Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
High-risk areas in China are train and bus stations, city and long-distance
buses (especially sleeper buses), hard-seat train carriages and public toilets.
Take a money belt for your cash, passport and credit cards.
Travelling solo - especially if you are female - carries obvious risks; it's ad-
visable to travel with someone else or in a small group. Even in Beijing, single
women taking taxis have been taken to remote areas and robbed by taxi
drivers, so don't assume anywhere is safe.
LOSS REPORTS
If something of yours is stolen, report it immediately to the nearest Foreign Af-
fairs Branch of the Public Security Bureau (PSB; Gong'anju). Staff will ask you
to fill in a loss report before investigating the case.
A loss report is crucial so you can claim compensation if you have travel in-
surance. Be prepared to spend many hours, perhaps even several days, or-
ganising it. Make a copy of your passport in case of loss or theft.
SCAMS
Con artists are widespread. Well-dressed girls flock along Shanghai's East
Nanjing Rd, the Bund and Beijing's Wangfujing Dajie, asking single men to
photograph them on their mobile phones before dragging them to expensive
cafes or Chinese teahouses, leaving them to foot monstrous bills. 'Poor' art
students haunt similar neighbourhoods, press-ganging foreigners into art ex-
hibitions where they are coerced into buying trashy art.
Taxi scams at Beijing's Capital Airport are legendary; always join the queue
at the taxi rank and insist that the taxi driver uses his or her meter. Try to avoid
pedicabs and motorised three-wheelers wherever possible; we receive a litany
of complaints against pedicab drivers who originally agree on a price and then
insist on an alternative figure (sometimes 10 times the sum) once you arrive at
the destination.
Be alert at all times if you decide to change money or buy tickets (such as
train tickets) on the black market, which we can't recommend.
Always be alert when buying unpriced goods (a lot of the time): foreigners
are frequently ripped off. Always examine your restaurant bill carefully for hid-
den extras and if paying by credit card ensure there are no extra charges.
