6 Tourist Scams in Hangzhou

Hangzhou's West Lake is where China's most documented tea-house scam originated.

The script at West Lake varies slightly from Beijing/Shanghai: a friendly English-speaking 'student' or 'local couple' approaches at the Broken Bridge, Su Causeway, or Leifeng Pagoda and invites the tourist to a 'traditional Hangzhou tea ceremony featuring the famous Longjing (Dragon Well) tea' at a side-street venue near the lake. Bill: ¥3,000–¥10,000 per person. The Longjing tea variant extends the same script: the "ceremony" sometimes upsells "authentic Longjing tea" at ¥2,000–¥5,000 per tin, ten to fifty times the real price for the same grade. Reddit threads in 2025 name West Lake as the most documented operating area in China — the standing community advice is to avoid any tea shop in the West Lake tourist ring, no matter how local-friendly the approach.

Traveler reports document the counterfeit-tea problem: 'Another issue we face is the overwhelming number of counterfeit Longjing teas flooding the market.' Authentic Xihu Longjing (West Lake Dragon Well) is strictly limited to a specific geographic area; genuine protected-origin tins bear an official seal.

For older travelers visiting West Lake, the rule: ANY English-speaking stranger at West Lake, the Broken Bridge, Su Causeway, Leifeng Pagoda, or Longjing Village who offers 'tea ceremony,' 'Longjing plantation visit,' or 'traditional Hangzhou culture' is running the scam. Walk past with 'bu yao xie xie' (不要谢谢). For genuine Longjing tea, buy certified Xihu Longjing (with protected-origin seal) at Meijiawu Tea Village's official Longjing Tea Research Institute visitor center (posted prices, ¥200–¥600 per 250g for genuine protected-origin) or the Hangzhou National Tea Museum gift shop. Avoid any 'plantation tour' offered by a stranger on the West Lake walking paths.

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) is 27 km east of the city center.

The legitimate metered taxi fare to West Lake is ¥130–¥170 (45 min). Unofficial drivers at arrivals solicit with 'taxi? West Lake? 300 yuan!' — refusing the meter. The Hangzhou East Railway Station (where Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed-rail arrivals concentrate) has a parallel taxi-tout problem — drivers approaching newly-arrived tourists with 'fixed price' quotes 2–3x metered rates.

Hangzhou has excellent alternatives: Metro Line 1 (with airport extension 'Line 19') runs from HGH to central Hangzhou for ¥8–¥12 in 60 minutes; the Airport Bus to Wulin Square (city center) is ¥20 in 60 minutes. From Hangzhou East Railway Station, Metro Line 1 reaches West Lake for ¥3. DiDi operates on both with English-interface app-regulated fares.

For older travelers, the practical playbook: (1) Metro from HGH (Line 19 to Line 1) ¥8–¥12, 60 min; Airport Bus to Wulin Square ¥20, 60 min; (2) install DiDi before flying; use at official rideshare pickup zone; (3) if licensed taxi, 'da biao' (打表) and expect ¥130–¥170 HGH-to-West-Lake; (4) from Hangzhou East Railway Station, Metro Line 1 to West Lake at Long Xiangqiao station ¥3 (35 min); (5) photograph taxi plate number before boarding any cab.

and the center of a documented shopping-tour scam ecosystem.

and the center of a documented shopping-tour scam ecosystem. Hotel concierges and taxi drivers push 'Longjing plantation tour' at ¥300–¥800 per person that delivers a 20-minute walk-through of a generic tea field followed by 60–90 minutes of high-pressure tea sales at 'tea master's home' — tins priced at ¥1,500–¥4,000 per 250g that would sell for ¥300–¥800 at the official Longjing Tea Research Institute.

The 'Master Harvest' variant: a 'tea master' offers 'spring harvest' or 'mingqian (pre-Qingming Festival) first-flush' tea at 'special discount' — the tea is either not protected-origin Xihu Longjing (it's tea from Zhejiang province that copies the Longjing style) or is counterfeit certification.

For older travelers interested in Longjing tea, the clean route: (1) visit Meijiawu Tea Village's official Longjing Tea Research Institute with posted prices (¥200–¥600 per 250g for genuine protected-origin tea); (2) alternatively, the Hangzhou National Tea Museum gift shop sells certified tea; (3) take bus Y3 from West Lake to Longjing Village (¥2, 30 min) for self-guided walks without tour-guide commission pressure; (4) Avoid 'tea master's home' invitations — they are always commission-driven; (5) verify the Xihu Longjing protected-origin seal on any tea tin before purchase.

