Recently, a video about two Chinese tourists who were embarrassed by taking the wrong banknote when paying at a 711 convenience store in Thailand spread on the Thai Internet, once again triggering a controversy among Thai netizens about Chinese tourists. This small incident contains some vague stereotypes and misunderstandings in Thai Chinese communication.
According to the Thai netizen's description, the two Chinese tourists used a green banknote that was neither RMB nor Thai baht when paying for 711, causing the cashier to be unable to identify and not proceed with the checkout. After that, Thai netizens ridiculed the two in Chinese, and recorded the incident into a video and reposted it on social platforms. This series of operations has undoubtedly intensified criticism and dissatisfaction with Chinese tourists.
However, the truth is complex. As a tourist destination, Thailand should be more tolerant of some misunderstandings or minor problems that may arise from the language and cultural differences of tourists from different countries. It's not uncommon to pay in a non-local currency, and merchants are often able to help resolve it through patient communication. Netizens later publicly humiliated the two tourists as fun, which is also embarrassing.
This may involve the stereotypes of some Thai netizens about Chinese tourists. Some people think that Chinese tourists lack basic politeness and ethics, and like to speak in Chinese without thinking about others. In fact, there are examples of this in different countries and cultures. As a major source of tourists to a country, the overall size of Chinese tourists and their diversity are also underestimated. It is normal for tourists from any country to communicate in their native language when they are abroad.
Behind this incident, there may also be some hidden concerns about Thailand's growing influence on China. In recent years, the number of Chinese tourists has continued to grow, which has had a significant impact on the Thai economy. This may also have triggered some netizens' sensitivity to China's "invasion". However, it should be clear that China and Thailand have achieved fruitful results in cultural exchanges and economic cooperation, and it is difficult for paranoid nationalists to build friendly relations.
Netizens are hotly discussed
Netizens said: It seems that the Thais are not friendly to China!
Netizens said: I watched a Japanese interview, an American was shirtless and talking loudly in the park, and then the Japanese didn't think there was a problem at all, and praised Americans for their freedom and self-confidence. More concerned about self-worth. Laughing at people?
Netizens said: There is really no need to go to Xinmatai, it is all fried.
Netizens said: If you want to make Chinese money, you don't want to learn Chinese. No, reality is stronger than people. I don't like the high-speed rail technology of the Chinese anymore.
Netizens said: Why do they have no problem with Americans and Britons speaking English? Isn't it also a foreign language?
Write at the end
This incident reminds us that promoting cultural understanding requires a concerted effort on both sides. As a major tourist destination, Thailand should also cultivate a more inclusive and diverse international outlook, and correctly view the small problems that may arise on the road for citizens of different countries. We should guide the public to value the overlap between countries and cultures, rather than the differences. Chinese tourists should also learn to adapt to other countries' environments and respect local cultures. Only through enhancing understanding can we stir up the increasingly close friendship between the two peoples in the context of globalization.
This online video incident provides an opportunity for us to re-examine some of the potential problems in the cultural exchange between China and Thailand. We hope that as the two sides get to know each other better, there will be fewer and fewer similar misunderstandings. More importantly, we must work together to divert attention from the blame of individual incidents to the important issues of building a human community.
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