Sairam Lake Scenic Area Overhauls Fees After Driver Assault

Xinjiang’s Sairam Lake scenic area has announced a major overhaul of its self-driving service fees, shifting from a per-person to a per-vehicle charging model, following weeks of public controversy and a violent incident involving staff and a tour bus driver. The joint working group of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture issued the comprehensive notice on August 3, according to Xinhua.

Fee Structure Revised

The scenic area previously charged a self-driving service fee of 75 yuan per person, which drew widespread criticism from visitors who argued that a family of four would pay 300 yuan just for the service fee on top of the 70 yuan per-person entrance ticket. Under the new model, fees will be assessed per vehicle based on registered seating capacity: 120 yuan for vehicles with 5 seats or fewer, 180 yuan for 6-7 seats, 300 yuan for 8-19 seats, and 600 yuan for 20 seats or more. The new structure takes effect on August 20, with a transitional rate of 30 yuan per person applied from August 4 until then, as detailed in the official notice.

The fee adjustment comes after the scenic area defended its original per-person model, explaining that the charge was calculated based on annual ecological protection costs and maintenance of the 90-kilometer ring road. Scenic area staff told reporters that a per-vehicle fee would cost 250-300 yuan per car, which they believed would discourage small groups of one to three people, as reported by the New Beijing News via Gansu Net.

Assault Incident and Disciplinary Actions

The notice also detailed the handling of a July 23 incident in which seven scenic area staff members assaulted a tour bus driver surnamed Wang at the scenic area entrance. According to the initial report from the scenic area management committee, the conflict began when a staff member conducting ticket verification argued with the driver, escalating into a physical altercation that drew in additional staff members. Of the 10 staff present at the scene, seven participated in the assault, one called police, and two attempted to intervene.

The driver sustained minor injuries as determined by forensic examination. Based on Article 51 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, the seven staff members received administrative detention sentences ranging from 10 to 15 days, each with a 1,000 yuan fine. The scenic area management committee issued a public apology, stating, “We deeply regret and feel deeply responsible. We sincerely apologize to the tour bus driver and to the tourists and netizens who care about the scenic area.”

Beyond the frontline staff, the working group held multiple management personnel accountable. The Party Secretary and Chairman of Sairam Lake Cultural Tourism Investment Group was removed from his position and received a serious party warning and major demerit. The Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager received similar disciplinary measures, while the ticket inspection supervisor and the manager of the information technology subsidiary were both dismissed. The scenic area’s Party Working Committee was ordered to make a profound self-criticism and was publicly criticized, as outlined in the full report.

Context and Controversy

The assault and fee controversy unfolded during the peak summer tourism season, exposing deeper tensions in China’s scenic area management. The fee dispute stemmed from the scenic area’s unusual practice of charging per person rather than per vehicle for self-driving access, a departure from industry norms across China. As analysis from Sohu noted, while the fee was compliant with regional pricing regulations, the per-person model contradicted public expectations that road maintenance costs should be tied to vehicles rather than passenger count.

The controversy also highlighted the road’s recent history. The ring road around Sairam Lake was formerly part of the G219 national highway and later a county road that allowed public transit vehicles to pass through with a 40-minute time limit. In 2024, after the Dabat Tunnel opened, the road was fully transferred to scenic area management, eliminating the public transit route. This change, combined with the fee structure, fueled public frustration, as reported by Tencent News.

Broader Implications

The incident drew criticism from media outlets for what was described as a “firefighting” approach to public relations. An analysis from Time Weekly via ifeng argued that dismissing frontline workers without addressing systemic management failures would not resolve the underlying problems, noting that the initial response left key details unexplained and placed all blame on low-level employees.

In response to the broader issues, the autonomous region announced it will supervise and guide all tourist attractions in Xinjiang that charge self-driving service fees to formulate optimization and adjustment plans and publish them as soon as possible. This signals a potential wave of fee reforms across the region’s scenic areas.

What to Watch

As the new per-vehicle fee structure takes effect on August 20, observers will be watching whether other scenic areas in Xinjiang follow suit with similar adjustments. The case also raises broader questions about how China’s scenic areas balance commercial operations with public expectations for transparent, reasonable pricing and quality service. For Sairam Lake, the challenge ahead is rebuilding trust with visitors while maintaining the ecological protections that its fees are intended to support.