Traveling can be hard, especially when it comes to practicing good etiquette and obeying customs in foreign countries. Beijing, China has released a 64-page rulebook to help Chinese citizens be better tourists.
The China National Tourism Administration released an illustrated book called Guidelines On Civilised Travel Abroad, which tells tourists how to act in certain places. Among the rules are keeping nose-hair neatly trimmed, avoiding using fingers to pick teeth and not peeing in swimming pools.
In May, China's Vice Premier Wang Yang said that badly-behaved tourists had "damaged the image of the Chinese people," the Daily Mail reports.
The book also tells tourists not to occupy public toilets for long periods or leave footprints on the seat. It also says that tourists shouldn't take life jackets from planes because "if a dangerous situation arises then someone else will not have a life jacket," the book says according to the Mail. Don't pick your nose in public either.
The book gets into specifics when it comes to traveling to different countries. For instance, Chinese visitors should not snap their fingers at people in Germany. Women should always wear earrings in public in Spain, or they'll be considered naked. While dining in Japan, it is best to not play with clothe or hair during a meal.
All air-conditioned areas in Hong Kong and Macau are deemed non-smoking areas. Don't give a handkerchief in Italy as a gift because it is deemed inauspicious. Don't ask Britons whether they have eaten. Don't touch people's belongings in Nepal with a foot. Don't use the left hand to touch other people in India.
However tourists are encouraged to use shower curtains in a hotel, keep quiet when waiting to board a plane and be punctual if taking part in a tour group.
While they may be helpful, not everyone is a fan of the rules. A 33-year-old tourist visiting Hong Kong from Anhui said that there are too many rules and they're too specific.
"You cannot possibly look through all of the rules before you go travelling," he told the Daily Mail. "Also the rules are different in different places. I think it's not very feasible."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
