The Chinese Hordes Explain Themselves

With respect to the blanket coverage in Hong Kong about the behavior of mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland (The Chinese Hordes Take Over Disneyland), Information Times (via Yahoo! News) captured some reactions from Chinese citizens.

• Why do they say that those were mainlanders?  Why not Hong Kongers?  Why not Taiwanese?  Why not Japanese devils?
• I spend the money and I can do whatever I want.  At worst, I won't go next time.
• Is this a park or a banquet hall?  Why don't they require people to wear tuxedos instead?  I've been to Disnelyand in the United States.  People there dress informally.  Granted there were no butt-naked little boys, but the men and women dressed informally.  A park should look like a park.  It is the same in the United States, Hong Kong, Shanbei, Shanghai or Beijing.  A park has it rules and regulations, but the quality of the visitors is none of its business!
• What is the connection between lifestyle customs and quality?  What is the connection between using American standards to judge Chinese men and quality?  This is a matter of long-term customs, and why is it being mixed up with quality?
• First, we need to ask if Disney has provided adequate resting facilities?  If there are seats, no one is going to squat or sit on the ground.  You can't blame the tourists.  They probably had no choice.  Besides, what is the big deal?  In many European cities, people sit on the ground, or lie on the ground topless to get some sun.  Nobody thinks it is big deal.  Let us get used to each other.
• Several centuries ago, the French people spit across tables.  But today, when you see these refined and upright Europeans, you can't imagine that they could once kill someone over a few packets of spices.  There is no need to be so harsh on our people.  Condemning them won't help.  As I see it, this is a phase during the development process like what the Japanese and Koreans went through.  There is no need to be alarmed.
• Raising the quality of the people cannot be done overnight.  I believe that we should talk less and do more, one step at a time beginning with myself!  One particular matter impresses me the most.  There is a large steel gate downstairs of our apartment.  Most people just push the door quickly, and and the door shuts by itself with a loud bang.  One day, as I was going to enter, I saw a foreigner coming out.  He opened the door and then he turned around to hold the door.  First, he wanted to close the door lightly so that there wouldn't be a loud bang.  Second, he wanted to see if anyone was behind him so that the door would not slam on them.  Quality exhibits itself in many little things of life.  It is those details that define the true cultural level of a country's citizens.  It is not about using economics or culture as the sole standard.
• Everybody has some responsiblity in the rise and fall of a country.  So we must all being within ourselves.  If everyone of us can become more civilized, our whole society will progress!  There are definitely some uncivilized behavior on mainland China.  We must move towards the better things and we must improve ourselves.
• Generally speaking, our quality of civilization are not as good as our compatriots in Hong Kong and Macau.  If you ask for directions there, you can watch how they explain to you; if you take a bus, you can see how they get into line in an orderly manner; when they do get on, they will look after the elderly; if the problem is due to overcrowding, you can watch their subways -- they stand aside at the door and let the passengers get off first and then they file in ... there is a lot of difference.
• Don't look for excuses!  Reflect yourself if there is a problem.  If there is, then work hard to correct it.  A public place is not like inside your own home.  You have to have public morals.  If you do whatever you want and say whatever your want, there is no civilized society to speak of!
• This proves that there are problems with Disney's design and management.  They need to improve things!  When outsiders look at a five-star hotel, they only see a few luxury suites.  Actually, the main things are the various arrangments in the background that are not readily noticeable.
• If the Disneyland arrangements and service workers could not handle this many tourists, then they should have limited the number of visitors per day to let them have the best service.  They should not try to make as much money as possible, and then blame the people for overburdening the service systems.

---

Op-ed Column: Do Not Look For Excuses On Behalf Of Bad Customs

The report by Information Times on various inappropriate behaviors by mainland Chinese visitors at Hong Kong Disneyland became a hot topic.  My commentary yesterday titled "Bad Customs At Disneyland Create Embarrassment" received attention from netizens.  Some agreed with my viewpoint while others objected.  It seemed that the opinions are divided into extreme opposing camps with irreconciliable differences and conflicts.  But no matter which camp, the focus is undoubtedly on the discussion of the quality of Chinese people.

So what really is quality?  What are bad customs?  What is civilization?  A netizen wrote that it all depends on the standards of evaluation and then concluded that our lifestyle customs determine our speeches and deeds, which are unrelated to quality.

I agree that "lifestyle customs determine our speeches and deeds" but I still insist that the bad habits in our lives should not become customary norms.  A rational and civilized person should have the ability to control oneself and not offer any excuses for bad behavior.  But in practice, many people have become inured to bad habits such as spitting everywhere, jumping in queues and talking loudly.  The bad customers had no compunction whatsoever in behaving as they do, and the observers are numbed to all the bad behaviors around them.  The absence of public awareness and self-discipline allowed uncivilized behavior to proliferate.

No matter what, it is an undeniable fact that the awareness of civilized behavior and the elimination of bad habits are required for mainland tourists.  Some netizens used cultural differences, imperfect arrangements at Disneyland and even the inappropriateness of applying western standards to defend bad habits, and this is depressing.  Bad habits should be reformed and uncivilized behavior should be eliminated.  If we cannot even accept these criticisms, how can we claim to be a country of manners?  Where is our self-respect?

Of course, my commentary did not intend to condemn all mainland tourists.  I have no right to do so.  Besides, as a resident of a mainland city, I cannot guarantee that my quality is higher than others.  But to move towards civilization is what any rational person should do, and that includes you, me and every Chinese person.