The two men, aged 41 and 66, attempted to leave when police approached them. Following an altercation, the men were taken into police custody.

The 41 year-old man was issued a criminal infringement notice (CIN) for offensive behavior, which typically accompanies a fine of $200 Australian dollars.

The 66 year-old man was charged with offensive behavior and resisting arrest, and has been summoned to Downing Center Local Court on December 12.

This latest incident of tourist misbehavior follows last month’s story of a Chinese tourist who was forced to return a stolen toilet seat to a Japanese hotel, which ended up costing the tourist his job. With a travel blacklist already in place, the topic of misbehaving tourists has long been familiar to Chinese people, many of whom took the opportunity to denounce the two men.

One person wrote online, “I recommend from today forward that these two not be allowed to exit the country; have their passports blacklisted, and forbid them from leaving their homes,” while another said, “At this point, education is too late of an option for them; they can only be disciplined.”

Citing a commonly used excuse, one netizen jokingly said, “But they are still just children!” Another wrote, “66 years old and he still doesn’t know how to act like a proper person, it’s obvious this is a Red Guard who has gotten older.”

Australia has become a top destination for China’s rich, while the popularity of a remote salt lake on Chinese social media has single-handedly saved a small Australian town through Chinese tourism. In turn, Australian authorities have attempted to help facilitate the rush of Chinese tourists by publishing a handbook for them.

And while it might not have received much airtime, a CCTV television commercial attempted to school Chinese tourists on proper behavior while visiting Australia through a strange commercial where Chinese are depicted as over-sized panda mascots.

The post Chinese Tourists Pee on Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Get Wrestled to the Ground by Cops appeared first on The Nanfang.

The footage shows the children crossing a barrier and playing with a glass exhibit hanging on the wall. Only after the piece of art shattered on the ground did the women intervene, removing them from the broken glass.Titled The Wait of the Angel, the piece seen below was created to celebrate the birth of the artist’s daughter. However, after the exhibit was damaged, the artist changed the name of the piece to Broken.

The Shanghai Museum of Glass responded to the incident by setting up a video display next to the exhibit that shows the surveillance footage of the incident on permanent loop (seen above).

The Shanghai Museum of Glass just celebrated its fifth anniversary last week. Broken had been on display at the museum since 2014.In the same week, a graduation exhibition for the Guangzhou Academy for Fine Arts saw one of its exhibits destroyed by a visitor. A middle school student had knocked over a ceramic artwork, but failed to set it back properly. After the student walked away, the piece fell to the ground and shattered. It took the artist, Ah Hua, three months to create the ceramic but the artist did not hesitate to forgive the middle school student, who offered a teary apology.

Curators of the exhibit responded by leaving the broken artwork on the ground and taping an area around it (seen above). A few of the other students with pieces in the exhibition complained that their work was stolen by viewers.

The post Adults Watch as Kids Destroy Artwork at Shanghai Gallery appeared first on The Nanfang.

The man repeatedly tells the woman that cut in front of him, in flawless Mandarin, “Hello? Hello? Can you please line-up in the queue behind?” The woman pretends not to understand him, and ignorantly says in a Wuhan dialect, “What is this ‘zebra’ talking about? I don’t understand a word you are saying.”

The man responds in the Wuhan dialect, “Don’t cut in line. Do you understand me now?”

The woman tries to gain the upper hand by responding in a Dongbei dialect. “What do you want? When did you see me cut in line?” and used a common Chinese insult meaning “You must be sick.”

Without breaking a sweat, the man answers in the Dongbei dialect, “Go stand in line, otherwise everyone here will criticize you. What do you mean ‘What do you want?’ Your cutting in line should have a rational reason.”

The woman, clearly (and rightly) giving up, said “Are you sick? I’m not eating, not eating!” as she walked away from the line.

We applaud this unnamed man for not only calling out someone for jumping the queue, but also for calling out her ignorant comments with dignity. Good on you, sir!

Watch the video here.

The post Foreigner Yells at Person Cutting in Line In Three Chinese Dialects appeared first on The Nanfang.

The video footage captured the woman and her male partner entering the elevator before she hiked down her pants and squatted on the elevator floor. When she stood up, a puddle was seen between her feet. The man seemed to be keeping an eye out for would-be witnesses. The pair left soon after.

Although it’s unclear why the woman wasn’t able to find a restroom in one of Hong Kong’s densest tourist areas, what is clear is that they had plenty of time to go shopping, as evidenced by the shopping bags that could be seen in the video footage.

True love is not easy to find; but, finding a man to keep watch as you relieve yourself doesn’t seem to be that hard.

