Awww....that has got to suck especially when it is pouring down rain. It has happened to me too, but the conditions weren't as bad as yours!

It happened to me all the time in Anshan.  Sometimes, it takes more than 30 minutes of 'begging' at the taxi stand on Railway Station for the ride downtown.

Chinese are telling me, it is because taxis want longer ride to Shenyang, which can fetch 300 Rmb or more, and mine is 'cheap', 15 Rmb only. I don't believe to that reasoning! Last December, I was waiting long time for cab in freezing, - 24* C night. I wonder, how bastardi didn't feel sorry for me standing outside in cold, and them sitting in the warm car. Scambags! Finally, my girl came with the taxi from her home, and picked me up. Ridiculous!

In China, I rarely approach taxi for a ride. If I can walk, I walk. In Dalian, my Company encourage me to take taxi for 25' walking distance, twice a day, 4 days a week for refund. I never took taxi since last November. That's my little 'revenge'.

What means: 'cao ni'?

Yes. My girlfriend told me the taxi driver didn't want me in the car because I was a foreigner. She thought it was amusing, because he was from a small village in Henan, so obviously worse than any foreigner (in local residents' eyes).

Several times. On one superstitious day last year, I got refused over 20 times. I also got refused entry to a bus on that same day.

Hasn't happened yet.  In fact, I usually need to refuse them when they don't want to use the meter.  Of course, this may be some roundabout face saving way of refusing me?  Hah.  Driving my own car FTW.

I'm not sure I've ever been turned down because I'm foreign. Usually, if a cab doesn't stop for me it's because it's quitting time and there's a shift change. Of course, I don't understand Chinese so I wouldn't know why they wouldn't stop. My money is the same color as everyone else's. All in all, I find a cab when I need one.

There are so many taxis here that they cut each other off in an attempt to pick you up. They will slow down and honk their horn hoping you want a ride. I sometimes get the impression that there are more taxis here than there are human beings. Is that possible??! No....sorry.....

I have had it a couple of times where the cabbie can see me, flips off his light, passes me, then flips it back on. That really pisses me off.

Just got refused before lunch. The guy slowed down, saw me, and then kept driving. He then picked up a Chinese guy about 50 feet away. Awesome.

It's no surprise. China is a racist country.

Yea, it happened to me in Shanghai on my first week in China...  I was stuck on the other side of the city late at night and I needed to get back to my hotel.

I saw a lot of Taxi cabs dropping people off on a side street.. So I walked over there and waited about 10-15 minutes.. Then a Taxi came and dropped somebody off..  I waved to him and he slowly pulled up right next to me and then slammed the gas and drove off when he saw I was a foreigner..   

About 20 mintutes later, another Taxi came and I ran over and grabbed the door so when the guy got out he couldn't close it so I could get in..  

Granted, it was really late at night (around 11PM or so), but I was really getting worried about being able to get back to my hotel and the taxis were starting to disappear off the streets.
Meh, it's their loss anyway if they don't want to pick me up.. I'm from New York so of course I tip taxis very well.

In contrast, I had a lot of trouble getting a Taxi in Hong Kong late at night after the metro closed down, but it was simply because there really aren't many places that Taxis are allowed to stop in the busy areas of Hong Kong and I had no idea where those places were so I just waited by an intersection for an empty taxi to get stopped at a red light and hopped in after running across 3 lanes of stopped traffic.I really don't think you're supposed to do that, but I got desperate.

The only time I've ever seen a foreigner blatantly refused from a cab is when they were piss-drunk and appeared on the verge of throwing up.  

I am in a place where they will likely pick up any foreigner instead of local person just don't scare them with your English and try to speak Chinese.

I have seen 4 western girls couldn't get a taxi because they don't speak chinese, so i helped them got one

Earlier today, a taxi driver refused an old Chinese lady and took us instead. We're even, Heilongjiang. We're even!

Most places it is easy for me to get a taxi, but in Changsha I had a hard time, they just looked at me and kept driving, they were empty and on duty.

I've had a couple try. But I under all circumstances I just hop in and refuse to leave until they take me to where I want to go. It's actually illegal for them to refuse service when they are on the clock, so there's nothing that they can do. Then I get to argue with them about the roads that I want them to take. Fun China times!

Now I just get my chauffeur, a.k.a, my husband, to drive me everywhere. ;) 

I am not sure if it is just a "foreigner" thing.

I have seen taxis refuse to take Chinese passengers too, for no apparent reason.

I'll give u guys a few quick tips before I go out...

first things first......if the taxi tries to cheat you by underchanging you or something take back your full 100rmb u just handed him and walk out without paying

number 2.... if he drives the wrong way ask him in chinese "ni qu na li a, ni cuo le" where are you going, you are wrong!

number 3 if he is being a prick, just tell him stop, open the door and go away. Even if you understand his shouting just say "ting bu dong" , dont' understand. give them their own medicine back. All this bullshit when they pretend not to understand our chinese, so you can also do this back and just get out and walk away. What will they do? nothing! They are cowardly people and like has been said some people are racist here makes me sick.

i have had this experience late at night in beijing many times after the subway has stopped, just not that many taxis running at night and they usually want to stay in certain areas of the city, which usually does not include south of the beijing south train station where i always stay when visiting. stay at a nice hotel 2 stations south of the train station for 175 rmb a night but taxis dont like going there, have had to walk a couple times for an hour to get back.

Never been refused because of being a foreigner.  Been refused at shift changes many, many times.  But other than that, no.

But I have seen some black people get refused a few times.  The cab driver would go right past them and pick me up.  When I asked why he didn't pick up the black person, they would always say some version of, "Black people argue too much and they smell strange."

Don't know about other cities but here in Dongguan a taxi cannot refuse you, I find the best thing is to get in the cab then if they refuse just take out your phone and take a picture of their ID and say "da dian hua" they will soon change their mind and take you anywhere you want to go, although they might be a bit pissed off about it!

But back to the OP, I've never been refused for being white. Only if it's close to their time to off work and I'm ok with that unless it's raining or I'm in a hurry for an appointment.

The best thing to do is save some money and buy a car like I did, no more waiting for taxi's!

welcome to my life...it happens so often that am no longer offended or pissed...well most of the time i am not because of course there are times you are super exhausted or cold or ladened with stuff or all at once and you wanna hurl something at every empty taxi that INTENTIONALLY drives by you.sometimes they do this tease thing where they slow drive towards you like they are gonna stop and then speed off while laughing when they reach you. Sometimes it seems like they cant make me out from afar, get closer realize am waiguoren(hei) and drive off.

on a visit to Wuhan it took me 1 hour to get a taxi. It was the middle of the day and all the drivers slowed down, saw me and moved on to pick up a local person. now if i have an important place to be and need a taxi, i usualy ask a local friend to help: they stop the taxi and i step out from behind them. So thumbs up to the helpful guys of Changsha

This has happened to me a lot in Qingdao, while there on numerous times trying to get a taxi  i had to wait almost two hrs before i was finally able to get a taxi. The rolled down the window and told them where i needed to go they drove a few feet to a Chinese person picked them up. even with my wife with me i tried to get in they refused us 

some places just treat foriegn people wrong.