🚩 Local Scams · Fuzhou
Last verified 23 Aug 2025
Focus areas: Sanfang Qixiang (Three Lanes & Seven Alleys), Dongjiekou / East Street, West Lake Park, Fuzhou Changle Intl. Airport, Gushan (Drum-Hill), Mawei seafood wharfs.
1 Scam Spotlight Table
"Tea-House Invitation"
Sanfang Qixiang side alleys, East Street
How it works: Friendly "students" invite you for a "Fuzhou jasmine-tea ceremony"; bill lands at ¥600–1,000 for tiny servings.
🛡️ Avoid: Decline unsolicited invites; choose venues from trusted lists; ask "全价吗？" before sitting.
"Lacquerware Gallery" Hard-Sell
Near Sanfang Qixiang museum strip
How it works: "Craft students" steer you to upstairs shop; pressure to buy "hand-made" lacquer or bodiless-lacquer at inflated prices.
🛡️ Avoid: Real museums post ticketed shows; any hard sell = walk away.
Airport Black-Car / Long-Haul
Changle T3 arrivals curb
How it works: Driver quotes "fixed" downtown fare 2–3× meter or detours the ring road.
🛡️ Avoid: Use official taxi queue or app; meter starts ~¥10–12; request e-receipt.
Seafood Scale Switch
Mawei seafood wharf
How it works: Wet-market stall weighs live seafood, swaps for smaller or adds water weight.
🛡️ Avoid: Watch the scale; ask for 复秤 (re-weigh) and keep your order in sight.
QR-Sticker Phishing
Sanfang Qixiang cafés
How it works: Fake promo sticker on café table overlays the real pay QR; opens spoofed page.
🛡️ Avoid: Scan only printed codes on cashier stands; verify pay app URL before confirming.
Costume-Photo "Damage Fee"
Sanfang Qixiang photo studios
How it works: Hanfu rental claims "stain/tear" to keep deposit or add cleaning fee.
🛡️ Avoid: Photograph the garment at pick-up; confirm deposit rules in writing.
Fake "Wuyi Tour" Counters
East Street malls
How it works: One-day "Wuyi" offers (Nanping, not Fuzhou) bundle shopping stops and skip core trails.
🛡️ Avoid: Book via official Wuyi sites or major OTAs; avoid cash-only booths.
Taxi Swap of Small Bills
Railway Station
How it works: Driver swaps your ¥50/¥100 for counterfeit and claims you paid wrong.
🛡️ Avoid: Announce denomination aloud; use e-pay when possible; collect printed receipt.
2 Why It Matters
Heritage lanes and café culture – Fuzhou's heritage lanes and café culture make tea and craft offers the easiest pretexts; a largely cashless city means QR phishing is the modern twist.
Tourist-friendly atmosphere – Fuzhou's welcoming culture can be exploited by scammers who rely on visitors' politeness and unfamiliarity with local pricing.
Pattern awareness – Knowing these patterns keeps your yuan for jasmine tea and fish balls—not "lesson fees".
3 Pro Tips
1
Official booking – use verified mini-programs for Sanfang Qixiang shows and Gushan tickets; ignore street sellers.
2
Meter basics – city taxis use meters; avoid "fixed price" pitches except airport flat-fare kiosks.
3
Small notes – carry ¥10–¥20 for snack lanes; refuse "machine broken—cash only" upsells if the price jumps.
4
Phrase to lock price – Quán-jià ma? ("Is this the all-in price?") before tea/craft demos.
5
Hotlines – Police 110 · Fujian tourist service 12301—store both before heading out.
✨ Stay Smart, Stay Safe
Stay alert and enjoy jasmine tea, granite lanes and river breezes—No Tourist Traps. No BS.