In April 2013, a woman defecated on the elevator at a Shenzhen metro station while her boyfriend kept lookout for witnesses. Like our Mong Kok couple, this pair simply walked away from the mess they created, thereby making it someone else’s problem.

The post Woman Urinates in Hong Kong Mall Elevator appeared first on The Nanfang.

As reported by the New York Times, ushers at China’s National Center use laser pointers to gently dissuade audience members from using their phones during performances.

“It’s usually only a small fraction of the audience that we have to deal with,” said Wang Chen, an employee of the Shanghai Grand Theater. “They can’t help themselves. So we try to give them a gentle reminder, so they know what they’re doing.”

Major Chinese performance theaters such as the National Center, the Shanghai Grand Theater, and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center have taken further steps to make sure their performances are phone-free. Some big name venues have gone so far as to employ phone-jamming technology so that audience members are unable to receive phone calls or texts, a controversial policy that is illegal in countries like the United States.

However, breaking the rules may not be such a big deal in China, especially when there aren’t any. Although the performing arts centers have issued guidelines to its employees on the use of laser pointers, the devices are largely unregulated in China compared to the rigid laws of the USA.

The use of laser pointers can be so distracting to performers that some would rather let audience members use their phones. Last month, the Royal Shakespeare Company asked performance halls to refrain from using laser pointers during its China tour, preferring to brave the slings and arrows that a phone disturbance can bring.

Not all theaters are discouraging audiences from using their phones. In fact, some movie theaters are openly encouraging it. Called “bullet screen“, movie audiences can use their phones to send text messages that appear onscreen for the whole audience to see. Whether bullet screen will find its way into live theater however remains to be seen.

The post Chinese Theatergoers Shamed With Laser Pointers For Using Their Phones appeared first on The Nanfang.

During a stopover in Hong Kong from Taipei to Xi’an, the unidentified woman was discovered by security personnel to have a life preserver hidden in her luggage. When attending trial at Tseun Wan Magistrates’ Court this Tuesday, the woman pleaded ignorance of the law and said the life preserver was simply a souvenir from her travels.

As reported by Shanghaiist:

When the defense hit back saying it’s the airline’s responsibility to check the number of life jackets, the magistrate responded that “even the airline couldn’t predict that someone would be so out of line as to steal a life jacket.”

In 2006, a Chengdu man was jailed for seven days for stealing a life jacket from an Air China flight. After he was arrested, the 31 year-old man named Yin explained, “I took it out of curiosity. I thought it would be useful when I went swimming.”

Concern over the theft of life preservers by Chinese tourists was so great that the National Tourism Administration included it as one of the forbidden directives included in its 64-page Guidebook for Civilized Tourism in 2013. The rulebook instructed Chinese tourists to leave the life jackets underneath their seats because “if a dangerous situation arises then someone else will not have a life jacket.”

The theft of life saving equipment on public transportation is a common occurrence in China.

In response to the 2009 Chengdu mass murder-suicide attack on a public bus that killed 27, Haikou public buses were equipped with 400 emergency hammers in order to help passengers break glass windows and escape in case of an emergency. Three days later, over half of the hammers had been stolen from the buses.

When emergency hammers were stolen from Harbin public buses in 2011, transportation authorities responded by supplying yellow-colored bricks as substitutes.

This past June, two men were caught stealing emergency hammers from Zhengzhou buses when they activated a emergency alarm. The men said they wanted to use the hammers to break walnuts, while a Zhengzhou woman caught stealing three emergency hammers said she wanted to give them to her children as toys.

The post Mainland Passenger Swipes Life Jacket From Cathay Pacific as “Souvenir“ appeared first on The Nanfang.

The two men, from Nigeria, had come to Guangzhou to do business, and had taken the subway at Airport South Station on Line 3. When the two men exited the southbound train at Jiahewanggang Station to transfer to Line 2, they accidentally left behind the suitcase with the cash.

Frantic, the two Nigerian men pleaded with subway station staff for help, who in turn contacted subway police. Officers initiated a search for the navy blue bag, and were finally able to track it down – at Airport South Station.

Guangzhou metro police say the lost cash is the most the department has ever recovered in its history.

Two hours later at 7:05pm, the Nigerians were reunited with the lost luggage by subway police, and a quick search revealed that nothing was missing from the bag. Elated, the Nigerians were reported to be so overwhelmed with emotion that they were close to kneeling as they repeatedly said, “Thank you very much.”

As they left the offices of the subway police, one of the Nigerians expressed his gratitude by giving a hearty thumbs up sign as he said, “Chinese are very good!”

Stories of lost luggage containing valuables returned to expats are common in China. In 2013, a Kenyan named Kipngetich who had lost his luggage containing $60,000 eventually had it returned to him as well.

