Suzhou: Again? Spill the Tea.
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Suzhou is a city where non-locals make up a significant portion of the population. This influx brings both talented individuals building the city and, unfortunately, some less desirable elements from elsewhere. I'm not trying to be discriminatory or look down on anyone, but it's a fact that some opportunistic individuals from outside the city have negatively impacted Suzhou's tourism – like touts for day trips near the train station, Shantang Street, Pingjiang Road, and the Humble Administrator's Garden, aggressive rickshaw drivers, and sellers of fake local delicacies. There are quite a few traps. So, when locals see posts on Xiaohongshu saying 'Avoid Suzhou' or 'Never coming back,' their frustration is understandable. Ultimately, Suzhou welcomes all tourists. If you have a bad experience, please try to understand the context and direct your complaints fairly.
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So it's outsiders ripping off other outsiders, and then they ask us locals what we think? How about we just watch – standing, sitting, or lying down, take your pick.
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And now someone's bound to say, 'How can you be so sure the driver was an outsider?' or 'You locals are just trying to shift the blame!'
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Sure, no problem. Go ahead and say you'll never come back to Jiangsu, or China, or even Earth, or the entire universe. It's all fine by us.
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Makes sense.
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They won't listen to local advice anyway. They practically want to fall into these tourist traps. So yeah, 'avoiding Suzhou' is great! Maybe it'll finally give our old town some peace and quiet.
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They don't like sweet food, but they insist on eating it anyway. Then, after they're done, they complain Suzhou is a 'food desert'.
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The ratio of actual Suzhou locals to non-locals here is probably 8:2, maybe even 9:1. I still strongly suspect that driver was an outsider.
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Just look at this year's list of banned drivers. As of July, out of 32 drivers banned in Suzhou this year, only one was a local. Yet, those who don't understand the situation in Suzhou are quick to accuse us of being 'xenophobic' or 'discriminatory'.
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So the tourist isn't from Suzhou, the driver isn't from Suzhou, only the license plate is from Suzhou (Su E/U). On matters like this, we Suzhou locals prefer not to comment. Maybe just impound the car and report the whole thing to the central authorities.
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Lesson learned.
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The other day, a Suzhou local driving a ride-hail car maliciously cut us off and scraped our car. He then got out and berated my partner for not yielding, even though we were going straight and he'd aggressively cut in. He was cursing my partner, calling him 'xiao chi lao' (a local insult like 'little punk') and so on, then drove off – a hit-and-run. A bystander even said, 'This guy is a disgrace to Suzhou people.' Later, when the traffic police arrived, an officer said, 'Must be an outsider.' I corrected him, 'No, he was a local; he even called my partner 'xiao chi lao'.' The officer went silent... Seriously, stop blaming outsiders for every bad thing that happens in Suzhou.
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You can check Suzhou's list of banned drivers for hit-and-runs. This year, out of over 30 banned, only one was a local – that's less than 5% locals. While it's wrong to say 'it's definitely an outsider,' it's statistically very likely to be an outsider. That's a fact.
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I almost feel like I took advantage of my ride-hail driver. I stubbornly hailed a ride right from a tourist spot in Suzhou. It took him 18 minutes just to reach me. Then, with traffic, the ride to my destination took an hour. I checked my phone, and the fare was only a little over 17 RMB. When I got out, the driver even cheerfully said, 'Bye bye, enjoy your visit!' I felt a bit embarrassed by how cheap it was.
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Don't just 'feel' like it, you definitely did! Own it.
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Yes, please share more 'how to avoid Suzhou' tips! Hopefully, tourists will become fewer and fewer. As a local, I genuinely wish the roads would be less crowded.
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Fine by me. Don't come. None of you should come.
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Excellent!