Tourist Scams in China

The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the most iconic activity in the region, and third-party agents around Guilin's hotels and train station sell tickets at two to three times the official price, often claiming official tickets are sold out. Some sell tickets for cruises that do not match the experience described — slower older boats, less scenic routes, or departure times that miss the best morning light.

How to avoid: Purchase Li River cruise tickets exclusively from the official Guilin Tourism Development Co. booths, your hotel concierge using verifiable sources, or the official government tourism website. Official ticket prices are fixed and publicly listed. Do not buy from street touts or hotel-lobby agents claiming to have special access.

Near Tiananmen Square and Wangfujing, friendly English-speaking students approach tourists claiming to want to practice English. They invite tourists for tea, and the bill arrives for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Intimidating staff prevent leaving without payment.

How to avoid: Politely decline invitations from strangers near tourist areas who want to practice English or show you around. This is the most reported tourist scam in Beijing. Walk away from persistent strangers.

Luohu Commercial City, the multi-story mall directly above the Luohu border crossing from Hong Kong, is one of the world's most famous counterfeit goods markets. Sellers aggressively tout fake watches, handbags, clothing, jewelry, and electronics across multiple floors. Items are presented as luxury brands and the experience can feel overwhelming, with sellers physically pulling at visitors. Many goods fail quickly and are illegal to import into most countries.

How to avoid: Treat everything in Luohu Commercial City as counterfeit regardless of what you are told. Do not pay prices that imply authenticity. Be aware that customs officers on both the Hong Kong and your home country side may confiscate fake goods and levy fines. Bringing counterfeit goods into the US, EU, or UK can result in significant penalties.

Longjing (Dragon Well) tea is Hangzhou's most famous product, and fake or low-grade tea sold as premium authentic Longjing is the city's most prevalent tourist scam. Sellers in shops near West Lake, at tea villages, and along Longjing Road present cheap machine-rolled tea or tea from other provinces as hand-picked, first-flush authentic Longjing, charging prices 10–50 times the actual value. Some sellers show genuine samples but pack a different, inferior product.

How to avoid: Purchase Longjing tea only from government-designated stores with official certification, or from the Longjing village cooperative shops with origin labels. Genuine first-grade Longjing is expensive — if the price seems like a bargain, the tea is not authentic. Watch your purchase being packed from the same batch you sampled.

Outside the Summer Palace, Great Wall (Badaling), and other major sites, drivers of unmarked cars solicit tourists with seemingly reasonable fixed prices. Fares are often tripled at the destination, and drivers have been known to lock doors or become threatening when tourists refuse to pay the inflated amount.

How to avoid: Use only metered taxis with visible license plates and official signage, or book through DiDi which shows price and driver details upfront. Arrange return transport through your hotel or a pre-booked tour operator.

Young people claiming to be art students at a nearby university approach tourists on the Bund or near Yu Garden, inviting them to a gallery showing. Visitors are pressured to buy overpriced, mass-produced prints as "original art."

How to avoid: Any unsolicited approach from "art students" near tourist areas in China is a known scam. Politely decline and keep walking. Genuine art galleries do not recruit customers from the street.

Foreign tourists must obtain a Tibet Travel Permit (TTB permit) through a registered agency before entering the TAR — and fraudulent agencies have proliferated online and in gateway cities like Chengdu and Xi'an. These scammers charge CNY 2,000–5,000 for "guaranteed" permits, collect payment, and either disappear or deliver forgeries that result in denial of entry or deportation at Gonggar Airport. The legitimate official permit fee is only CNY 50, with registered agency service fees of CNY 200–400 on top.

How to avoid: Only book Tibet permits through agencies listed on the Tibet Tourism Bureau's official registry. Never pay permit fees to agencies operating solely online with no verifiable physical address in Chengdu or Lhasa. Verify the agency's TTB registration number before paying anything.

On heavily used lines such as Line 1 through the Tiananmen–Wangfujing corridor and Line 10, coordinated pickpocket teams operate with one member creating a distraction while another removes valuables. Tourists are consistently targeted at major transit hubs during peak hours.

How to avoid: Keep valuables in a front pocket or concealed money belt. Use a bag with zip closures worn on your front. Stay alert when boarding or alighting at crowded stations where passengers are pressed together.