Behave well, Communist party warns Chinese

8220;Don8217;t disgrace your country,8221; the first guidelines says. 8220;Don8217;t yell into the mobile phone, and wash your hands before and after eating.8221;

The gist of the campaign is: 8220;behave well when you are at home or abroad.8221; The campaign will last till the end of 2008, when Beijing hosts the Olympic games. The Beijing municipal government has already launched a similar programme in the city to teach manners to the local community.

The tourism industry has been developing rapidly in recent years. Last year, there were 31 million outbound travellers and 1.2 billion domestic trips, according to the China National Tourism Administration. Many tourists clear their throats loudly and spit, take off shoes aboard planes and trains, squat and smoke in public places, and often appear uncouth, the party said.

In a typical example, chewing gum has to be repeatedly scraped off almost every corner of Tian8217;anmen Square, one of the major tourist attractions in Beijing.