Although news reports didn’t specify whether the men declared the cash through Chinese customs, regulations are clear that there are strict limits on how much travelers can bring in undeclared.

Whether entering or leaving China, travelers are allowed to take up to US$5,000 equivalent of foreign currency and 20,000 yuan of local currency. Amounts of currency under this limit do not need to be declared to customs, while cash over this limit must require a permit and be declared.

Cash amounting between $5,000 and $10,000 must be certified with a “Taking Foreign Currency Out of the Customs Territory” permit from a bank. Cash over the amount of $10,000 must be accompanied by a legal warrant issued by agencies of the State Administration of  Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

The Administrative Rules of the People’s Republic of China on Cross-Border Transportation of National Currency dates back to 2004.

In 2004, a similar story happened when police at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport recovered a suitcase with a combination lock lost by two foreigners that contained $100,000. In 2005 a foreigner was arrested by police for attempting to bring $100,000 in cash into China at Guangzhou Airport.

Related:

• Shenzhen taxi driver returns 5.37 million RMB cash
• Hong Kong Taxi Scam Targets Drunk Foreigners
• Foreigner Charged RMB 2,700 for a Ride in a Fake Taxi in Beijing
• Two Nigerians accused of stealing RMB11k from Foshan taxi drivers

The post Luggage Containing $100,000 Recovered After Being Lost on Guangzhou Subway appeared first on The Nanfang.

Another case of lining up, Guangzhou-style: Crossing the road in a civil and orderly fashion has caught on with the public
At Tianhe Road by the intersection of Tiyu East Road and Jiaoshe Road this evening, city residents wait for a traffic light on their own accord before crossing the street during the evening rush hour. Previously, the sight of pedestrians and electric scooters crossing against red lights at every intersection along the main arteries in Guangzhou was a common occurrence, but residents have gotten in the good habit of complying with traffic regulations, and acting in a civilized and orderly manner.

While the photo used in the story certainly suggests a newfound appreciation for the rule of law, the comments section of the article tells a very different story:

深海里的蓝色海星：
Who’s willing to charge against the lights? There’s so many cars.

FCterry_cui：
Would you choose to cross a frickin’ road with this kind of traffic volume? Aren’t you just looking for trouble by doing so? By going further into the city and into its older and smaller roads you’ll find things are quite different.

olin_Law：
At this type of intersection, the road has many lanes and is wide; and the cars travel at a fast speed. Who is willing to cross against a red light and kill themselves?

为了那片不再掉的眼泪：
If this road wasn’t so wide and the cars so many, people would have long charged against a red light and crossed the road.

A_Aimee：
Of course people won’t cross this road; there are so many cars, not to mention that it’s so wide. For a real eyeopener go over to Tianhe North and have a look!!!

Commenters also provided numerous examples of where you could easily find pedestrians crossing against red lights:

LeeDane：
Please come on over to Censong public transport station at eight in the morning and have a look for yourself.

GAVIN_LEE：
pickingnose.emoji] You’re welcome to come to University City and take a look.

choheng_hsien：
Is Tianhe the only district in Guangzhou? If you’ve got any guts, come on over to Baiyun District and take a look for yourself.

Raven-K-德：
Hey author: Don’t try to fool outsiders, okay? At the place you’re talking about, the cars drive by in an unending line. Cross a few roads over, and we’ll see (if you think the same thing)…

But for others, this story says more about China’s society and culture:

谁的眼泪在飞1177：
In front of so many people, you wouldn’t dare be the first to stand out and cross the road on your own.

广州社工委：
A civil society isn’t something that happens overnight.

While Guangzhou residents are arguably becoming more civil by waiting for a green light to cross at least one intersection, it would appear there’s still a long way to go before the city reaches a “new normal”.

The post Guangzhou Says Jaywalking a Thing of the Past, but Residents Unconvinced appeared first on The Nanfang.

A fight caused by a crying baby on board a Hong Kong flight.

It has been a rough couple of months for the reputation of China’s tourists. First there was the couple who threw boiling hot water at a flight attendant and threatened to blow up the plane, then there was the impatient passenger who deployed the plane’s emergency slide on the runway, and then another passenger who decided to do the same. With all of the airline mayhem making the reputation of beleaguered Chinese tourists even worse, China’s National Tourism Association (NTA) has finally stepped in with a solution.

The NTA has announced that it will start keeping tabs on Chinese tourists. The association plans to document, and rank misbehaving Chinese, storing their names in a central database. The information will then be passed on to inquiring travel agents and tour operators to keep them apprised of just who they’re dealing with.

