50 tips for Backpackers travelling to China

"The four most overrated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics" - Christopher Hitchens

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From EDMW:

"1.不要接近峨眉山的和尚。（烧香就是烧钱）
2.不要接近崂山的道士。（要求捐的香火钱数目不小）
3.不要买九寨沟的牦牛肉。（牛肉卖出天价，好多是马肉）
4.不要买三峡船上的玉器珠宝。（因为买过后多不知为何种材质）
5.不要在西双版纳参加“抢亲”游戏。（洞房就是“陷阱”）
6.不要在西安的古玩一条街购买古物。（多以假乱真）
7.不要在大理购买所谓“老乡”的便宜珠宝。（假货居多）
8.不要在阳朔的酒吧里消费。（结账时会发现价格高得惊人）
9.不要招惹泰山景区的当地人。（山上山下好汉多）
10.不要参观少林寺时走“捷径”
11.不要逛十三陵“***”玉石店。（品质参差不齐）
12.不要单独去海南旅游
13.不要在坝上草原骑马。（骑马容易下马难）
14.不要在吐鲁番买葡萄。（贵得离谱）
15.不要在深圳中英街购买任何物品。（多山寨）
16.不要参加北京当地的长城一日游。（很多都是只到水关，而非八达岭）
17.不要在张家界住便宜小旅店。（安全得不到保障）
18.不要在井冈山为“老区建设”捐款。（骗局，流进个人腰包）
19.不要在杭州的娱乐场所消费。（结账账单会让你目瞪口呆）
20.不要在苏州的茶楼喝茶。（茶昂贵、糕点无味）
21.不要在丰都鬼城照“免费”像。（天下没有白吃的午餐）
22.不要在北海乘坐摩托艇。（摩托艇宰客纠纷多）
23.不要在北戴河吃海鲜。（活的海鲜多被偷梁换柱）
24.不要在三亚海边接近小商贩。（强买强卖）
25.不要随导游在呼伦贝尔草原上吃烤全羊。（要价高）
26.不要在庐山乘个体出租车上山。（若有价格纠纷没保障）
27.不要在黄山市黟县宏村的路上坐出租车。（不跳表）
28.不要去黄山让人“免费带路” 。（会极力鼓动你参加旅行团或推荐你住宾馆）
29.不要在千岛湖码头的排挡吃鱼。（味道确很一般）
30.不要参观乐山大佛景区周边的付费景点。（乐山大佛老远就看得见，没必要花冤枉钱）
31.不要在郑州黄河游览区骑马。
32.不要到恒山算命
33.不要随旅游团环游青海湖
34.不要买神农架的土特产
35.不要在敦煌的夜市吃地摊饭
36.不要在花果山的海鲜一条街吃饭
37.不要随导游逛清明上河图
38.不要在南京做“免费美容”(先做一半，另一半要钱)
39.不要在上海滩让人给你照数码像
40.不要买“便宜票”看黄果树大瀑布
41.不要随导游在香港买名表和珠宝
42.不要投大钱在澳门赌博(有去无回，血本无归)
43.不要在威海韩国城购买没经狠杀价的商品
44.不要在丽江洗桑拿浴
45.不要到五台山的五爷庙烧香
46.不要在平遥摸“鱼洗”
47.不要在武夷山景区买茶叶
48.不要在白洋淀景区买鸭蛋
49.不要在乌镇让道士“免费看相”（多以消灾为幌子）
50.不要去太阳岛坐“热心人”介绍的船 （付两倍的船钱也看不到岛）

Its been 12yrs since i first take my backpack and travel to China alone.."

Turns out this list is all over China forums (About 55,100 Google results)


Someone: Summarised into 1 rule

1。不要去中国

Translation: "Don't go to China"


The thread is full of people complaining about China and complaining everyone is trying to rip you off.

So it's not just me!


