Compulsory Visits to Business Centres in China Tours

Compulsory visits to factories in China

I fully agree with Mr. Hon, Mr. OT Lau and the rest who wrote in their e-mails to me and to the rest.

I have been to China many times already, and they always bring us to the factories, department stores, tea houses to drink various types of tea, Chinese medicine shops, foot massage, jade, silk, knives, group photography session(s), handcrafts, shopping malls, etc, etc…you name it – they are all part of their (not our) itinerary.

It is not just in China, but even when I brought my family to Europe and the British Isles, the same thing happened. But I don’t blame them. This is where every country gets their money from foreign tourists. The same thing when foreign tourists come into our country. They too are all brought to batik factories, Selangor Pewter and to buy art and paintings, curios, and handicrafts from vendors in Batu Caves, Tean Hou Temple, wood carvings and Malay paintings of kampong houses from designated tourists centre, etc.

But for China, I was told these ‘shopping itinerary’ are compulsory visits imposed by the Chinese Government to bring in revenue from the tourists industry to China. The tourist guide must complete this part of the tour – so I was told. I suppose this is the same for every country, including Europe and even in Australia where I was.

I think this is a world wide industry, not just in China. But I think China is the worse with at least 5-6 visits to these ‘commercial and business visits’ for a 10-day tour.

As for the extra income for the tour guide, I think this come from their optional tours, and not from the compulsory tours to the factories and adjourning department stores (after the demonstration and completing the factory tours).

But I always refrain from buying, or buying only the minimum. During my last visit to Beijing and surrounding cities, I brought along an equivalent of RM 3000 extra (for emergency use only), but we only spend about RM 1300 (RMB 2500) in actual buying in China.

In fact I spend over RM 6000 buying 3 specialized GPS devices just to record the flight data during my 6 hour flight to Beijing. These special devices alone cost me more than the cost of my entire 10 day trip to Beijing and back with my wife. I invested in these 3 sets of sophisticated GPS for aviation use, as I was more interested in my flight than the actual tour to China.

This was not counting another RM 3,200 investing on the latest compact camera. All these were bought in Malaysia before going to Beijing.

Because of my previous bad experiences buying unnecessary things each time I go on a trip, I now make it a point to fill my two luggage half empty before leaving just in case my wife cannot hold on the temptation of buying things.

In my previous trip to China a year ago, I went with two luggages, but I ended up buying an extra large luggage in Guangzhou just to hold my wife’s shopping stuff on the return trip. All this to me is really unnecessary. As far as I am concerned I can’t be carrying all these extra stuff. I go on an overseas trip to enjoying sightseeing, and not carry a shopping list of stuff. They spoil my enjoyment.

Even during my student’s days studying in England in the 1960’s, I have already learnt my lesson – to buy absolutely nothing, but just carry a camera to record all I saw abroad. The camera film – rolls and rolls of them were my best and only shopping item, and nothing else – except some clothes to keep me warm of course.

But at last! After getting married, my wife dragged me back to the Stone Age of Want and Hunger to acquire unnecessary things. So now each time we go on a trip, I always give her a strong warning and lecture.

At last! It was not effective. Not only my lecture fell on deaf ears, but my purse also became empty. Additionally, I have to drag along her extra luggage home. That extra huge luggage was never there before when I left Malaysia.

The best thing to do in all future trips, is to leave all our wives at home, and go singly only with married males or with bachelors. Go on our own – free and easy without all these travel agents and tour guides. Chose our own itinerary.

That way we only see the things we want to see without having to buy porcelain, silk, jade, knives, and carpets.

lim ju boo