There have been three kinds of people operating:

• In 1997 there were people at Reshui selling photo permits reading "Chifeng tourist bureau". No reports are known from after 1997.
• Later, in 1999 to 2000, especially at the Reshui side of the pass, people have sold photo permissions reading "Aodu Travel service". These photo permissions are identical to the permits given to visitors at Daban depot.
• In 2001, it has been reported that KeQi tourist bureau has started collecting money even on the west side of the pass.

Report from December 2001: "Unfortunately, the rip off continues. The KeQi Tourism Bureau must be the only such organization in the world that fines people for visiting their area. The grip is RMB 50 per person per day. The grippers have changed their tactics though. They now patrol the Jingpeng to Reshui road around 10:30 to 11:30 every morning in a maroon Volkswagen Santana, reg no D 20374 . We saw them on the main road and also the old road through Xiakengzi. It isn¹t clear whether they just go as far as Shangdian or all the way to Reshui. We never saw them in the afternoon."

The two people who collect money are:

1. Name: E Erdun , in Chinese--? ? ?
   Office Tel: 0476-5220746
   Office Fax::0476-5226914
   Home Phone:0476-5226837
2. Name: Zhang Wenzhong , in Chinese--???(driver.)
   His beeper number is: 126-8350157

They are the same people who sold photo permits copied from "Aodu travel service" in 1999 to 2000.

The person who collected photo permits since 1997 is called Liu Shushan. Rumours say he was in prison for stealing some of the money that was collected in 2000. He is not in prison now (December 2001), because he get a lot of money and corrupted the local police, so he has continued operating, especially with Japanese steam groups. He can not speak any foreign language.

Here is the photo license from December 2001, a scanned version for downloading. ( one side , other side ) ( , license1.jpg and license2.jpg)

Independent travelers should be aware that even if they stay away from the roads, they won¹t necessarily escape. Hotels have to inform the police of anyone staying overnight and this information gets back to the KTB very quickly. One evening we decided to extend our stay at Reshui by one day. The following morning they knew we had changed our plans and were demanding more money.

Another report autumn 2001: "Annoying was a visit at my hotel by three officials from (as they said) the Keqi (Jingpeng) Tourist Bureau to extract ¥ 50 per day for their photo-permit. Without the interference of anybody interpreting who could be made hostage I managed to send these Chinese only speakers off with ¥ 50 for my whole stay and I strongly suggest that nobody pays more for this seam, or if anybody does pay, report it to the authorities in Beijing as corruption. After all issuing photo-permits is the business of the railway or the national authorities and not that of local government, nowhere in the world and certainly not in centralist China."

However, not everyone has paid the fee. A successful way of handling these people is just not understanding their language (most of us do not speak Chinese anyway). Another successful way is just being polite, walking farther along the railway line, into the landscape. Walk where the terrain is bad. They also have trouble if you are in groups, but if you have a guide, they tend to make your guides' life difficult.

If more and more foreigners report the mafia to the State Tourist Bureau, I think they will pay attention to it.

China State Tourist Bureau address.
WebMaster@cnta.gov.cn
Telephone: +86 10-65275315 or +86 10-65201521
Fax:+86 10-65201522 or +86 10-65122096

Please report any details of how they approach you, probably names and even photos of these people, to me. If they get any local police officers to pester you, even their names would be interesting.