Don't enter alone... Stay out and reject invitation.

say you will go to the bathroom. make sure you have a stupid foreigner look on your face. then run, run as fast as you can

Once i went with one of those groups of girls from Beijing walking street, i knew i only had around 20yuan in my pocket so thought i would try it for fun...
went into a nice looking restaurant...got some nuts,seeds etc then they bring the tea over and i say oh your so kind buying me all this...you know i dont have any cash right...
they looked surprised and said something like i hope we would be able to split the bill, i told them i hope its under 50rmb because ive only got 17kuai...laughing they asking if i was serious, i turned out my pockets...only a few crumpled notes...
they seemed to be a bit angry and quickly paid for the things themselves, i asked if I could help myself to the guazi and peanut, oh boy...i filled my pockets hahaha such a funny night....

Great story OuShanmu! You should avoid anyone you met on the street who is asks you to tea here, they only what to "scam" you, otherwise tea drinking is free...Just go to any of the many tea shops here and they will let you try till you buy...

Walk away and if they keep hassling you point at them and yell out "wo bao tzi!" I was told that means "I'm calling the cops" or something similar. If they throw a tantrum just throw a bigger one. That works every time.

You got tea-raped? That's awful. I thought those scammers stop at just ripping people off... obviously they're getting sicker and more depraved!

I fell for the scam when I first got here. A bunch of Chinese students approached me near Qianmen in Beijing. They were all around my age, spoke fluent English and were very friendly. I had just arrived and knew nobody here so was naive enough to believe that they just wanted to my friends. They asked if I want to join them in a tea ceremony, and me naively thinking a cup of tea will only cost a couple of kuai, agreed. Before the bill came, we agreed to split it: I'd pay for the actual ceremony and they'd pay for all the additional tea we bought to take away. The bill came to a few thousand kuai (I'm embarrassed to say the actual amount). I didn't want to pay but was afraid that if I didn't, I'd be the one getting into trouble with the law since I didn't clarify the prices before starting the tea ceremony. Afterwards, they didn't stop the act and even gave me their fake email addresses and said we should hang out again.

Now that I've been scammed, I can only urge others not to be as stupid and naive as me. Do not trust anyone who talks to you on the street or who invites you for a tea. Any stranger who approaches you, has some kind of agenda. Just don't go. But if you do find yourself in the trap, DO NOT PAY!!! Just run out and don't look back.

I've heard stories of people getting out of paying by just threatening to beat up the staff.

What is this all about? Can someone explain, I'd hate to have to destroy my own testicles in the future. I had big procreative plans.

If you're approached by someone on the street (especially if they speak english), assume they want to use you to either practice their english or to scam you out of something. With that, I'm not saying to turn them away; just know what you are getting yourself into and be aware and you can still have fun. If they want to take you to some tea house or fancy restaurant, offer to go to another location. How much they insist on this exact location will give you a good idea on which of the two they want from you.

If you find yourself in a tea scam, then become important that you check the prices before or while ordering. If your new "friends" work hard to order without you having the chance to check prices, tell them that you didn't expect that you would be going out tonight and didn't bring much cash, so if they will invite you this night, then maybe you can invite them out another night.

And if all else fails.... Make like a tree, and get the f**k out of there.

I read about this and still got stung. i found many people would talk to me, even help me, but not in Beijing. I went out in the evening to shop. I had two women talk to me and invite me for tea. I said I'm drinking the beer I had, they pour me a cup of tea , which i do not drink and then they have coffee. the bill comes 264Y , I pay it, i realize what is happening and go. When i live, girls follow and want me to buy something to eat. i turn and tell them to fuck off. Then a pretty girl talks to me and says she will show me where the shopping is, go down a street of food vendors, meet 3 more of her friends and they tell me the shops are down this dark street.. Did not fall for that one. I was hoping pretty one would sleep with me. I got hit on more than 20 times by women wanting to go for coffee. I made one walk all the way to my hotel so I could drop off a suit case i bought and then, walk back own town, she kept wanting to stop for cofffee, then demanded 100Y for walking with me. I told her no. She was screaming at me to get out of China. I told her I would in one week, but if she really wanted 100Y then she should s*** my ?

BTW if you check the menu the coffees are expensive, I stayed at the Sheridan and checked tye coffee on the menu was 88Y, I'm serious. not like the coffee is even good.

Take a note of evidence and report to police ASAP

I was 16 when it happened, on Beijing's wangfujin street, me and a classmate went to the arcade, and on the way to get a taxi 2 young ladies came to us and asked if we wanted to have tea. We figured tea was cheap, so we agreed. They took us to some random tea bar, ordered without letting us see the menu, and we all drank together, innocently. Then they asked for the bill, it came and was about 2000 kuai , and asked us to pay. We looked at each other with that "what the fuck?!" look, then told them that we didn't have any money, since we just went to the arcarde, and, you know, we were fucking 16 years old! Then they got all pissed, asked to at least give what we had hoping there'd at least be a few hundreds (we had a total of 10 kuai), got even more pissed, then just left. We proceeded to go out, extremely confused, and in our innocence feel ashamed. It was only years later that I realized how lucky we were and that we did the right thing by accident, and now laugh about it.
There was also a similar incident on Tiananmen square, where a lady asked us if we wanted to see an art exposition, then showed us a bunch of horrible paintings, and tried to sell it to us. But again, the "I'm 16 and broke" approach worked just fine.

