to a civilized debate, everyone is rude and angry. Most people work in low paying shitty jobs, that adds extra frustration, low self esteem and unhappiness. Plus the constant stress under totalitarianism is making people verry selfish and unhappy.

People get ordered around, they dont have a personal identity, they are just the shackled slaves with no persona or spirit in them, they are just tools for the collective that is siphoning away their creativity and life energy.

I lived in a communist country so i know this from experience.

You do realise that even mainland Chinese don't consider themselves as being "communist" (and they haven't considered themselves as such for at least 35 years)?

It is very funny for anyone who actually knows about China to hear "westerners" still saying today that they are communist.

They aren't (and if you don't know that *then you are a brainwashed westerner*).

In regards to their overseas tourists I think that Aussies in Bali or Thailand don't really have a better reputation (and I am an Aussie).

Have to disagree with you here. The Arabs are one of the rudest people in the earth, and they were never ruled under communism. And if you have ever visited Cuba (one of the last communist countries remaining in the world right now), you will be surprised to see how friendly the people are. IMO, it is the sudden creation of wealth, which makes people rude.

That is what happens when you get too much communism in your head.

Communism instead of bringing everybody together, and creating an utopia, it creates a slave class which is deprived of spiritual and life energy, and creativity.

It makes you rude, angry, desperate, low self esteem, and no respect for others, and on top of that a mindless drone that does what its told.


Sorry but comunism is a mental disorder.

Wow... this was the perfect solution. Rather than making the Chinese tourists angry, this measure will attract even more of them to Switzerland, thereby giving valuable revenue for the local communities. Now it is the turn of the Swiss tourism ministry to start their propaganda broadcasts in China, advertising about these new club cars.

It does seem like a solution. The Chinese aren't restricted to those trains and those trains will have more attention to keep those passengers informed and happy. The news could just as easily have stated it as "Swiss train offers club cars for Chinese tourists!"

This is in part due to the increased wealth and mobility of the Chinese and Arabs. You do see a lot more of them in international hot spots these days.

The same can be said about a lot of different ethnic groups. The Irish were (in)famous for their grumpy behavior during the 1960s and the 1970s. During the 1980s, it was the turn of the Turks, Poles and the Romanians. Now the Chinese, Arabs and the Indians are getting the flak. Within the next 10-20 years, it will be the turn of some other people.

not really surprised by the rude part. I know a few native chinese and most of them speaks/acts like they own the world or something. not sure if that alone is enough reason to separate them from other "nicer" people, though.

No, it isn't. This is about adjusting a service for customer demands, and bridging cultural differences . Banning, or forcing them into separated wagons or even trains because of their Chinese origin that would be racist but that's not happening.

Yeah, this was my first reaction to this story. There is such a deep history of racism and segregation in the US, I highly doubt there is any serious attempt that will be made to segregate public transport. And even if there was, it would more than likely be deemed unconstitutional and shutdown early on.

Whatever reality might be, this does look a little bit racist.

That's such a burn
It sounds quite amusing I remember they had a concert in the alps it must have been part of that group of tourists that pissed the Swiss off.
(Stood on toilet seats to relive themselves spitting on trains, they were rich enough to travel but poor enough to use squat toilets, I guess culturally they still have a ways to go in terms of what the international traveler should act like.)

You don't need to go to Switzerland to experience that. Visit a China town near you and you can tell which tourist is from China. Their government should force them through a "cultural" course before allowing them to visit foreign countries. 

Ha ha ha Thats ridiculous.Seems these Chinese tourist go by the ideology of their great leader Mao Tse-tung " Everything under heaven is in utter choas; the situation is excellent."

These mainland Chinese are infamous for their rude behavior. If you visit countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore, this can be very evident. Although both these nations are overwhelmingly ethnic Chinese, they regard the mainlanders (i.e the ethnic Chinese from the People's Republic of China) as arrogant and rude. 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/swiss-rail-service-offer-special-trains-rude-chinese-article-1.2341443

How is that?