Today, I nearly got robbed.
I am a very trusting person. Many people know that about me. In the past, that quality has served me very well in foreign lands. I am an open and eager traveller. I have made many great friends on several continents by being open, friendly, and trusting. … But today, in Beijing, that back-fired.
I was coming out of the Forbidden City in the afternoon. I had spent the entire day marvelling at the ancient palace, its grandeur, and the tales and treasures of past emperors therein. I was walking toward Tiananmen Square when I was hailed by an English “hello” from behind. I had all day ignored most solicitations inside the touristy palace, but here I turned around smiling and saw two women – one young and one middle aged – who looked like they too were coming out of the palace. As we were walking in the same direction, I chatted a bit with them. They flattered me by complimenting my spoken Chinese. They were from Hubei… They were visiting Beijing this week… They had just come from the palace… Where was I going next?… They planned to get a refreshing drink before also going to Tiananmen Square… Did I want to join them?
All of the many friends I have made in China I have met by starting random conversations on the street, in a shop, or at a cafe. I have found people here to be very open and polite with me. There has been a genuine, reciprocal interest in learning about foreign lands and peoples. That has been my wonderful luck and experience so far. So today I trusted my decision to have tea with these ‘out of town’ ladies.
We walked away from the Forbidden City. Several blocks, and then several more. I became momentarily apprehensive during the walk, and again asked where we were going. But shortly we arrived at a seemingly random intersection. Two or three tea houses and cafes were within eye-sight. The younger woman pointed at one and said “how about this?”. It seemed reasonable. We went inside. I dimly recall observing a man sitting at a counter in one room; and my overall impression of the place was that it was somewhat shabby. The waitress brought us into a private room in the small, three-roomed tea-house. I recall thinking briefly that the setup of the cafe was a little strange -- but my mind registered it as a new experience, thinking “so this is how some shabby tea-houses are in Beijing…”.
We sat and had some tea. The two ladies also each had a glass of Coca-Cola. There were some crude snacks brought in on plates for us to eat. We had a pleasant and friendly enough conversation. A range of topics including where I studied Chinese, what Singapore is like, how many siblings I have, etc. After about 20 minutes, the older lady suggested that we finish and go to Tiananmen Square. I agreed. They called the waitress in and then the game suddenly changed…
The bill was drawn up and the waitress handed it directly to me. My mind said, “that is a bit weird”. But I am a man and I am a foreigner, so maybe it is the default expectation that I would be paying.
Now, let me pause here and say that in China, at a shabby tea-house, you can get a glass of tea for about 8元 – or just over $1USD. At a fancier coffee shop, catering to foreigners, you can get a glass of tea for 20-30元. At Starbucks, tea costs 20元. And good quality tea at an upscale place can be 50元. That much I know. That much I acknowledge.
So the waitress handed me the bill and it included our one pot of tea, two Coca-Colas, and the two plates of crude snacks. The total charge stated was 980元!!! 980元 is more than my bullet train ticket from Beijing to Hangzhou. 980元 is more than my airplane ticket from Chengdu to Xi’an.
I stared at the ticket for a moment. I honestly did not know how to react. I was squinting for missing decimal points. I was mentally re-checking my currency conversion factors. There had to be some mistake. I was really speechless for a moment. … Then I started to be aware of my two new ‘friends’. They both held what I considered to be a very suspicious silence. And their lack of shock and outrage was even more suspicious. There is no way that any Chinese person would look at this bill and not immediately start yelling and complaining to the waitress – that much I know. But, I did not want to be rude and accuse these two ladies of cheating me, so I asked them if the bill seemed high to them... Who would carry 1,000 RMB to go to a tea-house? Is this how much they pay in their own town? Have they been here before? The younger woman was silent and would not look me in the eye. The older one said the bill was quite high, but she resignedly pulled out her wallet to pay. The waitress stood defiantly at the head of the table. … I did not move an inch. I was by that time pretty sure that I had been a marked victim since the friendly “hello” outside the Forbidden City.
I said this was ridiculous. No one would pay 1,000 RMB for two cups of tea and some terrible snacks. I asked if this was a joke, or a trick? Some kind of tourist scam? I stood up to leave. The waitress blocked the door. The older woman, and my erstwhile friend, developed a harsh tone and said that in China, people pay for the food and drink they consume at a tea-house. She accused me of being wrong and cruel and rude. She had already offered to split the bill in half, then in thirds. Then she said she would pay the balance if I would just pay whatever I had on me. The waitress helpfully reminded me that the tea-house accepts credit cards. I told them both that I had no money on me, and that I do not have a credit card. I moved to the door but was barred by the waitress – her foot lodged at the base of the door, and her hand on the door’s handle. I offered that we go and settle the matter with the police – that they can charge me if I am wrong in not paying this bill. I also offered that I could call may bank, or my hotel… at that point I was just trying to get out the door.
We were at an impasse. My new friends had turned on me – the older one already “generously” offering –without blinking an eye- to pay 700RMB of this astronomical bill, and the younger one now silent and completely avoiding my gaze.
I finally decided I was leaving. I said I had no money, only the 4.7元 in small bills and coins that I then pulled from my pocket and placed on the table (my real wallet and larger bills were in another pocket). I was able to firmly move the waitress away from the door, open it, and exit the room. The waitress tried to stop me and she called to her boss in the other room. But I was already walking out of the main door. I did not look back. I walked swiftly but calmly down the street, back in the direction we had come. I coincidentally met two police officers on my way, and explained the story to them. I asked about the amount of the bill and they looked shocked and disappointed. I told them where the place was but said I preferred just to be on my way. … And so I was….
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