A Chinese tourist weighing 263 jin (about 131.5 kg) spent 22,100 yuan (about 13,000 ringgit) to hire 9 porters to take turns carrying him up and down Mount Emei using a sedan chair, sparking discussion. Some netizens said, 'Money brings willfulness,' while others sympathized with the hard work of the porters, but more netizens commented that this was a mutually agreed transaction and there’s really nothing controversial about it.
This 'sky-high price sedan chair' incident occurred recently at China's famous Mount Emei scenic area. A tourist from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, weighing 263 jin, lavishly spent 22,100 yuan to hire 9 porters who took turns carrying a sedan chair for the 42km round-trip up and down Mount Emei, drawing heated discussion among netizens.
The incident happened on August 15th, when the tourist contacted local porter Mr. Fang to request a sedan chair up to the Caishendian (God of Wealth Pavilion) at mid-mountain. Due to the tourist's special body size, a regular sedan chair was insufficient, and in the end, a specially customized extra-large sedan chair had to be arranged.
Usually, a sedan chair ride for regular tourists involves a pair of porters, and costs 480 yuan (about 282 ringgit) for a 3km round trip. However, since this tourist exceeded the weight limit, Mr. Fang specially arranged a 9-person team for safety and physical strength, with groups of 4 porters taking turns carrying and one person leading the way.
The whole journey took 10 hours, covering 42km of steep mountain roads, and there was even rainfall along the way. It is said the tourist cooperated throughout, did not request an umbrella even when it rained, and chanted together with the porters. At the end of the trip, he even gave a 900 yuan (about 529 ringgit) tip.
After calculations, each of the 9 porters received 2,455 yuan (about 1,445 ringgit), which, compared to the typical 480 yuan fee for a pair of porters over 3km, is a higher income—but the physical effort required increased dramatically.
Netizens' opinions were divided into three camps: some felt 'money brings real willfulness' and that the tourist is entitled to this. Others sympathized with the porters and noted that they earn their wages through hard work, so they hope the scenic area can do more to protect the porters’ rights, such as providing anti-slip equipment or setting a maximum weight limit to avoid them overexerting themselves.
Yet another group of netizens discussed the matter rationally, saying that porters make a living through physical labor and tourists enjoy services through spending; since both parties agreed willingly, there’s nothing wrong with it.