West Lake offers several legitimate boat experiences: the electric sightseeing boat (¥70 per person, 30 min), private rowed boats (¥150 per hour for up to 4 people), and the classic 'Three Pools Mirroring the Moon' (Santan Yinyue) dragon boat to the island. The scam variants: (1) touts at Huagang Park or Broken Bridge sell 'private boat' at ¥300–¥600 per hour that's actually the same ¥150 public-rowing boat with a driver commission; (2) 'upgraded tour' that adds ¥200 for 'tea service' aboard — the tea is ¥5 green tea marked up 40x; (3) 'photographer' at Lei Feng Pagoda or Su Causeway offers to 'take professional photos' of your group at ¥50 per shot, then demands ¥500+ for all photos to be 'released.'

The "upgrade" mechanic is the tightest version. You queue at the Huagang Park or Broken Bridge pier and pay the posted ¥70 fare for the public electric sightseeing boat. The dockhand glances at your ticket, shakes his head, and says the public boat is "full" or "broken today" — but a "private VIP boat" is leaving in two minutes for ¥300–¥600. Once you're aboard, a man with a DSLR camera works the deck offering to take "professional family photos" of you against the Leifeng Pagoda backdrop. The first shot is "free." By the time you dock, he's printed a stack of glossy ¥150-per-print souvenirs and won't return your phone-emailed copies until you buy them.

For older travelers, the practical guide: (1) buy boat tickets at official dockside ticket booths (electric sightseeing ¥70, private rowing ¥150/hr — published prices); (2) the dragon boat to Santan Yinyue island is ¥55; (3) for photos, bring your own or ask a fellow tourist — Don't agree to a 'professional photographer's' price-per-shot quote; (4) West Lake walkways are free and pedestrian-friendly — the best photos are self-taken along Su Causeway, Bai Causeway, and from the Leifeng Pagoda viewing platform.

tourists routinely pay via Alipay or WeChat Pay by scanning merchant QR codes.

tourists routinely pay via Alipay or WeChat Pay by scanning merchant QR codes. The scam: a sticker with a scammer's QR code is pasted over the legitimate merchant code at restaurants, tea shops, or tourist stalls. Payment goes to the scammer, not the merchant, who then claims you didn't pay and demands re-payment.

The related variant: 'helpful' strangers offer to help you pay via WeChat Pay (for a small 'convenience fee') when your foreign-issued card isn't working on the merchant's system; the 'help' results in your card info being copied or a payment routed to the scammer's personal account.

For older travelers, the protective playbook: (1) verify the merchant name on your payment app's confirmation screen BEFORE tapping 'Pay' — the app shows who receives the money; (2) if the name doesn't match the business (e.g. 'Wang Xiaoming' instead of the restaurant name), the QR code is a scammer's sticker; (3) never accept 'help' from a stranger with payment — use the merchant's own QR code or cash; (4) Alipay and WeChat Pay both work with international cards now (since 2023 integration); (5) if your card doesn't work, use cash (¥) — the merchant will always accept CNY, and foreign cards are accepted at major hotels and bank ATMs.

Hefang Street (a 1-km pedestrian preserved heritage district) — is full of restaurants with laminated English-photo menus at 50–150% over residential rates.

Hefang Street (a 1-km pedestrian preserved heritage district) — is full of restaurants with laminated English-photo menus at 50–150% over residential rates. Common overcharges: Dongpo pork (Hangzhou signature dish) at ¥120–¥200 per person at tourist-strip venues vs ¥60–¥100 at residential restaurants; West Lake fish in vinegar sauce at ¥180 vs ¥80–¥120; beggar's chicken at ¥280 vs ¥150–¥200.

For older travelers, the practical playbook: (1) walk one block off Hefang Street to find residential restaurants; community favorites include Lou Wai Lou (West Lake landmark with posted prices, ¥150–¥250 per person — legitimate tourist-worthy institution), Zhi Wei Guan (Hangzhou cuisine specialist, ¥80–¥150 per person), Wai Po Jia (Grandma's Home — Chinese chain with consistent pricing, ¥60–¥100); (2) for Dongpo pork, a residential branch of Lou Wai Lou on Gushan Road charges ¥80 vs ¥180 at tourist-strip imitators; (3) skip Wushan Ye Shi night market's tourist stalls — same food 2x cheaper at local residential evening markets; (4) book via the Dianping app (Chinese Yelp) — 4.5+ ratings are reliable.

The cleanest workaround is geographic. Walk one block north off Hefang Street onto Wushan Road and the price ceiling drops by half — this is where Hangzhou residents eat breakfast and lunch, and the small-eats stalls (xiaolongbao, scallion pancakes, pian'er chuan noodles) are ¥15–¥40 per dish with chalkboard menus in Chinese. For sit-down Hangzhou cuisine that's tourist-friendly without the markup, Grandma's Kitchen (Wai Po Jia) and Lou Wai Lou both post their full price lists at the entrance and on Dianping; filter for 4.5+ ratings and you'll land on venues vetted by thousands of locals. If a host is calling out to you in English from the Hefang Street curb, you've already entered the tourist-tax bracket — keep walking.