Chinese restaurant owner fined for scolding customer for not buying

Police in the Chinese city of Xiamen have ordered a business owner to "close for a few days of reflection" after he insulted a tourist who refused to buy his goods.

The owner of a pearl business in Xiamen, a popular tourist destination in China's Fujian province, was reprimanded by police and ordered to close his business for several days for insulting customers.

At the end of February, a female tourist visiting Xiamen went with her friend to a pearl shop and asked for the price of some jewelry. When the two tourists left without buying anything, the shop owner was upset and scolded the customer as "a hungry ghost, not having enough money to buy something and still asking for the price".

Police arrived to work with a restaurant owner in Xiamen after he insulted a tourist. Photo: SCMP — Police arrived to work with a restaurant owner in Xiamen after he insulted a tourist. Photo: *SCMP*

Upon hearing the insult, the female tourist angrily turned around to argue. The shop owner then called the female tourist a "hungry ghost" again and asked, "If you don't buy anything, why are you in the shop?". The argument escalated, causing the tourist to call the police. Local authorities quickly arrived and said the man's behavior was "unacceptable."

Explaining his rude behavior, the owner said he was in a bad mood that day due to family problems. and apologized to the customer. Although the apology was accepted by the female tourist, the police still asked him to close the shop to think for a few days.

The incident of the owner insulting a customer for not buying the goods attracted nearly 100,000 views on Douyin (China's TikTok) and more than 13,000 comments. Many people condemned the owner's actions. "He is the real hungry ghost because he is struggling to make a living," said one. "Please share the name and location of the store so we can avoid it when we travel here," added another.

Tourists being insulted for refusing to buy expensive items while traveling is not uncommon in China. In June 2023, a tour guide in Yunnan Province scolded tourists who went on a tour but did not shop, saying, “Your conscience has been eaten by dogs, why don’t you buy anything?” The female tour guide later had her license revoked. In April 2023, an elderly male tourist traveling to Yunnan was also insulted as a “bad old man” for not shopping.

Anh Minh (According to SCMP )

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