Quan Yi Fong recounts scoldings, forced shopping trips by Xinjiang tour guide despite contract indicating otherwise

PUBLISHED ONNovember 02, 20263:07 AMBYYeo Shu Hui

Quan Yi Fong has reflected on her trip to Southern Xinjiang, one which she “wouldn’t recommend” to anyone

The 52-year-old local host wrote in a social media post on Nov 1: “I finally had a chance to visit Xinjiang, but since it’s winter, most routes in Northern Xinjiang are closed due to unstable weather conditions

“Sudden blizzards can cause many attractions and roads to close temporarily, so I had no choice but to opt for Southern Xinjiang.”

She shared that because the region was too vast for independent travel, she did her research and booked a local tour group, which promised in their contract that travellers wouldn’t be forced to go on shopping trips and make purchases

However, Yi Fong still got “ripped off” despite initially thinking she was an experienced traveller

She recounted: “For two consecutive days, they took us out early in the morning to buy Xinjiang long-staple cotton and visit two shops selling Hetian jade… Each item costs at least 2,000 yuan (S$380)

“If you didn’t buy anything, the tour guide would mock you on the bus and even scold you.”

This is the first time she experienced this and bought a piece of Hetian jade, while witnessing other travellers’ in the group being “ridiculed” by the tour guide during their 10-day trip

“I was dumbfounded. It was even more spectacular than the scenery outside!”

She shared in a separate Facebook post on Nov 1 that besides buying jade, she also bought cotton, camel wool blankets and enough camel milk for half a year in the end

Yi Fong added she would have left immediately or made a report to authorities if the same situation happened in other parts of China, but because Xinjiang is so big and remote, she endured it

In the same post, she also shared there were issues with the luxury package she purchased

She recalled: “The service didn’t match the purchase description. The group was supposed to have a maximum of 12 people, but I saw over 20! They also promised a six-seater luxury minivan and it turned out to be a 20-seater bus!”

Yi Fong shared in her initial post that another problem she faced was the toilets, which were scarce because they are mostly on the highway with few rest stops

She wrote: “When we get to a rest stop, the queues [for the toilets] are longer than the queue at the amusement park, and the smell was unbearable

“But we couldn’t not use it, so the most memorable thing about Southern Xinjiang is unfortunately the toilet.”

Yi Fong said she now has reservations about going to Northern Xinjiang but advised her followers to get a reliable recommendation if they plan to visit

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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