The 2014 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition kicked off on April 20, which had been designated by organizers as the media preview day. However, the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi district was more crowded than expected, with attendees including not only local media but also people with scalped tickets, the Beijing Times reported.

The media entrance cards have been peddled for as high as 700 yuan ($112.42) each by scalpers. Thieves also managed to get in; three thieves who were aiming to steal reporters' cameras were caught by plainclothes policemen.