BEIJING SCAM ALERT!!! 🚨 You've Been Warned!
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Ugh, everyone planning a trip to Beijing, look here! This is my personal experience and some tips I want to share with you!
I've been to Beijing so many times, but on this trip, I fell into a trap and got cheated.
Tips for Accommodation:
- If you're as lazy as me, I strongly recommend staying near the Qianmen Pedestrian Street. It's super convenient to go anywhere from here! (Qianmen is a famous commercial street near Tiananmen Square.)
️ Super Warning!
- Don’t trust any tour guide recommended by the hotel reception, especially for trips to the Great Wall!
- The Great Wall is not in the center of Beijing; it's relatively far from the city center, so these unscrupulous tour groups often overcharge customers there. I was indeed deceived! (If you want to know how I was cheated, you could ask me privately—my own bloody and tearful experience!)
Visiting the Great Wall:
- Try to buy the tickets in advance online, so that if the crowds get too big, you won't have any trouble entering.
- I highly recommend going alone! You can take the bus to the Deshengmen bus terminal (a major bus hub in Beijing) for a direct ride there—it's super convenient!
- A bus ticket only costs about ¥12, it's really very cheap!
- Around seven o'clock in the morning at the station, it’s usually easy to find a seat; it will take roughly one and a half hours to reach Badaling Great Wall.
- When you go in winter, the wind is extremely strong on the wall! If you don't want the climb to be overly exhausting, you can purchase a round-trip cable car ticket. Buying the ticket when entering the scenic area is fine because you can easily purchase tickets via WeChat Mini-program.
- After游玩完坐公交车回市区大概也在下午两三点左右。真的，完全不需要跟团！
Watching the Flag Raising Ceremony? (Important: Must book in advance through official channels!)
- We arrived at the Q3 security checkpoint in line around 3 AM, and already the queue was quite long (you can see my photos).
- It doesn't matter whether or not you bring a bag when passing through security—it does not significantly affect the speed. (However, having no bag saves time after the ceremony to visit the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.)
- Whether or not you make a fast pass is kind of a stroke of luck; hope you are lucky enough to join the line served by efficient staffers.
- You need to swipe your ID card three times to enter the key area for viewing flag raising.
- After swiping for the first time, you may jog a little bit.
- After swiping for the second time, police officers may lead you in. Do not run, but maintain order.
- The third swipe involves body searches and bag checks.
- Once past security, sprint inside quickly!
- If you find yourself unable to enter the front row now, run toward the right-hand side facing Tiananmen Tower (as indicated by the arrow in the picture); otherwise, you won't be able to see the flag raising.
- After grabbing a place, about two hours of waiting begin (although the weather is extremely cold, warm baby pads are highly recommended!)
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Remember to book in advance!)
- It's best to reserve the morning 8 AM slot so you can visit the Flag-raising event beforehand.
- Note: Only mobile phones can be brought in. Portable chargers with capacities exceeding 10000mAh are strictly prohibited.
- The entire visit process is fast, roughly ten minutes. (It's a solemn site for Chinese visitors to pay respects to Chairman Mao.)
The Forbidden City (Palace Museum! Former Royal Residence)
- Remember to book tickets online in advance – as for timing, it is best to make it during the morning!
- It can be arranged in the same day. After visiting the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, it only takes about ten minutes to get to the Forbidden City.
- There are not many people around in the early mornings so there is usually no queue to deal with. To see most areas, it will take roughly one to two hours.
Visit the Prince Gong’s Mansion拍“格格”照（以清朝格格风格拍照）
- If you want to try changing into costume, go to floor 3 at Building A of the Century Mansion on Dengshi Street first (Building B has much more people!).
- We rented clothes for ¥199 each set, included hairstyles and some photo accessories. We painted our makeup by ourselves, so we decided not to use their photography services.
- (Tip: If you find the store isn’t crowded, consider negotiating the price. When we went, there were customers, making negotiation a bit tough.)
- After dressing up, take a taxi to the Prince Gong's Mansion (a preserved Qing Dynasty prince's palace).
- Note: The Prince Gong’s Mansion stops ticket sales at 4 PM and starts clearing guests at around 5:30 PM. Make sure not to overlook this!
Ah, on all my trips to Beijing, I wasn’t scammed like this once where the hotel reception swindled me—the frustration is real! #travel #Beijing
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Got totally scammed.
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This is terrible! It's the first time I've actually heard a tour guide say, 'You can't leave if you don't buy anything.' Now I'm at the exit, and they're checking everyone's receipts one by one.
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@StarsOnTheRoad This one's a rip-off too.
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The bus directions to the Great Wall from Qianmen are really clear, I just didn't have time to go.
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Yeah, I took the public bus before. This time, bringing my mom, I got lazy. They said they'd pick us up right at the hotel entrance.
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Ah, I even bought a group tour to Badaling, 80 yuan per person for a round trip (entrance ticket not included).
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It's okay! I'm sure you'll find a good tour too! Don't worry! Happy New Year!
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Thanks. I was planning to charter a car to the Great Wall, but now I'm too scared to.
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What they said about joining a tour for the Great Wall is true, but the rest is a bit misleading. There are more convenient and faster ways; perhaps you haven't experienced them.
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What do you mean?
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So cute, sis! Where did you rent the 'Gege' (Manchu princess) outfit?
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Hahaha, thanks, sis!!! It's in Century Mansion, Block A! Go up to the third floor, first shop on the right!
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Couldn't you call the police when they were checking everyone's receipts?
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I was scared.
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Any accommodation recommendations?
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This one. It's near Wangfujing.
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Wangfujing needs a reservation?