For Chinese, Paris is far from a city of romance

An epidemic is gripping Chinese tourists visiting the French capital: Paris syndrome.

Like their Japanese counterparts, first-time visitors from China - fed on media reports and movies like An American in Paris - arrive expecting to see a quaint, affluent and friendly European city with smartly dressed people.

Instead, they discover the grittier side of Paris - packed metros, rude waiters and pickpockets intent on robbing cash-carrying tourists.