英语畅谈中国文化 50 主题 第 36 章 Chinese Tourists Abroad 出境旅游热A: When I was on my holidays in the UK last summer, I saw a lot of visitors at the British Museum. Do you want to take a guess which country most of the visitors came from?B: That's easy. China. In fact, that doesn't just happen in the UK. You'll see lots of Chinese tourists almost everywhere, even in Mexico. You can tell this from the fact that many local peddlers speak Chinese to promote their souvenirs. A: You're right. Obviously this is something new. Thanks to your economic reforms, Chinese people have more disposable income now. It's like the Americans in the 19th century or the Japanese during the 1970s. As soon as people have more money to spend, they like to go sightseeing overseas. When American tourists first came to Europe, the Europeans didn't quite like them because they behaved differently.B: That's similar to how the Chinese tourists are received in Europe today. A lot of the foreign media are very critical of Chinese tourists. A: There was a recent article in the New York Times about the differences between American, Japanese and Chinese tourists. Unlike American and Japanese tourists, who usually spend their holidays at a resort, Chinese tourists prefer shopping and taking pictures of the well-known scenic spots. The journalist even used the word "pandemonium" to describe Chinese tourists at an L'Oreal shop. You can imagine how crowded it must be. I wonder why Chinese tourists like shopping and taking pictures rather than enjoying a relaxed holiday.B: Well, as you've just said, American and Japanese tourists came through similar experiences themselves. Chinese tourists are indeed different. Take shopping for example. Many people buy a lot of things to give away as souvenirs rather than buying for themselves. Chinese people like to share the joy of overseas travel with friends, family members and colleagues. That's why Chinese tourists usually spend more time in the shops. They need to find the right souvenirs at affordable prices. The same is true with taking pictures. Photographs are proof to show others that they have been to many places, especially when it costs a lot of money to travel to overseas countries. The photographs also give people the opportunity to brag. A：I didn't realize there were so many obligations on Chinese tourists. Now I understand them better.
