Tourist claims to have been injured after clashing with a low-priced tour guide at a shopping spot; relevant departments in Guilin have intervened
Tourist Claims Assault and Injury by Tour Guide at Shopping Spot
Recently, Mr. Li from Pingdingshan, Henan Province, 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 make purchases, you must pay the price difference.” This led to a physical altercation where Mr. Li’s face was scratched, and his right cornea was damaged. 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 had been suspended from her duties to assist in the investigation, and 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 compensate according to the judicial expertise report.”
A staff member from the Complaint Center of the Enforcement Squad of Guilin Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau responded to The Paper that the incident was under investigation.
The tourist stated that he was injured in a conflict with the tour guide at a shopping spot.
In November 2024, Mr. Li enrolled in a low-priced “6-day tour of Shaoshan, Guilin, and Yangshuo” upon a friend’s recommendation.
The promotional poster indicated that the tour Mr. Li joined was a “VIP exclusive event” with “government and scenic area subsidies.” The linked introduction stated, “The tour includes visits to 4+2 shopping stores. Visits to supermarkets and ethnic minority villages are not considered shopping stores. Visitors are welcome to purchase items 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 received the tour group. “She introduced herself as the local tour guide but did not show her tour guide license or inform us of the travel agency she belonged to.”
That evening, Ms. Liu led the tour group to visit Xiangshan Park and the Sun and Moon Twin Towers, after which the tourists checked into a hotel for 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 stops, and she hoped everyone would purchase items as needed. For the next 20 minutes, the tour group received sales pitches from the staff in the exhibition hall. During this period, when Mr. Li checked his phone due to a message, he was told by Ms. Liu not to use it. He then left the exhibition hall and went to the corridor, but was stopped by Ms. Liu again.
“She said that if we didn’t make any purchases, we had to pay the price difference for the low-priced tour.” Mr. Li believed that the tour guide had no right to restrict tourists’ use of mobile phones or to demand additional payments. He asked Ms. Liu to show her tour guide license and inform them of her travel agency. “After she refused to show it, she started insulting me. After several insults, I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I shoved her and punched her. Then she retaliated. During the process, I was scratched on my face multiple times, and my right eye was injured by her fingernail.”
On December 1, officers from Pingshan Police Station in Guilin brought Mr. Li and Ms. Liu to the station to take statements. Mr. Li said that due to his injured right eye and decreased vision, he went to the hospital for examination first. The outpatient medical record he provided showed that the hospital diagnosed him with a corneal abrasion on his right eye.
The outpatient medical record was issued by Guilin Hospital of Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University.
In the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Li went to Guilin Hospital of Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University for another examination. The diagnosis was corneal abrasion, corneal epithelial damage on his right eye, facial abrasions, and other injuries.
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 was uncertain about potential long-term effects. The police station then imposed administrative penalties on both parties. Subsequently, Mr. Li applied for judicial expertise, and the police station entrusted the Judicial Expertise Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University to conduct the expertise for Mr. Li.
Offline mediation failed, tourist claims being surrounded by tour guide
On the day of the injury, Mr. Li called the complaint hotline of Guilin Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau multiple times. He said that the staff stated they needed the travel agency’s information to proceed, but “Ms. Liu never provided any relevant information.”
On December 3, Mr. Li went to the Complaint Center of Guilin Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau with the judicial expertise letter. The staff confirmed that the tour guide involved belonged to Guilin Shanhai Travel Agency. In the afternoon, the Bureau mediated between Mr. Li and Shanhai Travel Agency. He said that during the mediation, the person in charge of the travel agency promised, “The local travel agency will be responsible for Mr. Li’s current medical expenses. After the judicial expertise results come out in three months, the subsequent medical expenses will have nothing to do with the local travel agency.”
Mr. Li said he would consider it and give a reply the next day.
However, on the way out of the Complaint Center, Mr. Li encountered the involved 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,” Mr. Li said. “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. I called the police immediately after.”
The involved tour guide has been suspended, and relevant departments have intervened to 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 leaves scars. “If the other party was injured during the mutual fight, I am also willing to compensate according to the judicial expertise report.”
Notice of Administrative Case Filing
On December 4, The Paper called Shanhai Travel Agency. The relevant person in charge of the travel agency stated 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. We hope everyone will not believe one-sided words.”
The person in charge of the travel agency mentioned above stated that the relevant tour group had been taken over by a new tour guide and continued the trip without any impact on the itinerary.
The video provided by Shanhai Travel Agency showed that Mr. Li and the tour guide Ms. Liu first had a verbal conflict, which then escalated into a physical altercation as both parties’ emotions intensified. The reporter from The Paper noticed that in the 4th second of the video, Mr. Li shoved Ms. Liu, and by the 8th second, both parties started fighting each other. At the 11th second, staff from the shopping store intervened, but the two parties started fighting again. At the 27th second, the two were separated and continued their verbal argument until the police were called.
On the same day, The Paper called the Complaint Center of the Enforcement Squad of Guilin Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau, and the staff stated that the relevant incident was under investigation and no conclusion had been reached. When contacted, staff from Guilin Pingshan Police Station stated that the progress of handling the incident could not be disclosed over the phone and required a face-to-face consultation.
