Why does China’s “tourism blacklist” fail to play its due role

Two young Chinese tourists carve their names on the Great Wall. Hundreds of picnickers leave their garbage moldering on the banks of the Yellow River.

两名年轻的中国游客在长城上刻下自己的名字。数百名在黄河边野餐的人把垃圾留在了那里。

Such episodes during the recent National Day holiday have produced a flurry of photographic postings and a spasm of soul-searching in China, highlighting anxieties over the habits and image of tourists at home and abroad in a nation that is increasingly cash-rich but, some say, short on manners and experience with the outside world.

在最近的国庆节长假期间，这种事情已经在中国引发了一串照片帖子和自我反省，突显了人们对中国人在国内和海外旅游的习惯和形象所感到的焦虑，中国人的腰包正变得日益充裕，但有些人认为，国人缺乏礼貌以及与外界打交道的经验。

They are also raising questions as to why a "tourism blacklist" the government set up last year to name and shame misbehaving travelers does not seem to have had a greater impact.

人们也提出一个问题：为什么政府去年设立了"游客黑名单"，点名批评行为不文明游客的做法，似乎并没有产生多大作用。

In May 2015, to counter the impression left by an array of widely publicized episodes that have included travelers storming a buffet in Thailand to consume all the prawns, throwing hot water at a flight attendant, carving inscriptions on an ancient Egyptian monument, allowing children to relieve themselves in public places and opening emergency exits on airlines "for fresh air," the government announced the blacklist.

2015年5月，政府宣布设立游客黑名单，为的是抵消被广泛报道的一系列不良事件给人们留下的印象，这些事件包括游客在泰国自助餐厅抢光大虾，向一名飞机乘务员泼热水，在埃及的古迹上刻字，让孩子在公共场所大小便，在飞机上打开紧急出口以"呼吸新鲜空气"等。

People may land on it either for legal crimes or moral offenses at home or abroad, according to People's Daily.

据《人民日报》报道，在国内或海外有犯罪行为或不道德行为的人可能会被列入这个黑名单。

Possible offenses include interfering with aircraft or public transport, damaging public property or the environment, defacing cultural relics, disrespecting local customs and participating in gambling, illicit drug activities, prostitution or "dangerous sexual activities."

可能的不良行为包括：扰乱航空器或者其他公共交通工具秩序；破坏公共环境卫生、公共设施；损毁、破坏旅游目的地文物古迹；违反旅游目的地社会风俗、民族生活习惯；参与赌博、色情、毒品内容的活动或者危险性活动。

People added to the list remain there for three years, during which their names are made available to travel companies, airlines, work units and the Public Security Bureau, among other groups. This puts the person on notice that he or she is under watch and could be barred from tour groups. They may be barred from flying or from visiting scenic spots. But there is no financial penalty.

上黑名单的人的信息将保存三年，旅游公司、航空公司、工作单位和公安局等机构可以查到他们的名字。这警告当事人，他们受到监督，有可能被禁止参加旅游团。他们也可能被禁止乘坐飞机或进入景区，但并没有财物惩罚。

Over all, the blacklist appears to have had a slow start, suggesting the difficulty of policing human behavior even in an authoritarian nation.

总地来看，黑名单的效果似乎并不如意，说明即使是在一个集权国家，监督人们的行为也很困难。

The list is unavailable on the website of the China National Tourism Administration. But according to the Shenzhen Metropolis newspaper, only 24 people are on it.

中国国家旅游局的网站找不到这份名单。但据《深圳都市报》报道，名单上只有24个人。

That number includes two people added over the recent holiday, according to the China National Tourism Administration: Hou Geshun from Heilongjiang Province, who was accused of burning Vietnamese money in a bar in the Vietnamese city of Danang, and Lu Shan from Beijing, who was said to have beaten up her tour guide in Yunnan Province.

据国家旅游局说，黑名单上包括两个在最近的假期被列入的人：黑龙江游客侯歌顺和北京游客卢珊，侯歌顺被指在越南城市岘港的一家酒吧烧"越南盾"，卢珊据说在云南打了导游。

The report did not explain why Mr. Hou burned the money, but China and Vietnam have a testy relationship over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea that have led to nationalistic demonstrations on both sides. The reason for Ms. Lu's outburst was also not given, but disputes between tour guides and tourists are common, often over travel conditions or shopping requirements.

这篇报道没有解释为什么侯歌顺烧越南盾，但中国与越南的关系由于南海领土争端变得很紧张，两国都曾发生过民族主义者的游行示威。报道也没有提卢珊殴打导游的原因，但导游与游客之间的纠纷很常见，往往涉及旅游条件或购物要求。

Hundreds of millions of people made 593 million domestic trips on national transportation networks during the weeklong holiday, according to the tourism administration. That number does not include trips by private car. An additional six million traveled abroad during that period, the tourism administration said.

旅游局的资料显示，在国庆节黄金周期间，全国共接待游客5.93亿人次。此外，还有接近600万人次的出境游，旅游局说。

Last week, after the fresh round of episodes over the holiday, Xinhua, the state news agency, questioned the list's effectiveness.

上周，在国庆长假爆出新一轮不文明事件之后，官方通讯社新华网对黑名单的有效性提出了质疑。

"Carving Names and Drawing Pictures on the Great Wall, Throwing Garbage in the Yellow River, Why Does the Blacklist not Control Uncivilized Tourists?" its headline asked.

文章标题问道，"长城刻画黄河扔垃圾，黑名单为何管不住不文明游客？"

An article on the WeChat account of Guangming Online asked whether the list was merely a "paper tiger."

"光明网"微信公号发表的一篇文章问道，游客黑名单是否成了"纸老虎"。

One man added to the blacklist shortly after it was set up told The Zhejiang Elderly News that being on it did not change his life much.

一名在黑名单刚建立不久就上了名单的男子对《浙江老年报》说，被纳入黑名单对自己的生活影响不大。

"I got back from Thailand and am off to Korea," said the man from Jiangsu Province, identified only by his surname, Wang. "At the worst, you can't join a tour group. Independent travel is the thing to do."

这名江苏男子说，"刚从泰国回来，我就去了韩国。大不了不跟团，自由行就是了。"文章中只提到他姓王。

But perhaps travel will grow more difficult for Mr. Wang and others on the list.

但是对王先生和其他上了黑名单上的人来说，旅游也许将会变得更加困难。

In August, The Qianjiang Evening News reported, officials drafted another set of rules that has not yet been approved, but it includes a ban on foreign travel.

据《钱江晚报》报道，今年8月，官员们已起草了新条例，目前尚未获得批准，但上了黑名单的人将有可能被限制出境。

Source: New York Times