My first 3 hours in Beijing walking around Dongchen I got offered twice to go the an art fair… which I denied… however later a couple of nice girls approached me and we have a very nice talk and they offer to take me to a tea house which I accepted. After 2 hours of nice talking the bill arrived, 1600 RMB!! I paid half as the girls said they had no more money… This was ridiculous, however I seem not to had any other choice as it was my first freaking meal there…

Cant believe this… the rule of never talking to strangers always apply…

Sorry to hear about so many scamulous run-ins, folks!

I won’t post the girl’s number or email as they can easily be changed. But she could speak English fluently. Originally wanted to meet in Dongdan.

Being an idiot. I went there.
Then she said she wanted to meet Wangfujin.

If you hear that – alarm bells shoul start ringing. She said she was now wearing high heels and could no longer come and it was cold outside. In fact there are many shopping centres around… also she said i should catch a taxi. She could have easily caught one as a local she would be more familiar…

She said lets meet 1/2 way. First asking where I live. Then the place they want to meet is always dongdan or Wangfujin… it’s a total scam…

We had arrived with my girlfriend to Beijing four days earlier and had not read anything about any scams, so we were very easy victims I think. So, we were walking on Jianguomennei Dajie near the Dongdan Metro station on our way to the Foreign Language Bookstore on Wangfujing Dajie, as two very friendly young girls and one boy came to us and wanted to chat a little because we were foreigners we thought. Of course we were happy to meet some local people, so we gladly had them walking with us towards the bookstore. As we chatted it turned out the three were studying traditional chinese art. They were on the way to their art exibition that was located in the corner of Jianguomennei Dajie and Wangfujing Dajie, which fitted our route perfectly, so they asked us to come and see their work. Of course we went.

We stepped in to a building which seemed like a nice hotel. We took the elevator to a highier floor. (can’t remember which floor). They let us in to a room full of nice traditional chinese paintings. Their teacher was also there, a male little older than the students, but not alot more than 30. All the three students presented their own pieces of art and we were really impressed! After the presentations their teacher showed us some of the techniques the paintings was made with and we were more and more impressed how talented this group of people was.

Now the teacher gently asked us which painting we liked the most. We really couldn’t decide, they were all so nice in their own way. He asked if we wanted to have a painting with us as a souvenir. We said we really couldn’t afford any of these paintings as we were on a thight budget and was travelling all the way to Thailand with train and bus. The teacher, still gently, said that we could work out a nice price for a painting together. We repeated that we don’t have the money, or room in our baggage for that matter, for this kind of things. Now the teacher stardet to sell the paintings a little harder as we started to move towards the door. At the same time one of the students went to the paintings near the door and started to talk about them again and try to sell them. We told them again and again that we are NOT interssested in buying any of these paintings. At this point we knew walking out from the room would have been the right thing to do, but we didn’t want to seem rude. So after about 15 minutes of hard selling and very much bargaining from us, we bought a painting of a Hutong for 200 yuan. The teacher continued to try and sell us other paintings also, but now we were done. We shook hands with all four and left the room and the buildig and felt really confused.

Now we continued to the bookstore and felt quite good about the experience. We had a new painting made by an art student we actually met. The price didn’t seem high either.

After our errends in the bookstore we split up for the rest of the day with my girlfriend.

I went to the Oriental plaza to have a look for some clothes and other stuff. As I was wandering around the plaza, minding my own bussines, up to me comes a friendly young boy, maybe 20-something, and ask if he can practise his english with me. He seemed friendly and I didn’t have any other company at the moment, so of course he could practise his english with me.

As we now walked together he explained that he studies english in the university of Beijing. He was wery interested in everything about me and my country (Finland) and Europe and the EU. He wanted to know everything. I actually enjoyed spending time with him.

After a while he suggested that we should sit down and have a tea somewhere after all this walking around in the plaza. I thought this was a great idea. I really was feeling tired after all the walking.

