Avoid bad manners during the Spring Festival

Don't spit!" "Stop talking loud, this is a public place!" "Wait in line!" These are just some of the things you might want to scream when encountering a person with bad manners at a park or other place of interest during the Spring Festival holiday.

A man sits on a sculpture in Guiyang in southwestern China on Feb. 18, 2007

The Beijing Times on Wednesday published a list of tips compiled from netizens on its website of how some Chinese tourists marked by a lack of courtesy and unsanitary behavior can avoid offending others.

Tourists are advised to bring their own garbage bags, wait in line and not hoard precious wild plants or animals during their travels this Spring Festival.

Furthermore, netizens emphasized the need for tourists to show more grace during trips abroad, particularly minding how loud they talk.

China has been making significant efforts to polish its image as a refined nation. Poor manners have aroused concern and criticism at home and abroad, to the extent that they are tarnishing the country's international image.

Authorities hope that Chinese citizens will behave in a more "civilized" manner during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.