The no-shopping promise

China's tourism industry runs on a quiet tax: guides who earn from shops, not guests. Tea houses you never asked for, "local factories" that are showrooms, jade galleries with three-hour detours. You know the genre. So do we — and it ends at our doorstep.

The promise

• Your host never takes you to a shop for commission. Not one, not "just a quick look".
• We earn zero commission on anything you buy — meals, SIMs, tickets, crafts.
• Recommendations come from use, not margin. If we send you to a noodle shop, it's because we eat there.

How we keep it

Hosts are paid per service, above the agency-guide market rate, and accepting any kickback is a firing offence. Shops that offer us deals get told no, once, and reported to partners if persistent.

The penalty

If any CQ Buddy team member breaks this promise during your service, that service is free — refund of everything paid — and we ask you to tell us at hello@cqbuddy.com so it never happens twice.

Why this matters to us

Every experienced China traveller has one horror-story shopping day. We're building the company we'd have wanted on our own first trips — and that company does not sell its guests' afternoons.