Jiuzhaigou is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, is a pearl on the western Sichuan plateau, known as the “fairy tale world” reputation. Jiuzhaigou is one of the most popular tourist attractions and attracts thousands of tourists every year as a World Natural Heritage Site and National 5A Grade Scenic Area.
However, Jiuzhaigou’s tourism market has long been plagued by serious management problems. I have been to Jiuzhaigou twice, both times with a tour group. From the moment I stepped on the tour bus to the end of the trip, there were 8 tourist traps of various sizes in the short 4-day trip.
1, “Jiuzhai thousand ancient love” show: the first 宰 in the car.
I reported the name of the tour group is: “Jiuzhaigou – Huanglong double steam 4 day tour”, from Lanzhou departure group, two days on the road, the play time is 2 days, signed the travel contract has express provisions: no shopping pure play line, no shopping points, two self-pay project: “Tibetan and Qiang song and dance party “and the performance of “Jiuzhai’s Thousand Ancient Loves”. However, from the moment we boarded the bus, I and the other tourists in the tour fell into an elaborate trap designed by travel agents, tour guides, hotels, restaurants and shopping stores.
As soon as the bus got on the highway, the tour guide started to promote the self-pay program. The tour guide said, “Tibetan and Qiang singing and dancing party” cost 180 yuan, you can watch minority song and dance performances, participate in a bonfire, eat roast sheep; “Jiuzhai ancient love” performance tickets are 300 yuan, the whole 5D performance of real people, visual and audio effects are very good. Some people chose the “Tibetan and Qiang song and dance party”, the tour guide did not agree, a strong encouragement to participate in the ticket price is higher “Jiuzhai thousand ancient love” performance. I asked if it wasn’t said two activities can choose one of them, he began to be unhappy, pulling down his face, said to the minority to submit to the majority. We had no choice but to choose the more expensive self-paying activity.
From the official website of Songcheng Performing Arts, we learned that the VIP ticket price for the performance of “Jiuzhai Ancient Love” was 260 yuan, which was 40 yuan short of the 300 yuan given by the tour guide. The price difference between the VIP ticket for the whole group of 30 people and the 300 RMB given by the tour guide was 1200 RMB. However, this is just a small trial run compared to the next pit.
2. “Into the Tibetan family” Tibetan family home visit activities, encountered the second pit of the trip.
All the people had bought tickets for the performance of “Jiuzhai’s Ancient Love”, and the guide finally smiled. He said that he was giving us a personal gift of a visit to a Tibetan family’s home, so that we could eat the most authentic Tibetan barbecue meat and clay hotpot and experience the life of our fellow Tibetans at a distance. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
The bus went south along the highway, through Gansu Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, through Langmusi, Jorge grassland, nearly 10 hours, in the dark before reaching Songpan County Chuanzhuosi town. After the long journey, all the people on the bus looked exhausted, especially the elderly and children. After the bus stopped, many tourists said they wanted to go back to the hotel to rest and did not want to participate in the Tibetan family home visit. The tour guide said that this activity was a personal gift from him and that he had to participate in it, but if he wanted to go back to the hotel, he would have to take a taxi himself. In this unfamiliar place, he had no choice but to participate in the “Into the Tibetan Home” Tibetan home visit activity.
After getting off the bus, a young man in a Tibetan robe was already waiting by the roadside, offering a Hada to each visitor, saying a few auspicious words, and then leading them into a courtyard with Tibetan-style architecture. Then, he brought out a basin of water and said that his mother had brought back the holy water from the snowy mountains, asked us to wash our hands, and then organized everyone to line up and stand in front of the transcendental drum.
When we entered the room, there were many small square tables with small boiled potatoes, dried barley cakes, small vegetables such as fungus and radish, a small bowl of tea, and a small bowl of barley wine on them. The young man who had led us in earlier told us a few Tibetan etiquette rules, taught us a few Tibetan words, and then brought in a large stack of photos. It turned out that the photos we had just taken had been developed. He said that each photo charges 20 yuan, of which 10 yuan is the cost, to the state, 10 yuan donated to the monastery, when the photos began to collect money, some tourists do not think that the photos are not clear do not, the young man said, are you not going to offer some love, and said that the money is donated to the orphans of the 512 Wenchuan earthquake, if the tourists do not have love, the photos will be thrown into the trash, and so, the vast majority of tourists are spending 20 yuan. He bought a picture of himself for RMB 1,000.
The young man who led us in said that the singer’s name was Zazi, and that he was a student of a famous Tibetan singer who really wanted to be on the “Avenue of Stars” program, but had no money and wanted everyone to buy his records. They were sold for 40 yuan each. A friend from the same trip bought one, came back and tried it, but it was unplayable.
The food on the table was token food, and the barley wine tasted very weak, like it was mixed with a lot of water. The young man who led us in towards the end of the event brought a few small sutra cylinders over and said that the cylinders were handmade by their local living Buddha and had been opened in a large temple. The price was 20 RMB each, and there were only 10 seats in each group, 8 of which were taken away by tourists in the same group.