He said he knew a good place and took me there. It was actually located just beside the Foreign language bookstore, a few stores higher. He took me through a coffee shop to a dark room with a low wooden table and a few low wooden stools. On the table was all these tea articles, small cups and cans and stuff. It was really cosy actually.

Soon a young woman came in and started to talk in chinese about chinese tea and it’s effects on you at the same time as she was preparing the teas. My new friend translated everything she was saying to us. This was really fun I thought!

At this time I started to think about the price of this, but then I thought “this is China. Everrything is cheap in China” so I didn’t ask about the price.

So we tasted ten different sort of teas from these really small cups and during every different tea the woman explained it’s effect to us. A really nice experience I thought.

When all sorts were tasted and I was in a relaxed and a happy mood I asked for the bill. The woman went out from the room to the bar desk to make the bill. When she came back, she gave the bill to me and I was shocked! 1700 yuan! I told her this is a misunderstanding and that I don’t have this kind of money with me. She didn’t of course understand english and my new friend didn’t seem to get what I was saying. I went to the bar desk with the bill and asked the guy behind the desk what the deal is. He said I had to pay. I became really angry and started yelling. Now more and more chinese people came and demanded me to pay. Also my new friend. He said he did only have a few hundred yuan on his bank account. So he paid 500 yuan and said he have to eat noodels for the rest of the month. Now I felt that I didn’t have a choise but to pay the rest of the sum as all these chinese were pressuring me. So I payed.

When we left the building this “friend” still followed me. I was really angry at him and asked why he took me to this place even if he didn’t have the money to pay his own share. He just ignored my questions and my anger. He still just asked his silly questions about Finland and what my family does and things that couldn’t matter less. After a while I told him I want to be alone now. Then we shook hands and he went to another direction and I was boiling angry and walking back to our hostel.

Back in the hostel i met my girlfriend and it turned out that she had had exactly the same experience with a student from Xi’an in a tea house near the Forbidden city. She didn’t have to pay as much as me for the ceremony tho. And she got two bags of tea with her.

Later we went to the internet and found out these two were common scams in Beijing. We really felt like idiots after this day.

Anyway this was a lesson learnt the hard way and we didn’t get scammed for the rest of our journey (we think).

Unfortunately not. We visited him again recently, but his health is not what it used to be.

Mark

i went through exactly the same thing yesterday. 2 girls (aged around 28-30) on holidays from Shanghai approached me in Tiannemen Square. Very polite, friendly and actually helpful. I was heading back towards the shops and they walked with me. Showed me the shoe place that made shoes for the emperor + gave me the background, took me to a famous chinese medicine place and showed me all the remedies- but never tried selling me anything.

Then after an hour or so, we were all quite thirsty and the Tea place came into the story. Upstairs we go to the tea room, and upon reflection now it all seemed a little too easy.

We spend 2 hours up there tasting all different types of tea + learning what they are for and how to drink them. There were same nibblies and grapes as well.

Up to this point it had actually been an enjoyable few hours- very educational.

Both girls had received separate phone calls on their mobiles during our tea.

Then the bill arrives. 1680 yuan!
For 5 x 30ml pint size tea tastes (for 3 people)

Appreciating the experience I had offered to pay for them also. But i chose not to question the price at that stage for fear of being considered rude.

As everyone else mentioned, it didn’t sit right with me, so i did a little research and yes it was a BIG SCAM.

I contacted my Visa Company and will contest the charge.

Still not content, i decided to go back there the next day and cause a scene. Which i did. They denied everything initially.

Then i got my camera out and started to take photos, and i raised my voice.

This got their attention. They offered my 370 yuan back. I refused. I continued to raise my voice and make it known i was angry.

They lifted to 500yuan, then 1000 yuan.
I ended up with 1500yuan cash back which i was pleased with.

I will still continue with Visa so the Tea House won’t get that money either.

I will scam them back!