Overcharging, deceitful taxi driver tells student visitor they can take photos with and touch sculptures. — SCMP
A recent incident in which a Chinese secondary school student was duped into visiting a counterfeit Terracotta Warrior site has ignited outrage on mainland social media.
The Terracotta Army, a Unesco World Heritage site since 1987, located in Xian, Shaanxi province in central China, is a remarkable collection of sculptures representing the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
That was where a secondary school student, identified as Xiaozeng and whose gender was not disclosed, thought they were going to visit on June 15.
After the college gaokao entrance exams, Xiaozeng took a trip to Xian hoping to visit the famous site but instead was taken by a local taxi driver to a site called “Dreaming Back of Qin dynasty.”
The deceitful driver promoted the site by claiming that “visitors are even allowed to take photos with the sculptures and touch them”.
“The driver assured me, ‘these are the Terracotta Warriors. Just go down and you’ll see the underground palace’,” Xiaozeng said.
However, after exiting and checking the official WeChat account, the student realised the difference and knew they had been tricked.
The counterfeit site, located about two kilometres from the real one, charged 198 yuan (RM128) for an adult ticket and 98 yuan (RM63) for a student ticket – higher than the real site’s 120 yuan (RM77) and 60 yuan (RM38).
Following the revelation of the deception, a representative from Xian Municipal Administration of Cultural and Tourism told Hubei Media Group: “This is a procedural issue, not something we ignore. For complaints, please call 12345.”
A member of staff from the Lintong District Transportation Comprehensive Law Enforcement Team had received other complaints about such drivers, primarily those operating unlicenced cars.
Following a complaint to the Xian mayor’s hotline, the site refunded the tickets to Xiaozeng and classmates who were also duped.
People calling for stricter enforcement to protect the integrity of their heritage sites, have expressed outrage online.
“I hope the authorities take this seriously and protect the reputation of the Terracotta Warriors. We cannot let a few unscrupulous individuals tarnish its image,” one person said.
“This is disgraceful for Xian. How can they fake one of the world’s eight wonders? The authorities must severely punish those responsible for such deceptive practices,” said another.
Discussions also highlighted another fake tourist site in Xian called the “Museum of the Eight Wonders of the World”.
The venue has replicas of the Sphinx of Egypt and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as well as Terracotta Warriors.
Online observers also revealed that a bus looking just like the one going to the genuine Terracotta Warriors site has been created to boost visitors to the Eight Wonders museum.
Everything from the bus stop to the ticket seller and ticket prices have been replicated to mirror those of the real bus.
“The entire experience of travelling in Xian felt like being in the movie ‘Mission: Impossible’,” one person said.
“I just realised that the Terracotta Warriors I saw years ago were fake. Initially, their odd appearance and the inclusion of colourful warriors really puzzled me,” said another.
“I thought the ancient craftsmen were just not skilled enough, and I even believed the government had preserved them so well that some colourful warriors had survived. It was all a scam. I’ve been fooled for years,” they added. – South China Morning Post
