Mainland tourist shares heartbroken customs encounter when heading home

A mainland tourist had recently shared online his heartbroken experience of not being able to bring back home goods he purchased in Hong Kong, after being stopped and detained for more than two hours at the border.

Sharing his story on social media platform Xiaohongshu, the tourist said he had purchased cigarettes, Polaroid camera and Polaroid films from Hong Kong and was on his way back to Shenzhen through the Futian Checkpoint.

He said when passing through customs carrying the goods, he was stopped by mainland officials and was asked to wait in a room, with his credentials and luggage taken away from him.

After a two-hour wait the netizen was informed the goods he was carrying had to be “returned to Hong Kong”, before he can go through the checkpoint.

Many netizens shared similar experiences online saying they were stopped at the checkpoint after purchasing Polaroid camera and films in Hong Kong, with the goods also required to be “returned to Hong Kong”.

Detailing the incident, the tourists replied online that he was carrying three boxes of Polaroid films worth couple hundred Hong Kong dollars, adding he will never again bring home expensive goods anymore.

The central government previously raised duty-free limit for mainland travelers to the city. Starting July 1 last year, the duty-free allowance has been raised to a maximum of 15,000 yuan for eligible Chinese mainland tourists traveling to Hong Kong, up from the previous limit of 5,000 yuan.