7 Tourist Scams in Xi'an

You board what looks like a direct tourist bus to the Terracotta Warriors, but instead of the real ...

You board what looks like a direct tourist bus to the Terracotta Warriors, but instead of the real museum, you end up at a privately run knockoff called something like the 'World Eight Wonders Museum.' Inside, brightly colored replica warriors with painted makeup stare back at you — nothing like the ancient gray originals. You've paid 200 RMB for admission to a glorified gift shop. In 2017, authorities actually destroyed over 40 fake warriors at one such site after waves of tourist complaints. Redditors on r/china warn that these fake buses and fake museums still operate on the highway to the real site.

You're wandering through the bustling Muslim Quarter when a vendor offers you a taste of Xinjiang ...

You're wandering through the bustling Muslim Quarter when a vendor offers you a taste of Xinjiang nut cake (qiegao), a dense confection of dried fruits and nuts. It looks delicious, so you ask for 'one piece.' The vendor nods, grabs a massive cleaver, and hacks off a slab. Suddenly your 'one piece' costs 500 RMB because the price is per gram, not per slice. The chunk weighs far more than you expected, and the vendor refuses to cut it smaller since it's already been sliced. As r/china users explain, this is one of the most notorious street food scams in all of China.

After touring the Terracotta Warriors, your guide steers you to the museum gift shop where an ...

After touring the Terracotta Warriors, your guide steers you to the museum gift shop where an elderly man sits at a table stacking books. Your guide announces that this is the actual farmer who discovered the warriors in 1974 and that he'll personally sign a book for you — only 200 RMB. The real farmer, Yang Zhifa, did sit at the museum for years, but multiple travelers on r/china report that various different men have occupied this chair. Whether it's the real farmer or not, the book signing is a well-oiled commission machine, and guides receive a cut of every sale.

You arrive at Xi'an Railway Station and a man grabs your bag, insisting he'll drive you to your hotel cheaply.

Instead of heading toward the city center, the car takes a detour to an 'attraction' or jade shop where you're pressured to buy overpriced souvenirs. Some travelers on r/china report being driven to remote locations where the driver's associates showed up, demanding payment for 'services.' These unlicensed taxi operators target confused arrivals and charge two to three times the metered rate — and the detour shops pay them commission on top of that.

You're browsing a souvenir shop near the Bell Tower, admiring shelves of jade figurines and ceramic vases.

A shopkeeper encourages you to pick one up and look more closely. The moment you touch it, the item 'accidentally' falls and shatters on the floor. Suddenly the vendor is demanding 2,000 RMB for what was a worthless replica. Some shop setups are deliberate — items are balanced precariously on narrow shelves, or the vendor nudges something while you're browsing. As r/china travelers warn, these fake antique shops prey on the guilt of tourists who think they've broken something valuable.

You approach the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and a friendly person intercepts you, offering 'student ...

You approach the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and a friendly person intercepts you, offering 'student discount' or 'special group rate' tickets at half price. The tickets look real but are either for a different venue, have been used and reprinted, or are simply fabricated. You don't discover the problem until you reach the entrance gate and are turned away. Meanwhile, the seller has vanished into the crowd. Redditors on r/china note that ticket scammers operate wherever there are queues, offering to help tourists 'skip the line' for a premium.

You book a day tour to the Terracotta Warriors.

The bus makes 'scheduled stops' at a jade carving factory and a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, presented as 'government-approved cultural experiences.' Inside, you are given tea, a health diagnosis by a 'TCM doctor,' and shown jade products that are 'certified government quality' at prices ranging from $200-2,000. The products are low-grade mass-produced items worth a fraction of the price. Reddit users on r/travelchina asked about these stops: 'Are these actually run by the Chinese government? Are the products like snake skin oil and jade at least legitimate but low grade?' The answer: they are not government facilities, and the products are grossly overpriced.