Student Discounts and Discrimination

[歐博思]

I have been here in China since February and have traveled to a few places like: the Great Wall, Shaolinsi in Luoyang, terracotta soldiers in Xi'an, Gugong in Beijing along with Jingshan park and Beihai Park in the vicinity of Gugong.

My issue with these places is that some will give me a student discount while others won't, and the reasons will vary:

At the Great Wall I received a student discount. This is a key factor to remember when reading the following.

At Shaolinsi in Luoyang, however, I had to pay full price because even though I am a student at Tsinghua University's Chinese Language Program, I am still a foreigner. Because Shaolinsi is a National Scenic Spot I have to pay full price so I was told. But if this is true how is the Great Wall not a National Scenic Spot? Shaolinsi is in no way more historically important than the Great Wall. Shaolinsi is just capitalizing on the 2 hour bus ride required to get there. Who is going to just turn around and go back?

Terracotta soldiers: student ticket. Great.

Gugong in Beijing: For going inside the city I received student discounts, however..

Jingshan Park: After looking at my Qinghua ID, she told me only students staying for one year and above can receive student discounts.

Beihai Park: We went to Beihai on the same day as Jingshan. I was still infuriated at the Jingshan ticket office so I wasn't interested in talking to the Beihai ticket office. I believe my girlfriend tried to give her student ID to them here, but they refused. I should mention that she is a Korean national also studying in the Chinese Language Program here, and we are both just studying for one semester.

That being said, what is up with all this discrimination I am getting when trying to buy student tickets? I am a student as well and thus I too am poor just like Chinese students :angry: So infuriating.

At what places have you faced similar circumstances?

[xiaocai]

But how do you know for sure there is discrimination? I could get student discount from some places but not some others. Some of them just do not accept student cards as a valid proof of concession. And I think this is understandable because as what I am aware of, there is no national wide regulation on how these student fares should be stipulated.

[歐博思]

xiaocai, I concede that I don't know if it is discrimination or not. But since I got cheated on my very first taxi ride in China, perhaps I have a biased view now.

I still want to contend that there is discrimination (for lack of a better word) when Shaolinsi won't sell me a student ticket but the Great Wall will.

[adrianlondon]

I also used my student card to get a discount at some places but was refused at others. To be honest, as a 30-something foreigner at BNU to study Mandarin I was surprised I got any discount at all.

Some places give student discounts only to Chinese students (whether an overseas Chinese would get the discount, I don't know; I suspect not). I guess some would see this as official discrimination. Personally, I'm all in favour of locals getting discounted, or even free, entry to sites/museums/temples etc. that tax money supports.

[yonglin]

I had the following experience (which I do interpret as racial discrimination):

Having spent some time in a university as language students, and having acquired the appropriate kind student ID, my boyfriend and I spent some time travelling. We came across a provincial museum, and went ahead to pay the entry fee. The boyfriend (Asian-American) showed his language student ID, paid the student price, no issues. I (Caucasian) was next, and the ticket lady refused to give me the student price, claiming it was not for foreign students. I pointed out that the boyfriend had just got the student price on an identical kind of student ID. I was quite upset at the time.

I don't mind that they don't apply the student price to foreign students, but if they choose not too, they should at least be consistent (or at the very least, pretend to be consistent) about it.

[Brian US]

Unless it's a specific case like yonglin, I wouldn't consider it discrimination. Does it upset you that Chinese students only pay 50-100 kuai a month for their dorm room? Sure they share it with five other students, but that's government subsidies for ya. I agree with adrianlondon that I'm happy with any discount. In America I get maybe a $1 off for a movie ticket.

[langxia]

At some places it varys which tickebooth you take. I have been to places where I got a student ticket while a friend buying one at the booth next to it didn't get a discount. (both caucasian so nothing about racial difference).

But I also had the case where I was with chinese friends and even they didn't get a student discount with their student card. What they told me is that at some places only undergraduates get the discount (and they were studying for their master allready)

[kayro]

Just to add to the list. FYI, i am on a 3 month language program.

Shaolinsi - got the discount, but was a class trip so teachers handled everything.

Jinghsan Park - was told no discount for short-term students.

Tiananmen - got discount

Great Wall - got discount

[abcdefg]

My issue with these places is that some will give me a student discount while others won't, and the reasons will vary.

A student discount or a senior discount or any other kind of discount is not some sort of Automatic Entitlement or Constitutional Right. It is a courtesy sometimes extended by the facility and sometimes not. Be glad when you get it and just pay up when you do not.

So infuriating.

You are a guest here. Best not to be so easily offended.

[OPEN.O]

just i think that maybe there is some people not friendship

please don't care

depend on the lucky

[aristotle1990]

On the other hand, you can sometimes get preferential treatment because you're a visible foreigner. In the Old Summer Palace (圆明园) once, I wanted to get into an area that required paying a bit extra. At the gate, I realized there was a substantial student discount, but as I tried to pay I realized I hadn't brought my ID with me. Dejected and unwilling to pay the higher price, I was about to turn away when the lady sitting there took one look at me and let me buy a student ticket. Damn. Fun times, fun times...

(Possibly entirely the result of my dashing good looks and youthful complexion, though.)

[歐博思]

@abcdefg: Don't get me wrong - students everywhere appreciate a half price pizza, or half price ticket to the Great Wall.

