One can meet many of them just about anywhere in the world. They want to travel but can not afford it. Have no money for food but at night they miraculously have money for beer. They love to share their sob stories of how they are stranded but they never seem to go home, they just continue travelling from one place to another and mooching off any person they can. They always appear very friendly but in the end they will be very bold and just ask for what they want. Dont be fooled by their charm, this is how they get by day by day.

And the worst part is, when they come back home, they will be sitting in the pub with mates and telling the stories about how they traveled across all Asia without a penny. And friends will be buying them a beers, passing joints with taping them on the sholder :" You are so cool man, U r real traveler! "

@dazzer
I suppose it's a matter of perspective. Do nothing - that's a lack of compassion. Perhaps you're right - someone should ask them if they need to contact their embassy or consulate.

If the answer's "No.", then they obviously don't want to go home - but panhandling by foreigners in China is a crime for a multitude of reasons, to include:

1. No address of stay
2. Tourists don't panhandle, they "tour".
3. Violation of their tourist or work visa

If you see or witness a crime, report it. If they're NOT in need, then they're violating the law. Alleged victimless crimes are rarely victimless.

What's wrong in having some guys busking, begging or just trying to live differently ? That happens everywhere in the world, why should not happen here?

And what about this hate against cheap backpackers? I think there are more serious problem in this world than this, don't you think?
Please guys, that used to be an interesting forum section with interesting articles.... but yes, it is true that "Les vieillards aiment à donner de bons préceptes, pour se consoler de n'être plus en état de donner de mauvais exemples"....

@misfit: I'm with you.
@laotou: What's your big thing with the law?
@whoever mentioned parasitism: mooching dishonestly may well be parasitism when it occurs - and most backpackers certainly don't do this - but what do you call it when well-heeled tourists travel on money from clipping stock certificates?

@liumingke1234

"Nowadays foreigners are abundant and I might add annoying and disrespectful of the country they are 'guests'." A ridiculous gross generalisation.

@misfit
Yeah well said.! Try thinking outside the box more.

Right. And Chinese are hawking illegally allover the world. 摆摊. Not only in Dali. You see them selling on the streets from Kathmandu to Kuta Beach. If it wasnt for cops and law, the hawking Chinese would have taken over nightmarkets from Chiang Mai to Singapore by now. And maybe one day they will. They are figuring out the backways right now.

Very clever, very industrious.

The issue is the image they are painting of foreigners here. There is so much assistance out there if they are in need. The fact they have a sign requesting money is the issue!

If they were playing for entertainment, or fun and people give money without feeling sorry for them...it would be different. They are not busking, they are begging. playing music to pull attention to the sign.

There are so many monkey jobs here. Ktvs, modeling, clubs & bars, summer camps, tutoring. Also there is SO much free housings that provides food, and traveling just for teaching a kid, or hanging out being the token monkey at business meetings.

Its obvious they are hustling money to get to their next destination.

There are thousands of fake beggars in China. From monks to fake cripples. There are even websites out there making fun of these people. Just recently there was a story going on wechat about some fake beggar that had a million yuan on bank account. Those chinese fake beggars have also infiltrated Southeast Asia. People from Shanxi pretending to be blind outside thai king temple and so on. But they got busted.

A russian (?) couple doing this in China just adds to the variety :) And at least they are performing. And may not even be fake. :) And the sign asking for money is nothing new, this is local street culture.

@laofengzi: Just how many foreign travelers with offensive helpme signs do you see?