China’s Daocheng Yading Scenic Area Suspends Shuttle Fees After Backlash
An investigation by Xinhua News has revealed that the Daocheng Yading scenic area in Sichuan province was setting up roadblocks on a provincial highway to force tourists to pay for shuttle bus services — a practice that has sparked widespread public outrage and triggered a multi-level government response. The controversy has laid bare a deeper conflict between consumer rights, ecological protection, and the “ticket economy” that has long defined China’s tourism industry.
The Road in Question
At the center of the dispute is a 38-kilometer stretch of provincial road S462 that serves as the only access route to both the scenic area and Yading Village. The road winds through the Yading National Nature Reserve, with over 80 percent of its length consisting of curves — including 32 hairpin turns — along cliff-side terrain at altitudes ranging from 2,900 to over 4,000 meters.
Built initially as a village access road through local labor, the route was upgraded to asphalt in 2007-2008 and later to Class III technical standards in 2013. It was incorporated into the provincial road network in 2022, primarily to secure government funding. Since January 2023, the road has been maintained by the prefecture highway maintenance center using public funds — with minor repairs in 2026 costing 3.23 million yuan.
Despite its classification as a public provincial road, the scenic area had been charging tourists 120 yuan ($16.50) for sightseeing bus transport and 70 yuan for electric cart service — prices set by the county price bureau in 2005 and never subjected to a public hearing or cost review in over 20 years.
How the Controversy Unfolded
The issue came to a head on May 15, 2026, when travel blogger Lu Daxia V50 visited the scenic area and demanded to drive his own vehicle through. After signing a liability waiver, he was allowed entry — and his subsequent video questioning why a provincial road was blocked for paid shuttles went viral.
The scenic area responded on May 25 by issuing a notice banning social vehicles and criticizing staff who had let the blogger through. But the backlash only intensified. Multiple netizens filed complaints on the Wenzheng Sichuan government platform, and by May 28, Sichuan Province had formed a multi-department investigation team involving six provincial agencies.
That same day, the Garzê Prefecture government issued a public apology and announced an upgraded rectification task force. Most significantly, the prefecture’s Development and Reform Commission ordered the immediate suspension of all sightseeing bus and electric cart fees effective May 29 — though services continue to operate free of charge.
Legal Gray Area
The case highlights a significant legal ambiguity in China. The Highway Law explicitly prohibits any unit or individual from illegally setting up roadblocks or charging tolls on public roads. However, the Nature Reserve Regulations allow management stations for ecological protection purposes.
A Sichuan Transportation Department official told Xinhua that the roadblock is theoretically not illegal since it is operated by a government agency under nature reserve regulations. But legal scholars argue otherwise. Professor Yu Rui of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics noted that while the shuttle bus system claims to address traffic and ecological concerns, it has in fact enabled years of “lying down to earn money” — with opaque pricing and no public oversight.
The Ticket Economy Problem
The controversy has reignited debate over China’s “ticket economy” — the reliance of scenic areas on ticket sales and bundled service fees. Under national policies pushing for ticket price reductions, many scenic areas have shifted their revenue burden to shuttle buses, which are classified as commercial services and exempt from ticket price caps.
Yang Jinsong of the China Tourism Academy, writing in the Beijing News, argued that many scenic areas artificially lengthen the distance between entrances and core attractions to create demand for shuttle buses, making them a de facto second ticket. Liu Simin of the Beijing Tourism Society echoed this, noting that shuttle bus pricing across China has long operated without regulation, hearings, or cost disclosure.
Balancing Act
The Daocheng Yading case is not unique. Similar controversies have erupted at Lugu Lake in Yunnan and Mount Wutai in Shanxi. But the situation here is particularly complex because of the competing priorities: ecological protection of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, public access rights to a provincial road, and the economic development of a region that was once a nationally designated poverty-stricken county.
As one local official candidly told Xinhua: “For the contradictions facing Daocheng Yading regarding public road rights, ecological environmental protection, and economic development, there are no clear policies and paths to solve them yet. We are crossing the river by feeling the stones.”
What’s Next
The provincial investigation team is now conducting a cost audit of the shuttle services, which will inform future pricing. The scenic area has also announced plans to add two new viewing platforms and optimize seven existing bus stops. But the deeper question — how to balance public road rights, ecological protection, and commercial tourism — remains unresolved.
For millions of Chinese tourists who visit similar scenic areas each year, the outcome of this investigation could set an important precedent for how the country’s tourism industry balances profit with consumer rights.