Chinese tourist called 'poor ghost' for refusing to buy jewelry items

The female tourist visited a jewelry shop in Xiamen City on Feb. 25 and asked prices of items there but then she left the store without purchasing anything, the South China Morning Post reported.

The male shop owner insulted her and called her a "poor ghost" who can't afford it but still tried to ask the price, according to a viral video recently shared on Chinese platform Douyin.

The visitor and the shop owner then entered into a fierce quarrel.

As the dispute escalated, police stepped in and decided to suspend the shop.

Many Chinese netizens have expressed their outrage, calling tougher actions against the shop owner for his "rude behavior."

"Do you have any friends in Xiamen? Tell me which store is located so that we could avoid visiting it?" a netizen wrote.

"Finally, I also understand why many tourists always hesitate to buy products at such shops," another netizen wrote.

This was not the first-time tourists in China have been insulted for refusing to buy expensive products at stores.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, a tour guide forced a family of Chinese tourists off a bus for refusing to buy a bracelet for 50,000 yuan (US$6,950) at a shop he took them to.