I had an hour before my train left so I took a walk in the park a few blocks away. Almost immediately some guy approached me. His three friends simultaniously materialized a minute later and invited me to attend what they called a "tea show".

I had already read about the tea scam long ago and had been waiting for it to finally come around my way. I figured, I've got time to kill so I may as well play along. I walked with them dropping hints the whole way; I've lived in China for years, I married a local, etc.

After about 20 minutes, we arrived at the tea house. I left them high and dry at the front door "Well, thanks for your time. Sorry I can't hang around. As you know, I've got a train to catch." I love how they tried to guilt trip me into missing my train saying "It would be rude to leave now. Why not come inside?"

I felt pretty satisfied with myself that I wasted thier efforts for a little while and possibly saved some other foreigner from getting scammed by them in that time.

If you catch it before you sit down and drink the tea you can tell them to piss off. If you already drank the tea then run because they probably have some big Chinese fellas or dirty cops that'll try to stomp your guts out if you don't pay. 

It also happened to me in Beijing cost me 1000 kuai,2nd time i was asked 6 months later i was asked in perfect English by 2 girls would you like tea its very cold outside,i said i would rather piss on your ancestors grave and gave actions they got the message

Some have advised others to "string them along". I am not sure this is such a good idea. Just seems like asking for trouble. If it is a scam, just ignore them and walk away.

I go to Shanghai often and I am used to it.  Last time, i let 2 young girls take me to a coffee shop on Nanjing road. One ordered a glass of wine and the other ordered wine, coke, tea and something else.  I asked the waitress for the bill and she replied 700 quai.  I immediately stood up, looked her straight in the eye and told her I was NOT paying for anything I didn't order.  The supervisor came over and tried to talk money with me, but I repeated in a loud voice exactly how much I was going to pay and not a mao more..... the look on his face was priceless.  I firmly told the ladies to pay for their own drinks and left.  So funny.

Can you ask for separate checks before ordering?

I went to People's Square a group of 3 young Chinese ask me to take their picture, so I do so, and they start conversation with me. They say they're from Beijing, start asking about me, talking a bit, and one of them goes off, so I'm left with an early twenties, average looking girl, and this other guy early twenties. They say something about a performance, and if I'd like to join them.
I immediately think one of these silly street performances, which are in abundance, and I thought why not. We go so far, go into this building I find myself in a room, and they said tea performance, and then the penny dropped, "shit, I've walked into the tea house scam."
The tea house scam is normally where pretty women lure some guy to a tea house and leave them to foot a bill in the hundreds.

Realizing this, I take out my phone and pretend to receive a call, and I say something like "right, Renmin Square, just give me a few minutes and I'll be there."
I say that my room mate in my hostel is expecting me, and I have to be there, but they're saying, this won't take long, just a few minutes.
I then start saying, "how much will this cost, as I had seen the menu, and it was in the hundreds, it was ridiculously expensive, and they say "not much, not much."

I then realize I'm not going to get anywhere by being nice to these people, and they're not being nice to me, they're pretending to be nice thinking I'm a bit of easy money, so I get up and say I'm going now.
The guy starts blocking the way, saying I have to pay (what for, someone just poured a tiny cup of tea) and I say "pay, I forgot how."
I barge past him and get to the room door, and he's grabbed hold of me, and as I have both my camera and my kindle on my person, I headbutted him.

I'm not going Scottish or anything, but as my hands weren't free, and I had to safeguard my possessions, headbutt was the best available body weapon. I storm out, and they follow soon after, saying I have to pay or they'll get the police.

I make my way out, they follow me some of the way, but I get in a taxi and ask to go to the French Concession.

These people see a foreign face and think easy money. I gave them reason to think otherwise.

  I got caught in one of these in Shanghai. Two girls, chat, English, friendly friendly, come and have tea, yardy-ya, the bill comes and it's 1700 yuan and suddenly i'm surrounded by 7 employees and realise i'm alone. Haha, I went mArtiAn Hulk and practically threw the lady blocking the door out my way, then quickly raised my fists as they followed me out and they backed off. Not my recommendation on how to deal with it though. My recommendation is.........I dunno, don't talk to strangers.

george, trapped is spelled T.R.A.P.P.E.D. i.e double P.

Not trying to sound pedantic but I just read the headline quickly and I thought you'd been RAPED in a tea scam!

Forget the friendly facade of any strangers who approach you and ask you to do anything or go anywhere. Even the most innocent request can quickly transform into a costly fraud. Also do not let any stranger use your cell phone, even if they say they are having a heart attack or any similar emergency.  You can offer to call the police for them (and watch them vanish) and that is it.  Beijing is Scam City friends. Each week we expose a different scam like these so if you want to get on on our free  scam alert mailing list (restricted to one email per week) send us an email at ChinaScamPatrol@gmail.com, or just look for them published on line at CityWeekend.cn every week.  As for your your tea room situation, use your mobile phone and start taking photos of everyone in the room. That will make them plenty nervous and then call the cops to make a formal fraud complaint. The photo taking should be enough for them to tell you to "just leave" as the last thing they want is to see their photos on Weibo.

Tell them you have SARS and start coughing and sneezing uncontrollably

I knew the deal beforehand, but just for kicks, my friend and I treated this cute gal on Nanjing Rd. in SH to McDonald's.  The tubaozi didn't even eat the damn thing (irony).  Anyway, she kept rambling on about a tea place "right up there," on either the 5th or 6th floor.  Zou le'd.  My friend and I checked out the place after the fact, and sure enough, teas could've cost at least 350 yuan.