3、Zarru Monastery in Jiuzhaigou, a sacred and solemn pure land tainted with commercialization.
Jiuzhaigou’s scenic beauty lived up to its name. The next day, as we were walking toward the visitor center after our scenic tour, we passed by Zarru Monastery, a Tibetan Bon monastery located at the foot of Baogeng Rock. A girl in a Tibetan robe, who looked like a tour guide, showed us around the first and second floors of the temple, explained the history and architecture of Zarru Monastery, and then took us up to the third floor. She said that we were all very fortunate to have a big brother of the monastery in the temple today, who could recite prayers for peace. Then, a middle-aged lama came over, looking very peaceful. The girl who looked like a tour guide said he was Big Brother.
Then the big brother greeted everyone, said many auspicious words, and read a Tibetan sutra. Then several small lamas came over, holding scrolls with sutras in their hands. The Big Brother said this is the Peace Sutra, and asked everyone to go home. Then he let the tourists line up to get the scriptures, a small lama holding a red merit box standing beside, left and right at the door each side of the 2 small lamas, donated money tourists are waiting at the door guide to guide, will please the scriptures hung on the wall on the second floor.
I got 2 rolls of scriptures for 400 RMB and my friend got 3 rolls for 600 RMB.
I personally have great respect for the beliefs of all ethnic groups, and although I don’t understand religion, I feel deep down that religious beliefs are very sacred and noble. If something is commercialized too much, it will become tasteless. 
Zarul Temple
4、Experience the characteristics of Tibetan villages, encounter the fourth pit of the trip.
According to the itinerary in the contract signed in advance, the third day of the trip to visit the Huanglong Scenic Area. The bus started from Chuanzhuosi Town at 6:00 a.m., and after about 2 hours of driving, it stopped at a Tibetan village next to Gaimi Temple in Xiaoshi Tian. The guide said this is a characteristic Tibetan village, and the main specialty is 99 pure silver. We got off the bus to visit and experience the unique Tibetan village. After getting off the bus, we were led into a courtyard with Tibetan-style architecture by a Tibetan girl who called herself “Drolma No. 28” and a representative of the village culture.
She said that silver jewelry is a special product of her village, and that men wear it to strengthen their bodies, while women wear it to prevent and treat gynecological diseases, and that 99 pure silver is the best quality silver. It is edible silver, 99 sterling silver bowls are purifying and anti-toxic. All of their silver jewelry here are genuine, all hand-made by the Zazi people in the stronghold.
After the presentation, she led the audience into a silver jewelry trading place that resembled a rural market with the words “a certain cooperative”. The price of silver jewelry here is 17.8 yuan per gram, which is much more expensive than in malls in big cities, where a small silver bowl can cost anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 yuan.
My friends and I couldn’t afford the silver jewelry here, so we didn’t buy it. After I came back, I checked online and found that many people complained through the mayor’s message board that the silver jewelry here was fake. The picture shows a tarnished bracelet with a red background, and I can’t see what it’s made of, but it’s definitely not silver.
5、Speciality store, don’t go out without shopping.
The guide said that Songpan County is rich in all kinds of valuable medicinal herbs, such as mother-of-pearl, saffron, angelica, etc. This is the original place of origin and the quality of medicinal herbs is very good, so we hope you can buy some back. There is a magical Tibetan doctor here who can give you a free medical consultation by palmistry.
Before entering the mall, the staff gave each person a sign with a “visitor’s pass”, and then took us into the mall. The mall was filled with a wide variety of medicinal herbs on various stalls, and everywhere was filled with the enthusiastic yells of the stall owners attracting tourists. I didn’t know much about medicinal herbs and only went to the hospital for medical treatment, so I went to a stall to buy yak dried beef.
There was a girl in the same group who was traveling with her father, who had white hair and looked to be in his 60’s. After getting on the bus, I heard that the girl was taking his father with her. After getting on the bus, I heard that the girl took her father to see a Tibetan doctor for free, and the doctor said that her father was in the latent stage of cancer, and there was no cure for it once it happened, so she spent 12,000 RMB to buy a bunch of Tibetan medicine.
At the exit of the mall, I saw a tour guide sitting there with a small bench, collecting shopping tickets from everyone, without which I could not go out. Not wanting to look at faces, I bought some yak beef jerky for 198 yuan a pound.
In the shopping mall in Chuanzhu Temple Town, I saw that the appearance of the mother-of-pearl (only the appearance, I don’t know herbs) looks almost half the price of the exact same yak jerky, 138 yuan a pound.
6, Deji Meadow Style Street, oddly priced silk quilts from dubious sources.
