A guesthouse in the Snow Town was punished for overcharging customers
Locked between the warm currents of the Sea of Japan and Lake Baikal’s cold front, a small village in northeast Heilongjiang province, has become famous in recent years, thanks to the long-running travel show Where Are We Going, Dad? Now, the cozy site is infamous—thanks to a scam that plagues many of China’s most famous tourist attractions
In December, a tourist to “Snow Town” complained that “No matter how white the snow, it can’t cover the purely black heart! Never go to Snow Town any more!” saying that a guesthouse owner in Snow Town tried to charge them for their room beyond what they’d already paid through Ctrip.com, and turfed them out when they refused (then threatened to withhold their refund unless they left him a good review online).
The local cuisine was also thoroughly dissed for its expense: A bowl of instant noodles cost 60 RMB; a plate of pickled vegetables stir-fired with vermicelli, 78 RMB; stewed potato and eggplant was 88 RMB; a simple dish of stirred shredded meat commanded a price of 288 RMB.
Sun Jiahui is a freelance writer and former editor at The World of Chinese. She writes about Chinese language, society and culture, and is especially passionate about sharing stories of China's ancient past with a wider audience. She has been writing for TWOC for over six years, and pens the Choice Chengyu column.
