The boom in visa-free travel to China has unveiled unexpected challenges for Russian visitors.
Since the introduction of visa-free entry for Russians on September 15, many tourists have enthusiastically embarked on independent journeys to China. While various potential difficulties were widely anticipated, the most significant issue for these visa-free travelers has turned out to be a «zhan» (Chinese for `battle`) unfolding between both Russian and local guides.
Alina, a tourist from the Far East who entered China via the Suifenhe border crossing, recounted a surprising experience that defied common expectations. She found that, contrary to warnings about language barriers, difficulties with cash payments (even local yuan), or taxis overcharging, the reality was quite different. «We were met by volunteers wearing badges, ready to assist with immigration forms. Everything was quick, clear, and many spoke excellent English, some even Russian,» she shared. Her taxi ride from Suifenhe to Harbin (approximately 500 km) was precisely metered, and in Harbin, at the first restaurant they visited, they were offered to pay in cash – specifically, in rubles! «However, on the street, locals seemed to look right through you,» Alina observed, which contradicted warnings about Chinese curiosity and invading personal space. She also debunked myths about impolite dining habits, noting that Chinese behavior was closer to what she had experienced in Tokyo before the pandemic: polite but distant. «If you ask for help and they don`t understand English, they`ll simply shrug apologetically and leave. Not at all intrusive. In stark contrast, some of the guides, particularly our own, were quite bothersome.»
This «battle» among guides has quickly emerged as a major hurdle for many first-time visa-free Russian visitors to China. Russians residing in China have swiftly capitalized on the new policy, transforming into freelance guides. Many openly share their newfound ventures on social media, describing how they went from being stay-at-home spouses to impromptu city tour operators. Russian tourists, initially pleased to avoid traditional tour packages (which have also seen price drops), soon discovered the inherent difficulty of navigating vast, densely populated Chinese megacities with scattered points of interest and predominantly Chinese-language mobile applications, making the assistance of a guide almost essential.
Tourists who flew visa-free to Shanghai shared their frustrations: «To book museum tickets online or use a taxi app, you typically need a Chinese phone number. While we bought SIM cards easily in Hainan, it proved much harder on the mainland due to significant bureaucracy. Vendors knew about our visa-free status but were legally required to photograph a visa for SIM card sales. No visa, no SIM card.» Faced with this predicament, when a Russian woman approached them at their hotel offering guiding services, claiming over ten years of residence in Shanghai and fluent Chinese, they readily accepted. However, shortly after she left, the hotel manager politely informed them that hiring uncertified guides is illegal in China and poses risks to tourists. The Russian guide herself later admitted her mistake of discussing plans near the reception, cautioning the tourists not to reveal her role to locals, suggesting they pretend to be friends. This incident clearly illustrates her awareness of the illegality, yet a willingness to operate outside the law, often accepting payment in rubles.
Official Russian guides, working for established tour companies in China, voice similar concerns. They complain that these newly emerged freelance guides, often Russians living in China, undercut market prices, effectively taking business away from both official Russian and legitimate Chinese guides. While the quality of their services may often be subpar, it is particularly challenging for tourists new to China to discern the difference.
Turgun, a Russian-speaking guide employed by a Chinese tour company in Buryatia, explains: «In China, organized tours with certified guides often benefit from priority access to tourist sites, dedicated and safe transportation, and other significant advantages. The Chinese are extremely law-abiding in this regard. A private Russian guide living in China, however, will simply lead you around on general terms for your money, lacking these official benefits.»
Chinese tourism professionals express an even stronger view: foreign nationals are strictly prohibited from working as guides in China unless they are officially hired by a legitimate Chinese tour agency. They warn that if tourists engage such unauthorized individuals, they should not be surprised if the guide is apprehended by the police mid-tour.
This strictness has a solid basis: experts on both sides of the Russian-Chinese border predict that the number of illegal guides, both individuals and small unregistered «mini-firms» operating outside China, will only increase with continued visa-free travel. Russians residing in China, who are not themselves vying for guiding jobs, playfully refer to this burgeoning situation as a «zhan» – a battle between guides for the attention of Russian tourists.
«But the Chinese will definitely win it,» asserts Vadim Chekunov, a Russian writer based in Shanghai. He draws parallels to the 1990s, recalling when Chinese tourist groups flocked to Russia: «I worked as a guide for them myself. Even then, Chinese groups arrived with their own guides, drivers, and even buses! They exclusively ate in restaurants owned by Chinese or funded by them, and even bought souvenirs from their own compatriots. They even sold matryoshka dolls to their own people. Even in Russia, they made sure their tourists` money stayed within the Chinese community. And in their own country, they will certainly ensure their clients are not `stolen away.` It`s almost impossible for foreigners to find work here unless they are invited specialists, even with fluent Chinese. Prices are high, so one can understand why Russian wives of Chinese husbands, and others like them, might resort to guiding.»
Other Russian expatriates in major Chinese cities also emphasize that perceiving China as a chaotic «shanghai» – in the Russian sense of a noisy, disorganized Asian country – is a dangerous misconception. They note that while this might have been true a decade ago, today`s China approaches the decorum and law-abiding nature of its Japanese and South Korean neighbors, emphasizing order and compliance.
Russian tourism experts confirm that from the early 1990s until the pandemic, Chinese businesses established a strong presence in Russia`s inbound tourism sector, opening their own hotels, cafes, restaurants, transport companies, and shops that exclusively served Chinese tour groups organized by their own firms. Some believe these operations often involved illicit schemes and tax minimization, with less than 40% of Chinese tourist spending ultimately remaining in Russia. However, with the current «love and visa-free» era, there`s a collective sentiment against repeating such illegal practices in China. There is no longer a need for these shadow operations, as Chinese tour companies, anticipating a surge of independent Russian visitors, have already reportedly hired numerous Russian-speaking guides to accommodate them.
