Traveling With a Chinese Tour Group: Yea / Nay?

Article by Jin Zhou & Francis Miller

If you have been to the Museum of the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, the Great Wall in Beijing, or the Bund in Shanghai, then you will have experienced the feelings of awe and smallness that come from viewing wonders of such monumental scale. You might also have viewed these sites through hordes of Chinese tourists sporting matching colorful hats, scarves, backpacks, or otherwise being led by a guide with a loudspeaker and a flag affixed to the end of a telescoping pole.

These color-coded groups are usually Chinese tour groups. If you are considering traveling, why not join a Chinese tour group?

Well, many quickly dismiss this notion due to some undesirable aspects of traveling with a Chinese tour group, such as:

  1. You will be severely restricted to the form and quality of transportation, accommodations, restaurants, the sites and the length of time spent at each site
  2. The way you spend your “free” time might include shopping detours to commissioned outlets with high-pressure sales tactics (bypass this by picking a “pure fun trip” 纯玩团 without sales)
  3. Additionally, before and after exploring a site or eating a meal, you will likely be herded with or asked to wait for your fellow travelers
  4. You will need to sign a contract and/or a waiver

While for some these conditions would be a deal breaker, there are some particularly attractive and rather unexpected benefits to traveling with a tour group. Recently, Jin and Francis traveled to southern Shaanxi to see Zhongba Grand Canyon National Park中坝大峡谷 and Houliu Water Town 后柳水乡 on a tour bus for a weekend with more than 40 other people. There were some surprising benefits that they found while on their trip:

Advantage #1: Price

It is nearly impossible to complete the same itinerary at a lower price point than tour groups can offer. They traveled for two full days, stayed at a hotel with breakfast, took a boat ride in the Hanjiang Sanxia 汉江三峡, visited Zhongba Grand Canyon National Park, saw several other parks, towns, and tourist sites, all for the single low per-person price of 318 RMB.

Advantage #2: Planning Options

To book a trip like this, you will likely need to find online agencies or visit the office of a travel agency. If you are looking for options off the beaten track, this is a great way to explore potential itineraries that you have never heard of before. Travel agencies sometimes have a bad rap for overselling experiences, but they also have a very diverse selection of destinations and trip durations.

Advantage #3: Peace of Mind

Because you have paid a company to deal with the planning of your trip, if anything goes wrong, you no longer need to deal with rescheduling or rebooking transportation, lodging, or activities. Additionally, you will have a tour guide whose sole purpose is to help make sure your experience is as enjoyable as possible, without getting lost or having to solve too many problems by yourself.

Advantage #4: Party

Because you don’t have to drive, deal with parking, or keep track of dates and times, or drag your luggage around, you can use all that extra free time and energy after your day to enjoy yourself with cold beverages, exploring local cuisine, and/or making new friends!

Advantage #5: Chinese Language

Speaking of new friends, your fellow travelers will provide unlimited opportunity to test your Chinese language skills. In fact, we would argue there is no better way to practice your language skills than by traveling with those who only speak Chinese. You will be forced to communicate in Chinese to understand instructions from your tour guide and to get the things you need.

Advantage #6: Dating Opportunies

You may laugh at this, but if friendship isn’t enough, the hordes of Chinese tourists are often filled with gossipy Ayis (aunties) of single sons and daughters who are always looking to find a match for the younger generation of their family. On multiple occasions, we were asked if we needed new “friends” or could introduce new “friends.” Just make sure your Chinese is up to snuff, because your average Chinese Ayi doesn’t do English.

Remember to listen carefully to your daoyou (tour guide), don’t make trouble, stay with your travelers, stretch before you use a squatting toilet, don’t spit anywhere, and enjoy your authentic Chinese travel experience!

Francis and Jin are both school teachers in Xi’an. You can contact Francis at francis@xianease.com and Jin at jin@xianease.com for more information about many things around Xi’an.