Tourist claims to have been beaten by a low-priced tour guide at a shopping spot, and relevant departments in Guilin have intervened

Recently, Mr. Li from Pingdingshan, Henan, reported to The Paper’s public interaction platform “Service Pai” (https://tousu.thepaper.cn) that on December 1, while following a low-priced tour group organized by Guilin Shanhai Travel Agency to a shopping location, he had a conflict with the tour guide, Ms. Liu, who stated that “if you don’t shop, you must pay the difference,” and as a result, he was scratched on the face and suffered damage to his right corneal epithelium. Afterwards, he was also surrounded and insulted by Ms. Liu and others.

Regarding this dispute, on December 4, a reporter from The Paper called the travel agency involved. The relevant person in charge of the travel agency stated that the tour guide Ms. Liu involved had been suspended from her duties to assist in the investigation, and the other tourists continued their trip with a new tour guide without being affected. In response to the allegation of forced shopping, the person in charge said, “The tourist cannot provide evidence of being forced to shop by the tour guide. It is possible that the facts have been unilaterally exaggerated and distorted.”

Mr. Li said that when he was insulted by Ms. Liu, he first shoved her, and then she retaliated. “If the other party was injured during the mutual fight, I am also willing to provide compensation according to the judicial appraisal report.”

A staff member from the Complaint Center of the Enforcement Squad of Guilin Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau responded to The Paper that the incident was under investigation.

Tourist Claims to Have Been Injured in a Conflict with Tour Guide at Shopping Location

“A friend who loves to travel told me that there was a tour group going to Guilin and Hunan, and they were still missing one person. I thought I had nothing to do recently, so I joined,” said Mr. Li. In November 2024, Mr. Li signed up for a low-priced “6-Day Tour of Shaoshan, Guilin, and Yangshuo” upon a friend’s recommendation.

“Since I registered through an acquaintance, I didn’t fill out any registration form. There was indeed a lack of procedure, but the local travel agency in Guilin had my information,” he said.

The promotional poster showed that the tour package Mr. Li joined was a “VIP Exclusive Event” with “government subsidies and scenic area subsidies.” The introduction on the poster’s link stated, “The tour includes visits to 4+2 shopping stores. Supermarkets and ethnic minority villages are not considered shopping stores. Visitors are welcome to make purchases voluntarily and are kindly requested to cooperate with the tour guide’s shopping schedule.”

Mr. Li said that on November 30, the local tour guide Ms. Liu greeted the tour group. “She introduced herself as the local tour guide in Guilin but did not show her tour guide license or inform us of the affiliated travel agency.”

That evening, Ms. Liu led the tour group to visit Xiangshan Park and the Sun and Moon Twin Towers, and then the tourists checked into a hotel to rest.

On December 1, Ms. Liu took the tour group to a kitchenware store in Wayao Town. Mr. Li said that Ms. Liu informed the tourists that because it was a low-priced tour, there would be about four shopping locations, and she hoped everyone would purchase what they liked based on their needs. In the next 20 minutes, the tour group received sales pitches from the sales staff in the exhibition hall. During this period, when Mr. Li checked his phone after receiving a message, he was told by Ms. Liu not to use his phone. So he left the exhibition hall and went to the corridor, where he was stopped by Ms. Liu again.

“She said that if we didn’t shop, we would have to pay the difference for the low-priced tour,” said Mr. Li. He believed that the tour guide had no right to restrict tourists from using their phones or to demand payment of the difference. Therefore, he asked Ms. Liu to show her tour guide license and inform him of the affiliated travel agency. “After she refused to show it, she started insulting me. She insulted me several times, and I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I shoved her and punched her. Then she retaliated. During the process, I was scratched on the face multiple times, and my right eye was injured by her fingernail.”

