Don't ask a foreign tourist's age, wage, marriage -- posters of such eight "don't ask" are seen at many communities in Beijing's Dongcheng district.

"It is quite natural to ask a person's age when you are getting to know someone," 58-year-old Dai Lirong told Saturday's Beijing News.

But now she was learning that this was an embarrassing question to foreigners.

"Don't ask about personal experience, don't ask about income or expenses, don't ask family property, don't ask about age and marriage, don't ask about health, don't ask about someone's home or address, don't ask about religious beliefs or political views, don't ask someone's love affair," the poster advises.

Besides the posters, the Dongcheng district held training programs in all its 126 neighborhood communities to show locals about proper hospitality.

Dai also learned from the program that one had better not to call an elderly foreign lady "old lady," which is quite commonly done by locals.

"Not only residents but also people working in the service sector have to learn how to properly behave when communicating with foreigners," said Chen Lijun, official with the Dongcheng district government.

"There are differences between Chinese and foreign concepts about etiquette. It is necessary to improve people's knowledge in this aspect when the city receives so many foreigners during the Olympics," said Li Ning, president of the Beijing Etiquette Institute.

The Dongcheng district also put up posters teaching people how to properly behave with the disabled.

"If you want to lend a hand to a disabled person, please ask whether he or she need your help or not," one of the poster advises.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2008)