Around 11:30, we arrived at the Deji Meadow Style Street. The guide said this was once an important trading site of the Silk Road, let us visit the Silk Road Exhibition Hall. After that, the guide left in a bus and handed us over to a girl in a Tibetan robe. The Tibetan-robed girl first introduced the architectural layout of the Dejimedo Style Street, then said that they were the hardest hit by the 512 Wenchuan earthquake, and the buildings we see now were all rebuilt after the disaster, and thanked everyone for their donations to help them rebuild their homes. Then they started to sell their products: silk four-piece sets made of silk from wild silkworms and silk quilts.
The girl in the Tibetan robe said that the only reliable way to tell if a silk quilt is real or fake is to use 84 disinfectant solution. She took a bottle of 84 disinfectant, however, did not use the method she said to identify. She then assures me that the silk quilt and four-piece set are 100% authentic, hand-sewn by a Tibetan woman, and certified by the National Textile Bureau.
The price tag for the silk quilt here is 1670 yuan per bed. The four-piece set is 4999 yuan, 6999 yuan two. She said she was the sister of the village chief and had many privileges, and then increased the discount. In the end, several tourists bought two sets of four-piece suits priced at 6999 RMB for 2300 RMB, and sent two silk blankets.
I noticed that during the entire transaction, there were two guys in Tibetan robes standing at the door watching and not letting anyone in or out.
Why didn’t I buy the so-called silk quilt and silk four-piece set from here? Mulberry trees do not grow on the Western Sichuan plateau. Without mulberry leaves, what do their silkworms eat? Highland wild silkworm? Don’t be ridiculous, I don’t know of this species, but even if there were wild silkworms, how long would it take to make a silk quilt if they were caught one by one in the wild and were so small?
Often times people are easily overwhelmed by the desire to take advantage of small things and buy things regardless of the consequences, ignoring even the most basic common sense. There are quite a few people who buy from the same group.
The price tag here is 6999 yuan for a silk comforter and 139 yuan for the same section of a treasure.
What is priced at 6999 RMB is only 139 RMB online!
7. Before going on the Yellow Dragon, high price rhodiola oral liquid and liquid oxygen.
It was almost 1pm when we left the store and ate dinner, and went to Huanglong. It was a little late, but we were still happy to finally be going to the site.
The car stopped at a medical checkpoint at the foot of the mountain, and a staff member in a white coat got into the car with a basket. She first introduced the altitude of Huanglong, and then said that although Huanglong is not high enough to compare with Yulong Snow Mountain and Tibet, the altitude fluctuation is large, and 80% of the people will have altitude sickness, and if they do not take oral rhodiola or liquid oxygen, their lives will be in danger. It’s a great way to get the most out of your time and money, but it’s also a great way to get the most out of your time and money. If you spend 100 yuan, you can buy a box of rhodiola or liquid oxygen, which will save your life. Hearing her say that, many people in the car paid for one of them. I bought a box just in case, after all, it was as scary as she said it would be.
In the shopping mall in Chuanzhuji town, the exact same oral rhodiola liquid sold for 50 yuan a box. I consulted my classmates who are doctors and got the reply that Rhodiola must be taken at least 3 days before it is effective.
8, the last cut on the way back: the chicken in the Ruoerge grassland.
On the fourth day, the end of the Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong trip, and finally embarked on the return trip to Lanzhou. When we drove to Ruoerge County, the guide took out a small bag of snacks to share with everyone. The journey was full of big and small potholes, and finally we were going home. The guide then asked everyone if they were good, saying that going into the shopping stores and watching the show was a way to support his work and that the driver was working very hard to support the driver. The way to support is to buy the snack you just ate – Tibetan Running Chicken. Each bag is 100 RMB and comes in two flavors.
This was the final cut of the trip. The so-called 100 yuan bag of Tibetan Chicken, a treasure for 58 yuan.
It says it’s from the Ruoerghui grassland, but the package indicates the origin is Chongqing.
On this trip, I spent a total of 4 days, only 12 hours to visit the real attractions, including 8 hours in Jiuzhaigou and 4 hours in Huanglong, and most of the time was spent in shopping stores, except for the car and sleep.
This is what I personally experienced in Jiuzhaigou, 8 big and small pits.
There are unspoken rules in every industry, and tourism is no exception. Travel agents, tour guides, hotels and restaurants, and shopping points form a complete chain of interests. Most tour guides and travel agencies are temporary dependents, with no labor contracts and no base salaries.
Fleece comes from the sheep. The deformed development of the tourism industry has brought a series of shortcomings, and tourists have become fish and meat on the table, to be slaughtered, to pay for the unhealthy wind of the industry.
Since October 1, 2013, the Tourism Law has been in place, prohibiting compulsory shopping for tourists, but the actual implementation of the law will take some time.
As tourists, we should refuse the temptation of the low-price group when we go out to travel, and refrain from taking small advantage of the psychology; and tourism management department, we should further increase the industry management to rectify efforts, so that tourists enjoy the beautiful scenery, no worries about being pitted, the journey to have a good mood.
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