No hotel for foreigners

Of course others have experienced this. It's what happens when you go off the track and encounter hotels that are not prepared to register foreigners.

Of the track?
Not so much so, a rather normal town, not the outback.

Still not very nice.

Erik

I've experienced this sort of thing on numerous occasions, all over China. Even in big cities and places that see lots of foreigners, many hotels will still refuse to accept them. In smaller towns, it's difficult to predict. Sometimes it's no problem finding a hotel. Sometimes it's a huge hassle, as you found out.

Unfortunately, better technology and an increasingly authoritarian government means that the hotel situation is getting worse and worse. In the past, you could often find hotels small enough that they weren't up-to-date with registration systems, and were happy to let anyone stay there. This is getting more difficult though.

When it does happen, as you found out, it's really not nice. Not really much you can do about it, except try and research in advance what hotels in a place will accept foreigners. The system generally makes no sense whatsoever. One hotel won't take you, but a seemingly identical hotel (or even one from the same chain) around the corner will.

It's the biggest headache of trying to explore China.

The Chinese want tourism, but mostly the kind they can control. I.e. guided tour groups. They do not prefer the backpackers going on their own exploring at will. For the Chinese government, they want control, not freedom. So they don't want to make it easy for backpackers.

It does happen. It differs from place to place and time to time. In 2015 I had no problem getting a hotel in Hongjiang. In others places I did have problems though. Strangely Dazu, with the famous carvings, was a problem. Size and even having somewhat famous sight dont guarantee anything.

Yes, the situation is getting much worse and it's a real deterrent to travelling in China these days. Why bother. So many other interesting countries out there you can visit.

I remember thinking long ago that China would over time become more open, and that the no-foreigner hotel problem would gradually end. I couldn't have been more wrong. Though about 15 years ago, there were official announcements that the no-foreigner hotel rules were being cancelled in many cities. But it turns out these official announcements, like so many official Chinese announcements, were just propaganda. Trying to make it look like China's continuing Deng's Open-Door policy, while all the while the doors are actually being more firmly nailed shut.

Better you visit a country where you're welcome.

So they don't want to make it easy for backpackers.

I don't think the people making the rules have the foggiest idea what a backpacker is.

Incidentally, this complaint about Hongjiang came up recently:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-north-east-asia/china/hongjiang-out

I once had a hotel accept me, show me a room, and then, a while later, suddenly tell me that I couldn't stay. They tried to kick me out into the dark night. I got angry. They called the police. After some fun and games, the police drove me to a random intersection in town, let me out the car, and then quickly drove off. I ended up spending the night in an uncomfortable 24-hour spa.

And just another note, which might otherwise be forgotten: while this situation is hugely irritating for foreign tourists in China, we're not the only ones who are discriminated against. There are similar measures operating against members of certain ethnic minorities in China, like Tibetans and Uighurs. They are also regularly turned away from hotels, on the basis of the official ethnicity on their ID cards.

Thank you very much indeed for your comment.

While my experience last night was a little bit scarrying, of couse it is nothing compared what people have to endure.
I understand that, and I know it is far from my everyday life back home.
I am priviliged to be able to travel here, no doubt.

Can't say that I've ever been to Hongjiang (Or the Huaihua area in general. Hunan is one of my least favorite provinces) but, from my experience, wether or not foreigners are allowed to stay in hotels in an area seems to be made at a provincial level. For instance: Hebei can be an absolute pain in the posterior to find a hotel as can Liaoning. Jilin and Heilongjiang, on the other hand, seem to be happy to let foreigners stay almost anywhere. Inner Mongolia can be problematic. Qinghai has never been a problem for me. The official choice in Ningxia is very limited. Yunnan offers a wide choice. Etcetera.

However... All problems seem to disappear if you are prepared to go a bit up-market (Which, of course, backpackers don't want to do).