What scams should you avoid in Chengdu?

A friendly stranger, often a young woman or a small group, starts a conversation near a tourist site and invites you to a traditional tea ceremony or a bar. You accept, and the bill arrives at an absurd amount, sometimes with pressure to pay.

The fix is simple: decline unsolicited invitations from strangers, especially near Jinli, Kuanzhai, Tianfu Square, and Chunxi Road. If you want tea, choose a teahouse yourself and check the price first.

• Decline unsolicited invitations
• Choose your own teahouse
• Check prices before ordering

Someone dressed as a monk may offer you a bracelet, charm, or blessing and then demand a donation. This is not a genuine temple practice. Decline the gift, do not pay, and walk away.

Use official donation boxes at temples. If someone pressures you, go into a nearby hotel or shop. Do not argue; just leave.

Use the official taxi queue or DiDi. Unlicensed drivers may approach you at airports and stations, quote a flat fare, and overcharge or take you to a shop instead of your destination. If a taxi driver refuses the meter, get out.

At markets and tourist shops, prices may be inflated. Compare before buying, and do not let a guide pressure you into a purchase. Tipping is not expected, despite what someone may tell you.

• Use official taxis or DiDi
• Refuse the meter? Get out
• Compare prices before buying

Scams cluster in specific places, so you can reduce risk by knowing where they start. Jinli, Kuanzhai Alley, Tianfu Square, the Wenshu Monastery area, and the exits of the Panda Base are the classic pitches. At Chengdu East Railway Station and the airport, unlicensed drivers approach arrivals offering flat fares; ignore them and follow signs to the official taxi rank or order a DiDi. Around Chunxi Road, a friendly stranger may suggest a bar or a student art show, then present a bill. The pattern is always the same: unsolicited approach, a short walk, a private room, pressure to pay.

Before you sit down anywhere, ask to see a menu with prices, and check whether the numbers are per person, per pot, or per gram; tea sold by weight is a common way to inflate a bill. In a taxi, confirm the meter is running and the driver's ID card is displayed; if either is missing, get out. For DiDi, match the plate and car model to the app before you get in, and never accept a driver who cancels and asks you to ride privately. If you are pressured, walk into a hotel lobby or convenience store, call 110, and photograph the menu and the room.

Reporting has limits. Police may not speak English, and a report for a few hundred yuan is unlikely to recover your money, so prevention is the real defense. Tell your hotel what happened; staff can help translate and may know the local station. Leave a review naming the venue if you are confident, but do not confront staff alone. The goal is to get out, not to win the argument.