I’ve been here around twenty years. I guess I have to say I only met a few mainlanders at that I knew who were mainlanders. Once, last summer I met a mainlander independently touring the island by bicycle. He seem normal as well, an American, if that is normal.
My wife belongs to buddhist temple that has a branch in in China. I’ve seen a full group of them on the “Mountain Retreat” in TaiChung. They behaved as polite or normal as anyone else.
Now, I live in the deep south. I know the Chinese have reputations of spitting and other things but, goodness. The locals have annoying habits. Sitting in the passenger seat while the driver next to you keeps filling his little plastic cup with betel nut juice… don’t get me started. So, as a naive seeker of knowledge. What behaviors do the average Chinese tourist show that can cause an otherwise normal person to flip out?
They are like villagers from the 1940s that time traveled to modern time. Common things like making a line, being quite in appropriate places or at least in a appropriate noise. They throw trash everywhere. just so many things i can’t even go on about the list.
taking a trip to china is the easiest way to find out. i’ve not been annoyed so far by mainlanders here, but i’ve not seen tons of them. just a normal amount in the typical tourist areas. but yea, in china it would take a couple of minutes before having something that would annoy a sane person happens.
In general, I’ve found the independent travelers to be great; normal, well-behaved, interesting and engaging people.
It’s the tour groups that are more likely to have poorly behaved people, especially the huge groups (e.g. 60 people). Some tour companies are good quality; others are negligent and are all about squeezing out every last penny. It’s the latter that’s most likely to cause problems, neglecting to educate or monitor their tourists.
So… the excessive noise levels in Taiwan cities are because of the mainland tourists?
As for queuing up… the logistics are problematic. There just isn’t room much of the time.
Blame the infrastructure. Building lots are too narrow, and the acoustic qualities are often abysmal. Nothing to do for it but tear down these concrete eyesores and merge lots so we can build properly dimensioned structures. And could we put mufflers on those scooters?
Have you been to the mainland? Lots more spitting there than in Taiwan. Another major difference is on the mainland people will spit indoors, like in stores and places like that. I’ve never seen that in Taiwan.
What Chris said. It depends which mainlanders you’re talking about.
China has, or perhaps had, a huge underclass of ill-mannered hoi polloi - 阿莲 - who suddenly got enough money to afford airplane tickets. They do pretty much the same things you would expect from bogans, scallys, chavs, or whatever from other countries, perhaps with a few unique specialties like conducting conversations at ear-splitting volume.
I didn’t like China much (visited about 5 years ago). Chinese people in their native range are a bit like Parisians. The taxi drivers are several steps down the evolutionary ladder compared to Taiwan.
OTOH I haven’t seen a gaggle of spitting, incontinent, litter-distributing Chinese tourists for years. I dunno if that’s because tourists numbers are declining generally, or if they’re learning some manners.
True. One thing I noticed on a recent trip to the US is that the mainland tour groups I encountered were just about like any other groups in their overall behavior. Presumably these would be people with some more cash to travel with.
I have the opportunity through my work to travel to china for business trips.
I understand the concern of some of my fellow forumosan, however i think that you are all being a bit too harsh.
1)Average china citizen have the right to travel only since 2001-2003 if i recall it correctly. I am talking about the average worker who would like to spend his money as he want and when he wants without any hassle with the customs etc…
2)china is doing an amazing job economically ( a lot a bad stuff but as many good ones) which lead to the average guy getting more $$$ ( China has tenths of new millionaire every single day)- i guess it is the real land of opportunity.
Inculcate basic manner take time - it does take generations. So we should give them some time.
it took 20 years+ for the street of taipei to be clean and still some of the guys doesnt give a f… and just put their trash everywhere — well taiwan is quiet small compared to china — which means when someone do something wrong in taiwan and get excused, same thing should happen overthere but not for 1 person, maybe hundreds or thousands.
If we want to compare the 2 countries, better put them on the same scale ( but this is only my way of thinking).
give them time guys, and meanwhile, lets build good resorts, hotels, restaurant etc… to welcome them to spend their money over-here. ( i do spend good money over there as i found their restaurants offering better food… but again, this is me)
you have the same kind of situation with indian tourist and without disrespect, lets imagine a country like Congo get an amazing boom economically… well you gonna have a bunch of new travelers, who want to spend their money but are lacking of basics manners.
Ps: i do not want to get misunderstood or else when i talk about india or congo, it can be any other country where the evolutionof education is slightly slower than financial situation
I have lived in Africa. Nobody in Africa behaves the way the mainlanders do.
Personal manners and culture have nothing to do with economic satus. You have millions of people living in poverty all over the globe and they just dont behave the way the mainlanders do.
I first lived in China in 2002 for about a year. Back then most people behaved much much better than they behave now.
The money and the increase in income and the introduction of free market have actually had a really bad impact on overall lack of manners in mainand China.
excatly -i got your point.
now imagine the people living in poverty getting rich and FAST-
same outcome.
Many will invest in a clever way ---- and all the rest will just want more, and spend more etc…
when it comes to money. people change very quickly
ps: i lived in africa all my childhood and i saw with my eyes at that time how people behave once they become rich-
in french they are called = ‘’’ nouveaux riches’‘’ which means ‘’ new rich’’ and their characteristic is that , yes they have money, but it is just the same as having a farmer in lambo.
again: no disrespect to farmers, not to african or indian or who ever…
the less you have the happier you are but hey, once you have money, you generally wants more.
that is what iam talking about.
I said I have lived in Africa which means I have met both poor and rich and new rich as well. So let me say it again, this time in block letters: NOBODY IN AFRICA BEHAVES THE WAY MAINLANDERS DO.
There are large groups of Africans and Indians who become rich fast, especially recently and they dont behave the way mainlanders do.
My prents and their generation got rich really fast and they starved as kids. They dont behave the way mainlanders do.
It really has nothing to do with the money or the lack of it. People in China were pushing and spitting and disregarding everyone else long before they got into any money. Now its just worse, because money is everything in China. Unlike in most other places in the world.