A woman in Singapore who did not appear to be local was caught on video scolding a bus driver, and subsequently getting off the bus to block it, all because she had allegedly missed her bus stop.

The incident was filmed outside MacPherson MRT station.

News of the woman's behaviour has since gone viral in China, sparking a fierce backlash from Chinese netizens.

On Jan. 29, Tencent News reported on the incident with the following headline:

"'Giant Baby' woman who missed her stop used her body to block the bus, blamed the driver: You did not remind me!"

Moreover, the four-minute long video was condensed into a minute-long clip that mostly showed the woman at her most irate moments shouting at other commuters and the bus driver.

Near-unanimous condemnation from Chinese netizens

Many netizens who saw the video were almost unanimous in their condemnation of her behaviour, stating that she had brought national shame upon her fellow countrymen, likely as a result of deducing her nationality from her accent.

Translation:

"This is too embarrassing! I won't dare to say I'm from China in the future."

Screenshot from XW QQ websiteTranslation:

"Shame! You're throwing the image of Chinese people, you hooligan. Can't you be more alert while sitting on the bus? If you and other passengers all want the driver to alert you, he might as well be a computer. You're an embarrassment."

Translation:

"A Chinese goes abroad and speaks Chinese to foreigners. Does this not let foreigners look down on the Chinese? You've let foreigners think that the Chinese are uncultured. You went abroad despite not speaking English.

Many netizens were also angered by the clips of the woman that showed her shouting while wearing earphones, with her phone in hand.

Translation:

"Wearing earphones, she wouldn't have heard even if someone told her about her stop. Pig."

Translation:

"Wherever she goes she's on her earphones and playing with her phone non-stop. She has no awareness and is relying on others. Is this ok?

Translation:

"She carries her phone but doesn't check the map or the stop she wants alight at. The driver could have alerted you but he isn't obligated to. Every bus stop has an alert but you did not notice. So you cannot blame others, let alone be so shameful overseas."

Touching a raw nerve

It's not a stretch to say that the woman's behaviour has touched a raw nerve within China, given that many of the comments are focused on how she has humiliated her country with her behaviour.

Such an incident comes at a time where steps are being taken by major Chinese organisations such as Ctrip -- China’s biggest online travel agency -- to improve the image of Chinese tourists abroad.

Fortune reported that apart from organising tours, Ctrip also seeks to teach better manners to Chinese travellers via:

"...email dispatches, updates on Tencent’s WeChat app, in-person training sessions at the company’s offices, and online videos."

Fortune highlighted Jane Jie Sun, Ctrip's CEO, attributing the behaviour of Chinese tourists to the fact that for many tourists, it's the first time they are seeing the wider world.

Top image collage via Pravin Kumar video and XW QQ website

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