Hangzhou: AVOID at All Costs!!! 💣
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To be honest, I have never been so disappointed with a city before. It's not just the tourism spots; certain individuals' behavior really let me down!
Upon arriving in Hangzhou at Hangzhou Railway Station (a major station) on the 4th of our trip, we were startled to find that it only has stairs and no elevators! We had to carry our luggage up by ourselves. Although there was a staff member right next to us, he did nothing but stare during this process, seemingly uninterested in lending a hand when we appeared incapable of carrying our luggage. While I chose to let this matter pass, it was odd to experience such unhelpful behavior.
- Note: Hangzhou Railway Station may lack ADA facilities.
If you have lots of luggage, make sure to mentally prepare in advance or check if other exits have an elevator.
Then, when we left the station by taxi, those drivers were quite annoying!
Firstly, they would use sweet-talk such as "Beauties, you must be tired from carrying your luggage, I'll take you right home." When we did not show interest, they would start to make derogatory remarks about why a girl was working so hard.- Note: You might encounter overly enthusiastic drivers around the railway station exit.
Stand firm in your decision and directly refuse if you don't feel like taking their cars. Ignore unnecessary comments.
The next day brought heavy rain, and we went out to play later in the afternoon.
We hailed a taxi while staying calm, hoping for a smooth journey. However, the driver was consistently grumbling, making it impossible to have a pleasant conversation.- He repeatedly demanded to know our location, and even after telling him I was at Exit C of Pengbu Metro Station - “Pengbu Metro Station Exit C,” he still seemed oblivious to its whereabouts. He insisted I was late but in fact, it should have been just a couple of minutes since I called the taxi (Can't he see such clear signs?!)
- Finally, unable to bear it, I canceled the order despite being charged three dollars of cancellation fee.
During the night, we went to Wulin Night Market (an abundance of street food night market).
In that market, I had an experience at a snack shop selling handmade shrimp balls: they were decent in taste, yet the service remained mediocre.
When I tried making polite requests, they dismissed them altogether with a quick glance and told me to scan a code to order my food myself.
I complied with the request, yet noticed another woman next to me casually ordering her meal verbally instead while the staff even asked about potential dietary needs she might have.Moreover, multiple instances occurred throughout our entire evening: people crashing into us without any form of verbal apologies. It was just disheartening.
- Note: In crowded locations, such as night markets, take precaution for your belongings and psychological stress as some experiences may turn sour.
Keep calm and avoid any unanticipated conflicts.
The journey back home via metro saw a very crowded station, which was understandable. But somebody nearby was incessantly poking our belongings with their phone, crossing personal boundaries quite aggressively.
In summary, this city has left me rather speechless and dissatisfied due to countless uncivil individuals we encountered. (I don't mean everyone was like that though but we did face significantly large numbers of such people!)
StayCautious #TravelCultureShare #CulturalTravelExperience #Travel
- Note: Hangzhou Railway Station may lack ADA facilities.
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To be honest, I didn't find any particularly unique attractions here. Many of the historical and cultural districts felt pretty much the same, and it didn't really give me that 'Jiangnan water town' vibe I was hoping for. Perhaps my expectations for the city were just too high. On another note, while the city's development and economic level are certainly impressive, I really wish the general civility and manners of the people could be better. Overall, I'm quite disappointed. I'd say avoid it if you can.
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The scenery is admittedly nice, but the manners of the people are another story. We relied solely on taxis, and one driver pretended not to hear me when I asked him to turn off the AC, even though I later saw he had no trouble hearing his GPS. And don't even get me started on the service staff at tourist attractions – asking them an extra question felt like you owed them a huge sum of money.
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My experience was so bad I specifically came online to search about this.
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Hahahaha, I'm dying! You absolutely nailed it.
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Seriously, I arrived yesterday and I'm already quite disappointed with Hangzhou. I guess my expectations were just too high.
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Sigh, I also went with rose-tinted glasses. Girl, you should go to Nanjing instead; people there are genuinely so kind and welcoming.
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Just arrived today, and my first impression is terrible.
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I don't mean to generalize or anything, but when I visited Nanjing, the people there felt incredibly nice and welcoming.
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I feel the same way. Honestly, the general lack of civility made it the worst travel experience I've had in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region. It's now on my list of cities I never want to visit again.
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I visited right after the Asian Games finished and before the Asian Para Games began, and even hosting the Asian Games didn't seem to improve people's manners. All the wonderful things you hear about the city seem to be just online hype; the reality on the ground is truly disappointing.
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I'm currently in Hangzhou and found this thread because my experience has been so poor. The people here strike me as very cold and indifferent, like everyone is just out for themselves and a bit selfish. Maybe it's the wealth that's made them arrogant? Plus, the service industry attitude is shockingly bad.
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Yes, I've noticed the same thing during my trip to Hangzhou these past few days.
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Absolutely terrible. The lack of basic decency among people in this city is repulsive.
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I just got yelled at by a hat stall vendor, which led me to search for posts like this.
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I just arrived in Hangzhou. When I tried asking for directions after exiting the station, people pretended not to hear me and hurried away. I had minimal luggage, I don't look weird, and I asked politely. I've traveled to many places, and I've never experienced this anywhere else. (And if any Hangzhou locals want to argue, sure, you're right, have a great life.)
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In downtown Hangzhou's residential areas, funeral ceremonies involve loud music with suonas, gongs, drums, and dirges that you can hear even up on the 12th floor. They set up mourning halls and place wreaths right downstairs. I moved to a different neighborhood in the city center, and it was the same story with the loud music. Once, candles were burning right next to my electric scooter, so I put them out. A local then rudely asked if I 'had no parents.' When I brought this up online, people told me I had to respect their customs and even questioned if my own family had any. I've never encountered such offensive funeral rituals in my life – we certainly don't have anything like this in Jiangsu. The idea that I'm contributing to their economy only to be subjected to this and told I, as an outsider, must conform to their ways is ridiculous. Dream on! I must have been out of my mind to choose this city for my studies. I haven't managed to leave yet for various reasons, but it's utterly repulsive. I'm definitely getting out of here next year.
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The locals here have an unbelievable superiority complex; I have no idea what they're so arrogant about.
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Exactly! When people say they had a bad experience, the locals just retort, 'Well, don't come then!' I've never encountered that before. In other cities, residents are usually friendly and offer helpful suggestions. No idea what their deal is.
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It's true, people in Hangzhou are generally very unfriendly.