The approaches worth recognising in Chinese tourist areas
China is, by most measures, a notably safe destination for travellers, and violent crime against visitors is rare. What does exist is a small set of commercial approaches concentrated in a few tourist areas. They share a single tell, and once you know it you can stop paying attention to the rest.
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The one tell
Almost every approach worth avoiding begins the same way: a stranger initiates contact with you, in English, in a heavily touristed area, with an unusually friendly and unprompted opening.
That is the pattern. Not the specific story, which varies. If you simply decline to follow unsolicited approaches to a second location, you have avoided the large majority of these situations without needing to identify which one it is.
The tea house and art gallery variants
The best-known version involves a friendly conversation that leads to an invitation to a tea ceremony, a bar, or a student art exhibition. The venue is real, the experience proceeds pleasantly, and the bill at the end is far beyond any reasonable price, with pressure to pay.
The defence is simply not going. Genuine invitations from people you have just met to a specific venue they steer you toward are worth declining politely.
Transport and pricing
Unmetered rides, drivers who claim the meter is broken, and unofficial vehicles at transport hubs are the other common category. Use official taxi ranks, insist on the meter, or use a ride-hailing app where you have one working.
At airports and stations, ignore anyone offering a ride inside the building and walk to the official rank.
Money and payment
Since most transactions are digital, cash-switching is far less common than it once was. Where cash is used, check notes in low-light situations and prefer official exchange channels over street offers.
Be cautious about scanning payment codes handed to you by a stranger rather than displayed by a merchant.
Keeping this in proportion
These approaches are concentrated in a small number of well-known tourist streets in the largest cities. Away from them, most travellers encounter nothing of the kind, and everyday interactions are straightforward and honest.
Conditions vary by location and change; use current official travel advice for your circumstances.