China Travel Forum

[clathia]

My husband and I live in Beijing and over the past 15 months have had several visitors from the US and Britain. Last week a young female friend left us in Beijing to return to the US. Arriving at the airport, she was immediately approached by an Asian man who took the luggage cart from her hands and proceeded to the airline check-in counters. He was not stopped by security at the first level of entry as it appeared he was helping this young woman, and at this juncture she also believed he was being helpful. As they are standing in the airline check-in line, he asked her to have sex with him. She adamantly and firmly refused but he continued to beg for sex, even saying a friend had a room there at the airport where they could go. No security guards or airport personnel were close for her to signal or call to. Finally, she was able to distract him and fled...to then be forced to stand in another long line.
Further, My husband and I have on several occasions been approached by men who profess to help the visitor check in and then demand large amounts of money. These men will even grab the ticket from your hand, forcing you to follow.
We've been told the airport administration is attempting to get rid of this unpleasant element, but so far it seems to still be a problem. It is unfortunate that this type of event happens to a visitor as they leave this lovely city of Beijing.
Visitors need be aware.

[kamal]

There are a lot of rif-raff at BJ airport and many of them obviously must pay off various airport officials or they would be moved on.
That said, nobody just offers to help someone check-in without another motive. Your friend should have been more suspicious.

[paul]

This is a new one for me, and I'm in and out of Beijing airport every week! Remember the cardinal rule of travelling in China: if you are in a tourist place and someone comes up to you being "helpful," about 80% of the time they are out to get something from you. The balance are trying to be truly of assistance. Often it's hard to tell (until it's too late) who is who, so you have to err on the side of caution. That means keeping firm control of your own property. At Beijing airport, I get annoyed by the porters who run to the trunk of the cab and grab my suitcases. I just firmly take them back and go on my way. Nobody is required to partake of a profferred service that they didn't ask for, be it baggage handling or sex.
That said, the time-honored way for any woman anywhere who has been propositioned inappropriately is to create an immediate scene and start screaming at the perpetrator (any language will do). In this case, I would have done so and probably slapped said offender's face for good measure. Why this woman felt she had to flee the check-in line, I don't understand. You don't need security guards or airport personnel (they're pretty useless, anyway) in this situation, the power of shaming him before a crowd is even more effective. The low-life segment of the population may catch you off guard at times, but don't be intimidated. In China you often have to stand your ground and stick up for yourself, in all sorts of ways.
And a big raspberry to the Beijing Airport Administration--if they were half-trying, they could cure all the scamming (and propositioning?) within the next few weeks. It just doesn't seem to be a priority.

[maria]

i just came back from china, and i was also stopped by a men in beijing airport, telling me he was from the airport assistance and where i wanted to go. once i showed him my ticket, he said that i was late and that he could help me move through customs faster. but i had still 4 hours to go, so i told him that i don't need his help, when he asked me if i already paid the airport tax. he wanted 50 rmb from me. i told him firmly to go away and leave me alone, which he did. but it's true, everyone whos pretending to help you actually just wants some of your money or even more.
but anyway i enjoyed china, just be careful

[Ben L. Levenstein]

I almost laughed out loud at Clathia's post on a Chinese man begging for sex in a high security place like Beijing Airport. Something must have got lost in the translation. He was probably trying to sell your friend "Taxi" services, instead of buying "sexy" ones. English as a spoken language is big challenge even for the brightest minds in China. What can you expect from a dum luggage boy? I have tons of jokes to share (but I probably made even more laughs with my poor Chinese). Once a beautiful woman approached me and asked "Do you buy SEX?", "How much?" I replied without even thinking. "3 Yuan", which equals about 40 cents. She meant the socks at her hands.

I have lived in Beijing for the past 3 years, and what I and my wife learned is that there are safe areas and there are bad places, just like all other big cities. Violent crime is much lower than the U.S. But street hagglers and taxi scams are extremely annoying. Always pretend you know the areas better than they do (most of them are strangers themselves in big cities). Just don't get involved in any illegal activities, such as dealing drugs or exchanging currencies at black market. That could be very dangerous. Oh one more thing, be careful when you cross the roads. There are a lot of unqualified drivers in China. You are more likely to be hit by a car than being a victim of a violent crime. Enjoy your stay in Beijing. I sure do.

Ben

[Ali]

Sounds like the same lot that hangs around train stations.
There was a ring of 5 young women who worked the Guangzhou airport during trade fair week last spring. They had a sophisticated strategy to identify foreign businessmen and target their briefcases. Police surveillance finally caught up with them.
My suggestion to jachambers is to go national with their unfortuante experience: China Daily might publish a letter to the editor with such a story. Foreign visitors being targetted for crime at Beijing's airport doesn't sound like the "tong yi ge meng xiang" that China's Olympic committee had in mind.

[Tarrissic]

I was in Beijing a few weeks ago. Without being sarcastic, I have to say though, that it's beyond my imagination how China got to host the 2008 Olympics. I liked visiting the country of China. But the government does not seem to be doing much beyond constructing skyscraper hotels, and making sure that there are no political demonstrations in Tianamen Square.
I had several encounters of young ladies offering themselves for sex, and men approaching me with offers of girls for the night. I even had a mother approach me offering me her son. I had to repeatedly wave my hand to leave me alone. Some where quite insistent, and I had to simply ignore them.
I can only foresee how frustrating many visitors are going to be during the 2008 world olympics--unless the government begins implementing some drastic measures soon--rather than the last minute--in order to change some of the indecent behaviors that some individuals display towards "foreigners".