Jon

Seems the Chinese like to converse in a similar way to Thais, but that they've been told us foreigners don't like it Olympic do's and don't's | The Sun |News|Expats|Expats News

OFFICIALS in Beijing have dished out a list of questions not to ask visitors to this year's Olympics.

Questions about salaries are out, as are queries about the age of a foreigner, and inquiries about someone’s love life.

The ‘Eight don’t asks’ have been displayed on posters in a central Beijing district giving conversational etiquette guidelines to residents who meet foreigners or disabled athletes during next month’s Olympic games.

The advice on the Chinese-language notices was put together by the propaganda department of Dongcheng district to educate residents on how to properly welcome Olympic visitors.

Dongcheng includes Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It is also the location of the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium, the boxing venue for the August 8-24 Olympics.

One poster focuses on “etiquette when communicating with foreigners.”

Locals are instructed not to ask foreigners personal questions about their age, salary, love life, health, income, political views, religious beliefs, or personal experiences.

Guidelines


“It’s normal for Chinese to ask people they just met such questions, but foreigners respond negatively to such questions,” said a Beijing municipal government spokesman.


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“By educating locals, we hope that they will become more socially sensitive when communicating with visitors."

Another poster gives advice on talking to disabled people.

Locals are told not to use phrases such as “it’s up there,” or “it’s over there” when talking to anyone who is visually impaired, and to avoid phrases such as “it’s behind you” to physically impaired athletes.

Instead, locals are recommended to use phrases such as, “you are really great,” or “you are wonderful,” the poster says.

The posters are part of wide-ranging measures the government has taken to clean up China’s image during the Olympics.

China’s communist government and Beijing Olympic organisers have been conducting sweeping campaigns to get citizens to wait patiently in line, stop spitting and improve their driving habits.

In May, Beijing organisers apologised for a training manual issued to thousands of Olympic and Paralympic volunteers following complaints about inappropriate language used to describe disabled athletes.

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