Host Quan Yifeng says Xinjiang tour guide mocked and scolded travellers who refused to shop

Remember those horror stories about tour guides taking tourists to shops and pressuring them to buy things? Well, Quan Yifeng has now experienced one herself.

And apparently, not buying anything could earn you a scolding.

The Singaporean host took to Instagram on Sunday (Nov 1) to share her unpleasant experience with a local tour group during a recent trip to southern Xinjiang, China.

According to Quan, she had always wanted to visit Xinjiang but with winter approaching, many tourist routes in the northern part of the region were closed or at risk of temporary closures because of unpredictable weather and snowstorms.

And because of the vast distances involved, Quan felt that travelling independently wasn't practical, so she joined a local tour group after arriving.

"I'd already done all my research, but I still ended up getting ripped off left, right and centre," she lamented. According to Quan, the tour contract clearly stated, in black and white, that there would be no compulsory shopping or additional charges.

So imagine her surprise when the group was taken shopping on two consecutive mornings. The stops included shops selling Xinjiang long-staple cotton and Hetian jade, with the group visiting two jade shops. And these weren't exactly quick souvenir stops.

Quan claimed that each purchase was expected to cost at least 2,000 yuan (US$300). "Those who didn't buy anything would be mocked and even scolded by the tour guide on the bus," she wrote.

Quan admitted that she'd previously only seen such incidents in short videos online and never expected to experience one herself. "I bought a piece of Hetian jade. For the rest of the journey, I just watched the tour guide constantly harass and make fun of the other tourists. I was completely dumbfounded," she wrote.

In fact, Quan reckoned that the drama unfolding on the bus was even more entertaining than the scenery outside.

Unfortunately, the shopping stops weren't Quan's only complaint. There was also the rather pressing matter of finding a toilet. According to the host, southern Xinjiang's vast landscape meant the group had to spend long hours travelling between attractions.

And with much of the journey taking place on expressways, the bus couldn't simply pull over whenever someone needed a toilet break. So what happens when nature calls and there's nowhere to go?

Well, according to Quan, some fellow travellers became so desperate that they resorted to peeing into plastic bottles. Yes, really.

As for Quan, she decided the best way to avoid such an awkward situation was to drink as little water as possible. Not exactly ideal, especially in Xinjiang's dry climate.

But even when the bus finally reached a rest stop, finding relief wasn't necessarily straightforward. "The queues were even longer than those at amusement parks, and the smell was enough to make your insides churn. But you had no choice, you still had to go," she wrote.

And if you thought the shopping experience was what left the biggest impression on Quan, think again.

"The most unforgettable thing about southern Xinjiang might just be the toilets. You have no choice but to use them, and once you do, you'll never forget the experience!" she added.

Well, that's certainly one holiday memory she'd probably rather forget.

Between the alleged shopping pressure, exhausting bus journeys and less-than-pleasant toilet experiences, Quan admitted that the trip had taken quite a toll on her.

The region's dry climate didn't help either, particularly since she'd deliberately been drinking less water to avoid needing the toilet. By the time she returned, all she wanted to do was lie down and recover.

And remember how she'd originally wanted to explore northern Xinjiang? Well, after this experience, she's now having second thoughts about that, too.

"To be honest, I wouldn't recommend going," she wrote. Ouch.

After everything she went through, we wouldn't blame her for wanting to give organised tours a miss for a while. 

Her post also struck a chord with netizens who shared similar experiences of being pressured to shop while on organised tours. Others, however, urged Quan not to write off Xinjiang entirely.

Some encouraged her to give northern Xinjiang a chance, suggesting that hiring a private driver instead of joining a tour group could offer greater flexibility and a more enjoyable experience.