Seven detained for attack on driver at Xinjiang's Sayram Lake

Seven employees at a popular tourist attraction in China's far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have been detained for assaulting a tour bus driver, authorities said on Monday. A number of managers and officials have been disciplined over management failures, and the scenic area has announced changes to a controversial self-driving fee following public criticism.

The incident occurred on July 23 at the Sayram Lake scenic area in the Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture during a ticket inspection, according to a statement released by a joint investigation team formed by regional and prefecture authorities.

Police said an argument broke out between a scenic area employee and the driver, identified by his surname Wang, from a Xinjiang tourism transport company during ticket verification and escalated into a physical confrontation. Six other employees subsequently joined the assault.

A forensic examination concluded that the driver suffered slight injuries.

Under China's Public Security Administration Punishments Law, the seven employees received administrative detention ranging from 10 to 15 days and were each fined 1,000 yuan ($148), the statement said.

Authorities also announced disciplinary action against the scenic area's operating company and local officials, saying the incident exposed serious shortcomings in management.

The chairman of the State-owned Sayram Lake Cultural Tourism Investment Group, which operates the scenic area, was removed from his post after receiving disciplinary sanctions for failing to fulfill management and workplace safety responsibilities. The company's general manager was given disciplinary penalties.

The manager of the group's ticketing subsidiary and the supervisor responsible for ticket inspections were also removed from their positions for direct responsibility in the case.

In addition, the scenic area's Communist Party of China working committee was publicly criticized and ordered to submit a formal self-criticism. Several officials overseeing the scenic area received punishments including warnings, demerits and formal admonishments.

The joint investigation also addressed long-standing public grievances over the attraction's fee policies, which had generated intense online debate across social media.

Previously, visitors driving their own vehicles into the attraction were required to pay a 70-yuan admission ticket and a self-driving service fee of 75 yuan per person. The policy prompted criticism on Chinese social media, with many users questioning why the fee was charged for every passenger rather than every vehicle.

Authorities said the pricing policy would be revised to better reflect the public-service role of State-owned scenic areas.

Beginning Aug 20, the self-driving service fee will be charged per vehicle instead of per person after the ticketing system is upgraded. Vehicles with up to five seats will pay 120 yuan, six- or seven-seat vehicles 180 yuan, vehicles with eight to 19 seats 300 yuan, and larger vehicles 600 yuan.

From Tuesday through Aug 19, a temporary rate of 30 yuan per person will apply while the new system is being implemented.

The joint investigation team said authorities would also instruct other tourist attractions in Xinjiang that charge self-driving service fees to review and revise their pricing plans as appropriate.

Sayram Lake, the highest and largest alpine lake in Xinjiang, is a national 5A-rated tourist attraction.

Its approximately 90-kilometer ring road has made self-driving tours particularly popular during the summer travel season.

According to Xinjiang Daily, the scenic area received about 7.72 million visits in 2025. Visitor numbers reached about 2.25 million by June 7 this year, up 17.26 percent year-on-year.