The reaction among netizens has been mixed. While many welcomed the NTA’s decision, expressing genuine concern that China’s reputation is being tarnished abroad, not everyone agrees. In a report in the Observer, one commenter in particular, Shelbycobra, described another method for “dealing with Chinese tourists”:

I’ve traveled abroad extensively and have learned how to treat Chinese tourists, especially the large groups. Look them right in the eye, walk right into them and knock them down, even the old ladies. That’s what they understand. If you don’t you better just stand back and let them take advantage of you. I knocked an old Chinese lady down in Turkey who ran under me to get at the head of a line. She didn’t try it again.

Shelbycobra was not alone. A number of netizen comments expressed a similar sentiment, suggesting Chinese all too often display a poor sense of character abroad. Others were only too happy at the suggestion that a foreigner knocked down an old Chinese woman for cutting in line:

气人草根V：
(referring to old woman who was knocked down) Well deserved!

631225059jt6s:
Those that don’t comply with rules of etiquette should be punished.

穹其：
Well deserved. If there weren’t any civil liability laws in China, I’d like to beat them up too. Because there’s too many of these kinds of people, there is neither waiting or cutting in line. Dear me.

工农兵皇帝:
If only these types of people from our country could be beaten to death, China’s citizens could lead a happy and blessed life.

Others offered a more classist explanation:

CSSN7:
The majority of Chinese have become cultured, it’s just a few people who need adjustment. This loss of face though is on an international level…

dajiahao:
These are all priviledged and spoiled people. There aren’t any examples of common folk doing (bad things), and what’s more, they wouldn’t dare do it in the first place.

苏苏啊_希:
Some people have gotten rich, but their inner quality hasn’t followed.

Not everyone was in agreement with the NTA’s decision. A number of Chinese netizens outright rejected the notion that Chinese tourists are capable of misbehaving at all:

北京朝阳望京健康教育:
Foreigners murder and set fires all over the place. They are always using one small vice in order to denounce an entire country; isn’t this an example of even worse behaviour? If you are of exceptional quality, or if your opinions aren’t so vile, then we would be willing to examine ourselves in accordance with our foreign friends to determine the shortcomings of our country. Also, you don’t have anything (special) to be proud of.

龙三三三三：
Laowai are speaking utter nonsense. They probably mistake old ladies who are actually Japanese and South Korean as Chinese (and knock them down again).

风过人生:
This is just another ridiculous trick to smear the reputation of the Chinese people.

朱健 (responding to above)
No one is smearing anyone. Cutting in line, spitting and littering all over the place have all become standard habits for our countrymen.

And then this netizen that offered a more extreme solution:

妖孽白、づ Yoon A:
I propose sending an atomic bomb to those idiot laowai.

妖孽白、づ Yoon A:
Screw inner essence. Chinese simply like to spit everywhere, jaywalk, and not comply with public decorum. Not only that, but Chinese would like to set fire to the Louvre and the Fontainebleau. Chinese cause trouble on board airplanes [because they just like to]. If you want to forbid Chinese from entering your borders, oh you sacred people, then go ask the descendants of the Eight-Nation Alliance (a group of foreign nations involved in a military intervention in northern China in 1900).

Given the frequency of media reports lambasting Chinese tourists, it will be interesting to see what, if any, effect the NTA’s new program will have.

Photo: People’s Daily Online

The post China’s Decision to Keep a Blacklist of Misbehaving Tourists Sparks a Lively Online Debate appeared first on The Nanfang.

An unidentified Canadian man called Shenzhen police to say he left his backpack in the back of a taxi at around 2pm on New Year’s Eve. The Guangming police sub-station answered the call, and after determining where he got out of the taxi, they were able to isolate which taxi the man took by looking at local surveillance video.

When contacted, driver Mr Zhang confirmed there was a bag in his car, and said he would return it to the police sub-station. And so at 2:30pm, not half an hour after he first reported it missing, the Canadian man was able to regain his lost backpack with nothing missing inside.

As amazing as this story is, similar reports in the Chinese news are actually very common. Many are stories of drivers returning cash to their rightful owners. And while they lack the amazing sleuthing skills of this story, other incidents involving foreigners losing backpacks in taxis have made the news this year.

A foreigner identified as “Max” forgot his backpack in a taxi in November last year, but was able to get it back within an hour by showing police where he exited the taxi on miniature model of the city he was visiting.

“Max” points out the exact location where the taxi that has his missing backpack dropped him off.

A foreigner with the name “Luca” also forgot his backpack in a taxi while visiting Chengde in July, but was able to retrieve it before too long because the taxi driver noticed it after dropping him off and immediately went back to the hotel to give it to Luca personally.

So if you happen to forget your backpack in the back of a taxi, don’t fret; you too might actually get it back.

Photo: China Daily

The post Now, Some Good News: If You Forget Something in a Taxi in China, Don’t Lose All Hope appeared first on The Nanfang.