Hangzhou Travel: My WTF Landmine Report!
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Oh, dear friends visiting Hangzhou, I must warn you about something that's really important!
Beware of "The Chain-Scheme": This nearly happened to me in Hangzhou! Some taxi drivers form a network with silk shops (e.g., one named “Xidebao”) and sellers of “Gong” brand Longjing tea specifically targeting out-of-town visitors.
My Horrible Experience:
On March 3rd, 2025, we were heading back home from the scenic area of West Lake under rain. Many taxis refused to take us, but a driver agreed when we said we wanted to get to our hotel, Fengqi Hotel.
Once in the car, this driver’s genuine friendliness got me all excited! He asked where we came from and found out that my husband and I were from Hubei Province. He said his brother’s wife was from Hubei as well to establish a connection.
Then began the “pave the way” routine: he told us that it wasn’t fun sight-seeing at West Lake on rainy days, and that his friend invited him for dinner. He had planned to drop us at the subway station and get straight to his dinner, but it was too rainy to risk it, so he kindly took us along – which “just happened to be the right direction”. (At that time, we were really touched because those before only rejected our request.)
He then started promoting silk as a specialty of Hangzhou. He recommended my husband to buy an authentic silk sleeping suit for me because he claimed that it’s good for the skin and beauty. He then brought up that Longjing tea, a famous green tea, is a renowned product of Hangzhou. When my husband happened to ask where the best place to get some Longjing tea might be, the driver recommended “Gong” brand, claiming its authenticity. Moreover, he stated that the other brands may not be real ones and should never be trusted. He whispered that we were lucky because two days ago there was a trade show event near us, with this particular Longjing tea selling for four thousand or more RMB for a kilogram originally priced for over four times the amount. He suggested that we buy at least half a catty of it, implying it is now sold at two thousand RMB per catty for a “discount” sale by liquidation.
He brought us to the silk shop he mentioned and said the tea store was right next door.
When we arrived, the driver asked us not to pay before he swiftly drove off. The price shocked us, and we didn't purchase any items we previously thought about; we only bought two silk scarves, spending 700 RMB.
I had been cautious of the shop beforehand, knowing something seemed wrong. However, I discovered after paying for the item that the name of the item and shop was written as ”Xidebao“. I went online through my phone app “Little Red Book”, a Chinese lifestyle sharing platform, to look it up – and lo and behold, many others have fallen for the same scheme.
Fortunately, I acted quickly and immediately returned the items. Otherwise, if I had discovered any issues while already on the high-speed train, it would have been too late!
Since then, every time I rode a cab in Suzhou, I put up my defense, thinking those drivers just want to trick their passengers. It turned out the Suzhou drivers did not use those tactics at all.
️ Special advice to foreign friends & how to avoid being exploited️- Beware of overly friendly drivers: If a driver is overly friendly towards you, making connections and talking about family, only to then start mentioning some nearby shopping spots, stay alert.
- Be wary of the lure of going “the convenient route”: Such items are usually set up somewhere near the "convenient path", tricking you into thinking that it's unnecessary to waste money anywhere else.
Some shops that target tourists often sell their products much higher than usual markets. - The fallacy of “official certification”: Titles like “Asian Games supplier” sound impressive but they don't actually represent value for money.
- Do your homework before purchasing:
If you wish to purchase goods like silk or Longjing tea, it is better to research online on the trustworthiness of different brands and their reasonable prices.
Visiting official malls or stores with clear branding is also advisable. - Say no firmly and return goods as soon as possible:
If you think things are strange, politely refuse the advice of the driver.
If you've purchased an item and discovered it isn't desired, return it as quickly as possible in case you find any issues while on a train ride.
Using local apps such as “Little Red Book” and “Mass Evaluation” can provide valuable information and feedback about other users' experience while traveling in China.
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What's Yunxi Bamboo Path like?
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It's best to go in June or July. It's not very green right now, and the leaves are still sparse.
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Xidebao Silk and Gongpai West Lake Longjing are indeed local Hangzhou silk and tea brands, as long as the driver isn't taking you to a counterfeit shop.
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That's right, but they overcharge out-of-town tourists and give a cut to the taxi drivers, treating tourists like they're easy marks to be ripped off.
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There are so many tricky schemes these days, you really have to be vigilant. I got scammed near West Lake just the day before yesterday.
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These scammers are so creative with their schemes. With that kind of ingenuity, they could do so much good.
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I encountered that too. I bought it, then saw some posts on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and managed to return it.
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To be honest, Hangzhou's tourism scene is actually pretty decent, but it's hard to help when people practically walk into these traps. When you're at a scenic spot, ask the police or volunteers if you have issues. Don't engage with unlicensed guides or chase after seemingly cheap deals. Make purchases at legitimate shops and always keep your receipts. If you do run into trouble, call 12345. That's the best advice I can offer for Hangzhou.
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Hangzhou is crawling with scammers, especially the taxi drivers.