Eight tourists on vacation in Southwest China's Yunnan Province were attacked on Saturday by stick- and knife-wielding waiters after complaining that their order of soy milk had not arrived, news portal cyol.com reported.
The group urged staff at a restaurant in the city of Lijiang to hurry up and bring them their beverage, but instead of receiving their drink, waiters threatened them with violence and told them to "take your food and get out."
The visitors then called the police, who attempted to reconcile the two sides. After the officers left, staff attacked the tourists with knives and sticks, pursuing them when they fled.
Officers have arrested five suspected attackers, who were sentenced to between 10 and 15 days of administrative detention on Sunday, according to the local police force's Sina Weibo account.
The tourism sector had its busiest day so far this year on January 28, the second day of the Spring Festival break, with 65.2 million Chinese taking trips.
This is not the only time that tourists have been assaulted in Lijiang recently.
A woman from Northeast China surnamed Dong was attacked by 12 men while dining in Lijiang in November 2016, leaving her face disfigured, the Legal Times reported on January 26.
The suspects punched Dong in the head and cut her face with broken glass.
The local government's website announced on January 27 that police have taken six suspects into custody.