What I find fault with is their methodology. Whenever I go to said spot and read their ticket information sign, I saw nothing about ticket selling restrictions based on nationality, length of study, or the like. If they don't want to give discounts to foreign students or short term students, all I ask is they clearly put it on the sign. See related post about haircuts and posted prices.

In reference to my mid to large size USA university where even the short term Intensive English Program students whom are not studying for a degree will still receive a university ID and can receive discounts just as regular students; ditto for the more standard fare international students, this is where my viewpoint comes from -- if student discount is listed, student discount will be received.

@yonglin - did they ticket seller finally sell the student ticket to you ?

[gato]

That being said, what is up with all this discrimination I am getting when trying to buy student tickets? I am a student as well and thus I too am poor just like Chinese students :angry:

They assume that you are not as poor as an average Chinese student, which is probably true.

[歐博思]

Gato, what you say is true. Yet in my defense my FAFSA EFC is 0 so I receive max financial aid. My house is just mom and me; I pay for schooling. If not for fin aid I wouldn't be able to be in Beijing right now.

[Erbse]

entrance fee for the Kunming swimming pool is 15yuan, and 30 yuan for laowai. It's written there at the entrance in English, but not in Chinese O_o I told them in Chinese, that I cannot read/speak English, but they wouldn't accept that. When I went there the next week, they had updated their price list. There was a new item on the Chinese menu: 老外： 30元

[my3rdlang]

I am an Asian woman in my mid 20s (currently living in Shanghai). I have never been turned down for student priced tickets at historical/tourist sites (even after I was no longer a student!). This includes:

-Shanghai EXPO

-Great Wall (Badaling entrance)

-Forbidden City (Imperial Palace)

-Beihai Park

-Summer Palace

-Temple of Heaven

-A crocodile farm in Jimei, Xiamen

-Temples in Suzhou

*Last year, I went to Beijing with a Caucasian friend (5 years younger than me) who was a student in Shanghai, her elder sister (1 year younger than me) and her mum. At Beihai Park, my friend was turned down for student tickets, so she only bought 2 full-priced tickets (for her mum and sister). When I got to the booth, I had no problems purchasing 2 student tickets. The person at the booth didn't even really look at my student IDs! So yes... my friend was a victim of racial discrimination.

At the Forbidden city, we were able to purchase 3 student tickets. After buying tickets at the Forbidden City ticket booth, the ushers (is this the right word?) at the entrance gate wanted to see my friend's and her sister's student ID. On the other hand, the ushers didn't bat an eye at me despite looking older than my friend and about the same age as her elder sister. What else if not racial discrimination?

I have also never been turned down for half priced tickets at theatres.

Pizza Hut- I know which ones honour foreign student cards, so I only patronize certain Pizza Huts.

KFC- No problems

*Pizza Huts that don't usually give trouble may give trouble to students who are/look middle-aged. I had a friend (a woman in her late 30s) who was turned down for the 20% off at Pizza Huts where I don't get turned down.

Sorry for the essay.

[歐博思]

Erbse, haha wow that is pretty interesting. If that's how they want to operate, at least they stuck to their guns and really put up a new sign.

my3rdlang, thoughtful essays are always welcome. That's interesting that they don't check your ID as closely as your Caucasian friends. I also didn't know that students can receive discounts at KFC and Pizza Hut. (Off topic I hear Pizza Hut here is just so-so. I have a kindled a new love with Mr Pizza)

If I had a McDonald's coupon that said free slushie with a BigMac Meal but when I got up to the window they told me that just for today they switched it to free slushie with a McNugget meal, that is the feeling I get with student discounts in china - so random.

edit:

楼下 regarding pizzas, to each his own!

[my3rdlang]

KFC: You have to apply (simply write your name, phone no. and address on the restaurant's roster) to get a student KFC discount card. The discount cards usually come out in Feb and Aug (and are distributed until they exhaust).

Pizza Hut: Show your student card to get 20% off. If in doubt on whether they accept foreign student cards, ask before dining. I guess it depends on your taste-- I personally like the Pizza Hut in China as there is little to no ketchup.

[carlo]

They assume that you are not as poor as an average Chinese student, which is probably true.

Hope you won’t mind if I say that I find this stereotype slightly unfair. It may have to do with the people I associate with. But at least in large cities, the amount of local people that look very poor, and then turn out owning expensive flats and fat bank accounts, is fairly extraordinary. And there are thousands of students from all over the world in Beijing or Shanghai, including some very poor countries (compared to China). Holding them up to the standards of a Wall Street expat banker is unreasonable.

I remember a time where differential pricing was the norm, and it wasn’t that long ago. I’m not surprised that there are still places where this occasionally happens, although a different advertised price for 老外 is an absolute first for me. I’ve seen the opposite happen a few times: foreign-looking people get in for free as their presence makes the place look more “international” and therefore “classier” to local customers. Erbse, maybe you should try talking them into doing just that. ;)

[fanglu]

To play the devil's advocate: I don't know that its necessarily unfair that foreign students don't get discounts - local students pay taxes over the course of their lives that pay for the subsidy, international students only pay consumption taxes (ie no income tax) only for the time they are in the country. That's the argument that some states in Australia go with to deny international students concessions on public transport anyway.