Chinese-speaking tourists were recently captured on video “feeding” a swan with a paper napkin, while another is shown grabbing the bird’s neck at a park in Switzerland.
The video, which showed a group of tourists trying to snap photos with the animal, soon went viral on Chinese social media after it was reportedly posted on Snapchat earlier this week.
In the short video clip featured on Sina, a woman was seen baiting the bird with a paper napkin, while another one was setting up her phone to take a picture.
When the swan caught the napkin with its bill, the woman with the phone grabbed the bird by its neck and tried to retrieve the napkin. Someone off-camera also spoke in Mandarin, saying, “Wait, I didn’t get the shot.”
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
According to Chinese media, the woman was attempting to re-enact the baiting as they missed a “photo opportunity.”
The video also showed a sign in English which reads, “Please don’t feed us.”
Chinese netizens have since condemned the behavior, with many expressing that it puts Chinese people in a negative light abroad.
“This type of person should be put on a blacklist, forbidden from leaving the country or not allowed back,” one netizen was quoted by Shanghaiist as saying. “Totally shameless.”
There were also those who noted that the woman who grabbed the swan’s neck was merely trying to prevent it from swallowing the paper.
Meanwhile, some have accused Swiss media of capitalizing on the video to further criticize Chinese tourists in the West.
Just last week, a TV show in Sweden sparked outrage in China after airing a controversial episode that made fun of Chinese tourists. The sketch on the satirical program Svenska Nyheter (Swedish news) listed some do’s and don’ts for Chinese tourists, which included “taking a poo outside of a historical place” and “mistaking pet dogs for lunch” among the “don’ts.”
Featured Image via YouTube/Netizen Watch
