Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Teaching social graces to Chinese kids



Here is an interesting report from Agence France-Presse as quoted by ABS CBN Newswith regard observing one's demeanor among the youth in China.
Concerned about "uncultured manners" that could embarrass Beijing in the eyes of the world, the education ministry posted guidelines on its Website mandating all children to have etiquette lessons in schools.
Pupils in the primary school should be taught by their teachers appropriate behavior, respect for the elders and proper table manners.
Students in the middle-school should learn how to be courteous to others, conduct polite discourse, dress appropriately, and how to properly converse over the telephone, email, text-messaging and other forms of communication.
High school students should learn the fundamentals of polite dialogue, proper grooming, and learning how to wait for their queues.
Notorious practices like spitting, littering, and queue-jumping are seen in some people in China that are frowned upon in the country itself as well as overseas.
Although Beijing has launched many civic improvement campaigns to improve social behavior, many bad practices are still frequently seen in the capital city and elsewhere.
Author's note: It is admirable that China admitted the problem and is making steps to solve it. The author remembers a funny experience in Hong Kong airport where it took him such a long time on queue at the ticket desk with only one person ahead of him, only to find out that that person was carrying over 20 passports in a group tour!
Among the few countries that the author had been to, the Japanese people stand out when it comes to social graces.
More details of this report on this link.
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