On Getting Cheated On a morning in early February, my wife and I were on our second week of vacation, riding upstream in a small boat on the Li River from the scenic little town of Yangshuo. This is one of the prettiest parts of China, a waterway that winds through steep karst mountains rising abruptly into the mist, a fantasy landscape that has been the subject of countless paintings and postcards. There were six or seven of us foreigners sitting together on the bow, travelers from a smorgasbord of nations -- Switzerland, Israel, Germany, England, Korea, the United States -- as well as one young Chinese man who was currently living in Japan. Occasionally we passed farmers in pointed straw hats walking along the banks of the river with their water buffalo, looking as if they had been walking these banks in exactly the same fashion for thousands of years. What were we talking about in this peaceful setting? We were telling each other horror stories of getting ripped-off in China. "Most foreigners I've met hate China the longer they stay, just because of this one issue, being constantly cheated," said a Swiss student who was living in Beijing. A Korean girl studying at a university in Shanghai complained that she was forced to pay $8 a night for her dorm room, an exorbitant price considering that Chinese students paid only 200 yuan for their accommodations for the entire year. "Yes, but the foreign students have better rooms," suggested the one Chinese man gently. "Not that much better!" insisted the Korean girl. She was certain she was being cheated, and it made her angry. The question of charging foreigners and Chinese a different price for the same service infuriates many visitors. Some mark- ups are insignificant, a hike of 10 yuan or so to visit a museum. But occasionally the higher price feels like downright extortion. Gail and I, in fact, were taking the boat ride today upriver from Yangshuo to make up for missing the more famous scenic trip downstream from Guilin, as the Guilin - Yangshuo boat charges 80 yuan for local Chinese and a whopping 450 yuan for foreigners. Like most tourists, I don't mind being overcharged a little, but there comes a time when you just have to say no. It's impossible to remain in China for long without having to come to grips with this problem -- taxi drivers who soak you for whatever they can, restaurants with creative pricing, and more. The Chinese themselves complain loudly about the problem, and are just as prone to being ripped-off as foreigners when they too become tourists. There was a well-publicized case recently in the Sichuan city of Chongqing. A Chinese man went into a restaurant and ate a bowl of noodles that should have cost him 3 or 4 yuan -- only this particular restaurant presented him with a bill for 200 yuan (about $26) and physically restrained him from leaving until he paid up. The unfortunate gentleman marched directly to a police station and the case was reported in the newspapers; the huge majority of cases, of course, go unreported and result only in a ruined evening and bad feelings. The basic rule of thumb while traveling in China is that you must always negotiate what things cost in advance, whether it's a taxi ride (unless you CLEARLY see the meter ticking) or a restaurant meal you are about to eat. This can be an irritating and time-consuming process, particularly without a knowledge of the language, but it will help avoid unpleasant surprises. Guilin is notorious for overcharging tourists, and you have to be extra careful in this famous city. I remember one Guilin restaurant where I asked in advance the price of "gongbao jiding" (chicken with chili peppers and peanuts). "75 yuan," said the waitress. Since this was not the Great Wall Sheraton, but an average hole- in-the-wall place, I knew this was a bit of spontaneous inflation. "Tai guile," I said. "Too expensive!" Without blinking an eye, she lowered the price to 25 yuan for the same humble dish. I felt very clever; it only occurred to me later that I was still paying twice as much as I should. When you live in China, you generally create a small orbit for yourself, a safety zone of honest restaurants and markets in your neighborhood where you develop a personal relationship -- so vital in this huge country! -- and you return time and time again. But when you travel, you must be constantly on guard. This is a pity. I remember being very rude once to a perfectly nice English teacher who approached us to ask politely where we were from, but our traveler's Bible, the Lonely Planet guide, had specifically warned us against Guiliners using this ruse to get their hands on your money. "In Guilin it's always hunting season, and the quarry is your wallet," advised the Lonely Planet ominously. So I clutched Gail with one hand, and my money pouch in the other, and we made a hasty escape. It was only afterwards that I realized I had over-reacted and the poor guy probably had nothing more sinister in mind than practicing his English. It's easy to become too paranoid, and important to remind yourself that the sums of money involved are generally small, and it's really our pride that is hurt more than our pocketbooks. No one likes to get cheated, after all. But when you put the problem into perspective, China is still a remarkably safe place to travel. Think about it: Here you might end up losing a few dollars if you you're not careful. But there are some places in the West -- try Miami, for example -- where a tourist can take a wrong turn and lose his life! Next week: "Yangshou" From the Editor in Chief: If you have some travel or work experience in China to share with us, we will be very excited to hear from you! Send your feedback by e-mail or regular mail to ASM Overseas Corporation. Thank you! And if you liked this column, please check Expats In China (International Community in China) for more interesting and useful information on life in China as a foreigner, including calendar of events, entertainment, housing, employment, classifieds, personal, etc. |