On December 1, officers from Pingshan Police Station of Guilin Public Security Bureau took Mr. Li and Ms. Liu to the police station to make statements. Mr. Li said that due to the injury to his right eye, his vision decreased, so he went to the hospital for examination first. The outpatient medical record he provided showed that the hospital diagnosed him with a corneal abrasion of the right eye.

Outpatient Medical Record Issued by Guilin Branch of Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University

In the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Li went to Guilin Branch of Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University for a re-examination. The diagnosis was corneal abrasion of the right eye, epithelial injury of the right cornea, facial abrasions, etc.

On December 2, Mr. Li went to Pingshan Police Station again. He said that the police station suggested both parties reach a settlement, but he refused because his right eye was seriously injured, and he could not determine if there would be more severe consequences later. Therefore, the police station imposed administrative penalties on both parties. Subsequently, Mr. Li applied for a judicial appraisal, and the police station entrusted the Judicial Expertise Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University to conduct the appraisal for Mr. Li.

Power of Attorney for Judicial Expertise

Offline Mediation Failed, Tourist Claims to Have Been Surrounded by Tour Guide

On the day of the injury, Mr. Li called the complaint hotline of Guilin Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau multiple times. He said that the staff said they must provide the travel agency’s information to proceed, but “Ms. Liu never provided any relevant information.”

On December 3, Mr. Li brought the power of attorney for judicial expertise to the Complaint Center of Guilin Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau to make an offline complaint. The staff confirmed that the tour guide involved belonged to Guilin Shanhai Travel Agency. In the afternoon of the same day, Guilin Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau mediated between Mr. Li and Shanhai Travel Agency. He said that during the mediation, the person in charge of Shanhai Travel Agency promised, “The local travel agency will be responsible for Mr. Li’s current medical expenses. After the judicial appraisal results come out in three months, the subsequent medical expenses will have nothing to do with the local travel agency.”

In response, Mr. Li said he would consider it first and give a reply the next day.

However, on the way out of the Complaint Center, Mr. Li encountered the tour guide Ms. Liu again. “She was standing on the roadside with four other people. I didn’t see them at first because my vision is very poor now,” said Mr. Li. “When she saw me, she started shouting, ‘It’s him, it’s him,’ and then the five of them surrounded me, blocked my way, insulted me, and prepared to attack. So I called the police.”

Tour Guide Involved Suspended, Relevant Departments Investigate

Regarding the compensation for this incident, Mr. Li said he hoped it would be determined based on the recovery of his eye and whether his face would scar. “If the other party was injured during the mutual fight, I am also willing to provide compensation according to the judicial appraisal report.”

Notice of Administrative Case Filing

On December 4, The Paper called Shanhai Travel Agency. The relevant person in charge of the travel agency said that the current situation of the tourist was unknown, and they had not been in contact since the mediation. “The travel agency has filed a case with the public security department, and the culture, radio, television, and tourism bureau is also coordinating. Ms. Liu has been suspended from her duties to assist in the investigation,” said the person in charge. “The tourist cannot provide evidence of being forced to shop by the tour guide. It is possible that the facts have been unilaterally exaggerated and distorted. I hope everyone will not believe one-sided words.”

The person in charge of the travel agency mentioned above said that the relevant tour group had been taken over by a new tour guide and continued the trip without being affected.

The video provided by Shanhai Travel Agency showed that Mr. Li and the tour guide Ms. Liu first had a verbal conflict, and then both parties became emotionally agitated and started a physical altercation. The Paper noticed that in the 4th second of the video, Mr. Li shoved Ms. Liu, and in the 8th second, both parties started beating each other. In the 11th second, staff from the shopping store tried to break up the fight, but then both parties fought again. In the 27th second of the video, the two were separated and continued their verbal argument until the police were called to handle the situation.

On the same day, The Paper called the Complaint Center of the Enforcement Squad of Guilin Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau, and the staff said that the relevant incident was being verified and investigated without a conclusion. Meanwhile, staff from Guilin Pingshan Police Station said that the progress of handling the incident could not be disclosed over the phone and required a