Attempted translation from Yours Truly:

"1.Don't approach monks from Mt Emei (burning incense is burning money)
2. Do not approach taxis from Laoshan (in Qingdao, Shandong) (the incense money asked in donations is a lot)
3. Do not buy Jiuzhaigou Yak Meat (Beef that's sold for a heavenly life, much of it horse meat)
4. Do not buy jade treasures onboard the Three Gorges Cruise (because after the purchase you don't know what material they're made of)
5. Do not, at Xishuangbanna (in Yunnan), take part in the "chasing kin" game (the bridal is a "trap")
6. Do not, at Xi'an's Guan street, buy antiques (lots of fakes are mixed with the real goods)
7. Do not, at Dali's wholesale centre, buy supposed "old hometown" baubles (they're mostly fakes)
8. Do not, at Yangshuo's bars, waste your money (when you pay the bill you will find that the bill is shocking)
9. Do not provoke the natives of the Taishan area (there are many people on and at the foot of the mountain)
10. Do not look at Shaolin Monastery's "shortcuts"
11. Do not visit the 13 Ming Tombs' "***" jade shop (goods are of uneven quality)
12. Do not go to Hainan Island alone for a holiday
13. Do not ride horses on the steppes (it's easy to mount the horse but hard to dismount)
14. Do not, at Turpan (in Xinjiang), buy grapes (the prices are out of this world)
15. Do not, in Shenzhen's English Street, buy anything (they're mostly Shanzhai pirated knockoff products)
16. Do not go on daytrips to the Great Wall in Beijing (many only go to Shuiguan and not Badaling)
17. Do not, at Zhangjiajie (Hunan), stay in cheap hotels (they are not safe)
18. Do not, at the Jinggang mountains (Jiangxi/Hunan), give to "old quarter restoration" funds (it's a scam and it just enriches them)
19. Do not, at Hangzhou's recreation centre, waste money (the bill will stupefy you)
20. Do not, at Suzhou's tea houses, drink tea (it's expensive and the cakes are tasteless)
21. Do not, at Fengdu Ghost City, take a "free" picture (there's no such thing as a free lunch)
22. Do not, in the Southern Sea, take motorised boats (there are lots of [fee] disputes)
23. Do not, at Beidaihe (Qinhuangdao, Hebei), eat seafood (the live seafood is switched [?])
24. Do not, at Sanya (Hainan), approach peddlers (they were force you to buy their wares)
25. Do not, on guided tours to the Hulun Buir Grassland (Mongolia) eat a whole roast goat (it's expensive)
26. Do not, at Lushan (Jiangxi), get your own taxi to go up the mountain (those with price disputes don't have assurance [?])
27. Do not, on the roads of Huangshan City (Anhui), get on a taxi (they don't skip the list [?])
28. Do not, on Huangshan, let people "guide you for free" (they will strongly encourage to join a tour group or push a guesthouse on you)
29. Do not, along Qiandao Lake's (Hangzhou) jetties, eat fish from a stall (the taste is pedestrian)
30. Do not go see, around Leshan Giant Buddha (Sichuan), the paid attractions (Leshan's Giant Buddha can be seen from afar, don't waste money)
31. Do not, at Zhengzhou's (Henan) Yellow River Resort, ride horses.
32. Don't go to Hengshan for fortune telling
33. Don't follow a tour to Qinghai Lake (Qinghai)
34. Don't buy Shennongjia's (Hubei) local specialities
35. Do not, at Dunhuang's (Gansu) night market, eat 地摊饭 (Ditanfan - a type of rice)
36. Do not eat at Huaguoshan's (Jiangsu) seafood street
37. Do not follow a guide to see Along the River During the Qingming Festival
38. Do not, in Nanjing, go for a "free beauty treatment" (they do the first half for free then ask for money for the second half)
39. Do not, on the Bund in Shanghai, let people take your photos digitally
40. Do not buy "cheap tickets" to see Huangguoshu Waterfall
41. Do not follow a guide in Hong Kong to buy branded watches and treasures
42. Do not spend large sums of money in Macao's casinos (once you go you're done for)
43. Do not, in Weihai's Little Korea, buy anything without ruthless bargaining
44. Do not, at Lijiang (Yunnan), go to a sauna
45. Do not, at Wutaishan, burn incense at Wu Ye temple
46. Do not, in Ping Yao, touch the "fish washing" (Ed: I tried to find out what this was: most of the most relevant Google Images were of young girls. After that it was mostly pictures of fish)
47. Do not, at Wuyishan (Fujian), buy tea leaves
48. Do not, at Baiyangdian (Hebei), buy duck eggs
49. Do not, at Wuzhen (Zhejiang) let the Taoist priest "tell your fortune for free" (they will try and ward off evil luck [for money])
50. Do not, at Taiyangdao (Heilongjiang), let "friendly people" introduce boats to you (you will pay twice as much and not see the island)"